Description
“Sheds light on the hidden world of authors’ editors and demonstrates the valuable work they do.”
—Elizabeth Wager, Publications
Consultant, Sideview
Editors who work directly with academic researchers, helping to make their draft manuscripts suitable for publication in peer-reviewed scholarly journals, refer to themselves as “authors’ editors.” As a profession, author editing has been around for more than a half-century, but its role in research communication is often underappreciated and sometimes misunderstood.
In this book, authors’ editor and former researcher Valerie Matarese documents the history of author editing and illustrates, through interviews with experienced editors, how these language professionals support researchers in their efforts to publish. Editing Research fills a void in the historical record of academic publishing. It provides an up-to-date account of how authors’ editors facilitate research communication and contribute to good publication practice.
“A deeply researched and masterfully written book … at once an academic source, a practical manual, and an essential guide for anyone aspiring to this profession of burgeoning importance in contemporary science.”
—Daniele Fanelli,
Senior Research Scientist,
Stanford University
“Impressively researched … covers a huge range of topics and issues around the author editing process. Exceptional in its originality and breadth of coverage, and as a source of references on the topic.”
—John Flowerdew, Professor,
Department of English,
City University, Hong Kong
2016 | 244 pp/softbound | Ebook Edition | PDF Edition | Amazon Kindle | B&N Nook | OverDrive | My iLibrary | ebrary | EBSCO | Blio
Reviews for Editing Research
“Prodigiously researched and scholarly, yet written in an accessible, readable, and matter-of-fact style, Editing Research answers the question, “What Does an Author’s Editor Do?” … In completing this review, I felt … invigorated by learning so much about author editing … Valerie Matarese [is] a committed champion of author editing as a profession and … one of the profession’s eloquent opinion leaders. The book concludes with, among other things, advice for author’s editors, such as to mentor and be mentored. Author’s editors … ought to heed that and the other advice.” “
—Michael S. Altus
European Science Editing
“… a very complete account of the work of a professional group, known as ‘authors’ editors’, who provide editing support for research writers. … an extremely useful bibliographic resource … provides a window into the professional practices of a group who have, until recently, been largely invisible to many … importantly, it offers advice on best practices to the authors’ editor and to institutions seeking and evaluating these services. … a very readable text and a valuable addition to one’s professional library.”
—Sally Burgess
Journal of Second Language Writing
“… a vivid dialog about research editors, a peek inside their culture, and a practical guide … a history of author editing, a guide to entering the profession, an escort through a swamp of terminology, and–most of all–an engaging argument for authors’ editors and their work. I would recommend it to anyone interested in an editing career.”
—Nathan Susnik
Medical Writing
“A major contribution of the work is its delineation of the five levels of editing and explanation of which ones are most relevant to authors’ editors. In addition, the discussion of the unique skills and diversity of authors’ editors is illuminating. … Perhaps the most notable is Matarese’s genuine regard for both her clients and her colleagues, which is communicated in an accessible writing style and through deft interweaving of scholarship with personal experience. She has succeeded in bringing the profession of author editing into the light, and her book will allow new generations of editors to both know their roots and build on the successes of their predecessors.”
—Nina Conrad
Journal of English for Academic Purposes
“Matarese … has written an excellent analysis of the evolution, purpose and value of author editing. … Her book is ‘meant to serve as a guide to persons interested in a career in author editing and to research administrators contemplating setting up an in-house editing service.’ … There is an excellent description of the five levels of intervention, from the most superficial to the most interventional: proofreading, copy-editing, language editing, substantive editing and developmental editing.”
—Penny Howe
Editing Matters
“The author provides perhaps the most exhaustive and informative manual on this particular profession and career to date. … I can’t recommend this book enough. Anyone who wants to use their scholarly skills and talents in a profession outside of yet intertwined with the academy needs to read this book. The appendices provide a wealth of resources in regards to membership associations and ways to get started in this field, as well as peer-reviewed journals focused specifically on and for author editors. A must have reference book in any academic library or writing center.”
—Brad Eden
Public Services Quarterly
“a well-written, important resource for those who need to know more about editing for authors of scholarly manuscripts.”
—Katharine O’Moore-Klopf
EditorMom blog
