Academic Editing

An archive of posts related to editing and proofreading academic writing, including student essays. Find out how to edit academic work effectively.

  • A Guide to Citing Shakespeare in Academic Writing

    A Guide to Citing Shakespeare in Academic Writing

    Nov 09, 2023

    • Academic Editing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Referencing and Citations
    • Style

    Are you confident when it comes to citing Shakespeare? Shakespeare’s plays are so influential that many style guides have special rules for citing them. As a proofreader, you’ll need to look out for citations like these when working on academic writing and make sure they have been added correctly.  If you’re not sure how to […]

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  • How and When to Use Sic in a Quotation

    How and When to Use Sic in a Quotation

    Oct 26, 2023

    • Academic Editing
    • Editing Tips
    • Formatting
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    When proofreading, you might see the term sic used in a quotation. However, many people misuse this term or use it when there is an alternative available. As such, proofreaders and editors should make sure they know how and when to use this term in a quotation. In this blog post, we explore: What sic […]

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  • How to Cite Translated Works in APA Style

    How to Cite Translated Works in APA Style

    Feb 18, 2023

    • Academic Editing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Referencing and Citations
    • Style

    Let’s talk about APA references! You may feel confident citing straightforward sources – but what do you do if you come across something that’s not as common?  If you’re conducting research or editing an academic text, you may come across a work that’s been translated from a different language. It’s important to know how to […]

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  • Titles in Academic Writing

    Oct 11, 2022

    • Academic Editing
    • Editing Tips
    • Style

    In academic writing, a strong title hooks the reader, reflects the tone and content of the paper, and contains keywords to increase the paper’s visibility on search engines. If you’re an editor working with academic clients, you may need to highlight issues in their titles and subtitles. Read on for some tips on how to […]

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  • Common Fallacies (and How to Fix Them)

    Oct 01, 2022

    • Academic Editing
    • Common Errors
    • Editing Tips

    Logical fallacies are deceptive or false arguments that use faulty reasoning to shift the direction of a discussion away from the main point. Whether you’re writing a critical essay or having a heated discussion with your neighbor, being aware of logical fallacies can help you build stronger arguments and establish credibility. As an academic editor, […]

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  • How to Proofread and Edit an Academic CV

    Sep 15, 2022

    • Academic Editing
    • Editing Tips
    • Proofreading Tips

    If you’ve worked with professional CVs before, you may feel prepared to proofread and edit an academic CV. But there are some important differences between professional and academic CVs that you should know about. In this blog post, we give a brief guide to the content and structure of an academic CV and set out […]

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  • When Can You Use the First Person in Academic Writing?

    Dec 05, 2021

    • Academic Editing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    Many students are taught not to use the first person in academic writing. But is it always the case that you shouldn’t? And when should a proofreader change or comment on the point of view in scholarly work? In this post, we’ll explain the basics, including: For more advice on all of the above, read […]

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  • Editing Tips: Editing IMRaD Essays

    Nov 11, 2021

    • Academic Editing
    • Editing Tips
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    If you do a lot of academic editing or proofreading, chances are you will come across an IMRaD essay. Indeed, you may have worked on several without even knowing it! The term IMRaD stands for Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion, which is a method of structuring essays. It’s worth yourself with this structure because it’s […]

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  • Proofreading Tips: Parentheses and Square Brackets in Chicago Style

    Proofreading Tips: Parentheses and Square Brackets in Chicago Style

    Nov 07, 2021

    • Academic Editing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Punctuation
    • Style

    Parentheses and square brackets are punctuation marks used to set off certain bits of information from the main text in a document. They’re not too tricky, but different style guides can have slightly different rules for their usage. And, as a proofreader, you’ll need to check your client’s writing against these rules. This post, then, […]

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  • Proofreading Tips: Dos and Don'ts for Proofreading Academic Writing

    Proofreading Tips: Dos and Don'ts for Proofreading Academic Writing

    Nov 04, 2021

    • Academic Editing
    • Proofreading Tips
    • Style

    Academic proofreading is a common source of work for many freelancers. However, there are some specific rules and requirements for proofreading academic documents that set them apart from other types of documents. With that in mind, we’ve put together five dos and don’ts for proofreading academic writing: Do correct informal language. Don’t change the content. […]

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