Once again, in 2025 I have enjoyed working with a diversity of clients, including students, academics and public sector clients, across a wide range of subject areas. I have edited public reports and research on important issues including gender equality, health and transport safety. My focus is always on clear communication for the purpose and audience.

I attended the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) biennial conference in Adelaide in July 2025, the first face-to-face conference since 2019, and enjoyed meeting fellow editors in person, not on screen. I presented a workshop on business skills and displayed a poster on the updated fair hourly pay rates for self-employed editors. Throughout the conference, the impact of AI on editing and our client was a topic of great interest and discussion and also uncertainty. With growing recognition of the risk of AI slop, editors still have an important role in ensuring clear and accurate communication.

In my voluntary roles on 2 IPEd committees, the Standing Committee on Academic Editing and the Pay and Conditions Standing Committee, I helped update 3 important resources for editors and clients in 2025:

• IPEd guidelines for editing theses
• fair hourly pay rates for self-employed editors
• indicative costs of academic editing.

Check these and other resources on the IPEd website.

I have continued to ensure a healthy work–life balance by volunteering in many environmental activities with the Australian Plants Society and Sutherland Shire Bushcare and community nursery. I was honoured to be awarded Sutherland Shire’s Environmental Citizen of the Year 2025 in January 2025.

Thank you to all my clients who value editing and care about communication. I look forward to editing and reviewing for you in 2026.

To work with a careful and thoughtful accredited editor with real-world commonsense, focusing on academic and research-related editing, please contact me at rhdaniels@bigpond.com