Copyediting Services

Our clients come to us for copyediting anytime their words have to be absolutely right. Whether they are publishing a journal, a website, a proposal, or an advertisement. They come to us when they want to wow an audience with their ideas ... not with their typos.

We work with a variety of clients, on a variety of publications. Here are just a few.

Scientific and technical material
Proposals
Marketing communications
Books
English-as-a-second-language editing

Scientific and Technical. Chartered by Congress in 1863, the National Academy of Sciences advises the federal government on scientific and technical matters of national importance. We help the Academy by editing volumes of its Transportation Research Record, a peer-reviewed journal focusing on innovation in transportation engineering, construction, and policy.

We are there because we understand the highly technical, mathematical language being used in the journal. And because we know how to gracefully correct authors' mistakes without changing meaning.

The result? A journal that clearly conveys complex information while upholding the highest standards of scientific and publishing excellence.

Proposals. Clients like Booz Allen Hamilton, CSC, and VISTA Technology Services come to us for help editing large, complex, multi-million dollar proposals. Their RFPs come from the federal government, the armed services, and megacompanies around the globe.

Our clients trust us to handle sensitive proposal text because we've been there and done that, proposal after proposal. We know the unpredictable schedules, the late nights, and the overnights that proposals involve.

Our job? To bring calm in the midst of chaos. We work with proposal managers to develop a style sheet for authors and editors to follow. We edit the text and ensure consistency with RFP terms, win themes, and key discriminators. We oversee all aspects of quality assurance and, when required, supervise the work of other editors.

The result? Winning proposals. And reviewers who evaluate your solution ... not your typos.

Marketing Communications. For a variety of corporations, design firms, and ad agencies, we edit all manner of marketing collateral - websites, brochures, advertisements, print and online newsletters, tradeshow exhibits, and promotional packages

Our focus is on ensuring correct grammar and punctuation while retaining richly descriptive language with a marketing flair.

The result? Powerful, award-winning communications. The various products we have worked on for have been cited by standard-bearing organizations such as the AIGA, the Art Directors' Club of Metropolitan Washington, IABC, and the Web Marketing Association.

Books. Globe Pequot Press is the largest publisher of regional travel books in the United States, with an exceptional concentration in outdoor recreation. We help Globe with two tasks: copyediting new fresh-from-the-author manuscripts, and proofreading new editions of previously published works.

Each job requires an editor who brings to the table both a high-level understanding of a book as a whole and an incredible attention to detail. We're there because we catch the tiniest of inconsistencies - a train that's listed as leaving at 11:00 a.m. on page 6, and at 11:15 a.m. on page 206, for example.

The result? Books that are vividly written, highly readable, and letter-perfect.

English as a Second Language Editing. Increasingly, foreign authors must be able to write in English as a requirement for publication in globally read scientific and technical journals. Expressing ideas clearly in English - an irregular, complex language - can be challenging, and the help of a professional editor is often required to ensure that a foreign author's phrasing makes sense and that correct English grammar, punctuation, and syntax are employed.

As a special project for the World Bank, under contract with Polk Editorial, we edited a paper for a Japanese scientist who wished to receive a primer on English-language writing. In addition to editing his paper, we provided him a detailed explanation of why each change was made - whether to correct a point of grammar, to conform to World Bank style, or to enhance readability.

The result? A paper that reads like it was written by a native English speaker. And an author who will be better prepared to write his next English-language publication.