Are you a graduate student in the health or life sciences? Do you know what you want to say but find you have a hard time putting it into words? Does your supervisor or graduate committee express frustration over your apparent lack of writing skills? Are you certain that your scientific logic is sound but … Continue reading The Benefits of a Writing Coach
Editors beware: Scammers at large
Twice in the past few weeks, I have been contacted by someone looking for help with a document that raised the same series of red flags. I was alerted to the first of these email scams by my lovely Facebook community, because these scammers shamelessly and systematically target freelance editors. Thanks to my colleagues, then, … Continue reading Editors beware: Scammers at large
Zed or Zee? A crisis of Canadian identity
Recently, I have had several conversations with my children that would suggest I don’t feel as old as I think I may actually be. I am a child of the 70s. I grew up on Sesame Street, Mr Dressup, Mr Rogers and the Friendly Giant. I knew the difference between the CBC and PBS, and … Continue reading Zed or Zee? A crisis of Canadian identity
Consistency and Flexibility
One pitfall of being an editor is seeing things that I wish didn't bug me, but do. I don't want to be a critical or judgmental person, and I certainly don't want to be one of "those people" who thinks she knows better than anyone else. But here's a story of the (mis)application of style … Continue reading Consistency and Flexibility
Why I Love Editing: Brain Balance
Editing is a varied and dynamic process that is sometimes hard to define, and that is actually one of the things I love about it. It is a very personal process that will depend entirely on the context not only of the work itself but of both the creators and the audience. When anything is … Continue reading Why I Love Editing: Brain Balance
Habits are costly
The title of this post could mean at least two things, depending on whether your perspective is from before or after the habit is formed. From the after perspective, the title infers a bad habit and an undesirable consequence. But what about good habits? Are they costly too? I am a Habitican. This means I … Continue reading Habits are costly
Scary “Scare Quotes”
It seems a topic only too appropriate for today: I ran across scare quotes today in a page proof. They were used inconsistently, so I dug into my trusty Chicago manual to see the scoop and what rules might apply. As usual, I never open that book without learning something. "Scare quotes," according to CMOS 17 … Continue reading Scary “Scare Quotes”
Serious Serial Comma Silliness
I am a fan of the Oxford comma (also called the series or serial comma): parsley, sage, rosemary[,?] and thyme. Or at least I thought I was. Recent conversations and reading have led me to think again about where I place my comma allegiances, and why. My go-to example in favour of the series comma … Continue reading Serious Serial Comma Silliness
The Asthma Adversary
I have asthma. When you learn this about me, what assumptions do you make? That I am fragile? Weak? That my parents and doctors failed me somehow? That I don’t (or didn’t) take good care of myself? That I can’t (or won’t) do the things healthy people do? That it can’t really be that bad, … Continue reading The Asthma Adversary
Nit-picking Numbers
How a day spent grappling with "2" and "two" taught me something about numbers, numerals, and life Sometimes I appreciate the technical side of editing. I don't mean editing technical documents, necessarily - I mean the technical aspects of grammar and style that give me the illusion that I can tell right from wrong. As my … Continue reading Nit-picking Numbers
Comma Confusion: To Include or Not to Include?
Recently, in reviewing an academic article, I came across the following sentence in the notes to a table: "Industry and year-specific intercepts are not included for brevity." At first glance, the meaning might seem obvious, but let's look again. Are you including the intercepts or not? Because this could mean two things: that the intercepts … Continue reading Comma Confusion: To Include or Not to Include?