Last year, when Peerwith management asked me whether I could revise a paper written in Overleaf — an online LaTeX editor for the production of technical and scientific documentation — I saw it as a learning opportunity. Working as an academic editor through Peerwith.com meant I dodged the many changes …
It’s almost inevitable. People who say “we’ve gotten too PC” about language will, at some point in the discussion, claim that if we stop using certain words or phrases, we’ll run out of words to write and talk. Arriving at this spot Who is having these discussions and how does …
I’ve worked in publishing for about 15 years, but every year I’m caught off guard by the January phenomenon of aspiring authors who’ve resolved that this is the year they’re publishing a book. Manuscript submissions and calls about the publishing process become more frequent, as do inquiries about how to …
In November, CBC Radio host Tom Power replayed an episode on q about the unlikely success of Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You, and I’ve had the song stuck in my head ever since. The relentless earworm aside, the opening strain sums up my expectations for the …
At an Editors’ Vine virtual meeting in November, Editors Canada member Lesley Cameron presented “Getting the Most from Style Sheets.” Here are some of the highlights from her talk. The primary function of a style sheet is to record all style decisions about a text to ensure consistency within a …
I’ve never been happy with the look of my website, shortishard.ca. Yet, I’ve never needed to update it, because I get all my work through referrals, word of mouth or my monthly column, Ask Dr Editor. In 2021, though, things are going to change: I’m hiring an undergraduate student to …
Your editorial blog is an excellent tool to attract new clients, maintain relationships with existing or past clients and optimize your website for search engines. Before you start blogging, consider these two starting points: Your blog is not about you; its purpose is to answer your clients’ questions and offer …
There are career opportunities for editors who are interested in helping non-native English-speaking researchers prepare their papers for publication. This type of work allows editors to meet and work with smart, interesting people and have a front-row seat to new research coming on stream. The Peerwith community Peerwith.com is an …
In the U.S. presidential election this month, the first openly transgender woman, Sarah McBride, won a seat in the Delaware State Senate. It’s a milestone for diversity and one that has an impact on our work as writers and editors. Striving to ensure the equality of men and women in …
Recently, I’ve seen some problems involving global text edits that were easily solved with Microsoft Word’s Advanced Find and Replace feature. Spending some time learning the ins and outs of this feature will more than pay off when you’re able to do something in minutes that would take you hours …