Here are some case studies showing how Right with Rhonda gets it right – whether it’s writing, editing, review or research. Contact Rhonda for help with your project on rhdaniels@bigpond.com

Why are there case studies here, but no testimonials?

Right with Rhonda’s clients are very happy with the services received and do let her know. But when Rhonda provides a high quality service, that is the focus of the service. She does not ask clients to provide testimonials, does not breach privacy or confidentiality by asking to publish comments and full names, and does not offer discounts to receive glowing words. And she doesn’t want to edit testimonials to ensure flawless English!

Editing quickly to communicate clearly about coronavirus

Rhonda has edited several items on coronavirus and COVID-19 for clients in universities and industry. Some papers require same day turnaround to provide information to a wide audience quickly. A paper Rhonda edited for client S at the University of Adelaide received worldwide attention and was reported in The Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday 9 April 2020. Over 50 media have mentioned the paper on the mental health impacts of the pandemic, including HuffPost (US), Yahoo (various) and Wired (Italy), as well as other Australian states (Brisbane Times). With a University of Sydney co-author, read more about the research impact in Sydney Business Connect here.

The result: Journal articles are quickly published, adding to global knowledge on a rapidly changing health crisis.

Rhonda has written two blogs on communicating clearly about coronavirus and COVID-19 here and here.

Editing by Zoom

Even before the coronavirus crisis, Rhonda used Zoom for client consultations and on screen editing. It is very helpful for some clients to see the editing changes as they are being made and to discuss suggested changes and issues. Read Rhonda’s blog about it here.

Getting a book published

Client B had been working on a biographical book for some time. The text was comprehensively researched and flawlessly written but was too long with distracting detail. Rhonda advised on how to shorten the text, focus on the key messages, and make the book more appealing to a publisher. Rhonda also provided advice to the first-time author on publication options and issues to be aware of. The result: The book was published in early 2020.

Researching and writing a book

Client M had been thinking about writing a book on a topic close to his heart for many years, but didn’t know how or where to start. Rhonda researched the topic, drafted a table of contents, then wrote 20,000 words as a draft.
The result: The client had a draft book to show to publishers to gauge their interest.

Writing a business case

Rhonda compiled a strategic business case and a final business case for two road projects for a NSW government agency. Rhonda identified the correct templates to use, liaised with staff to gather the required information, compiled the information in the Word template, ensured internal consistency and highlighted missing information still to be provided.
The result:  The business cases met the requirements and proceeded to the next stage of the assessment process.

Writing a blog

Rhonda has been commissioned by Sutherland Shire Council to write a quarterly tourism blog, focused on the natural environment. Rhonda proposes seasonal ideas, writes a perfectly edited blog on time and provides at least one original photo.
The result: The council uses local writing and editing expertise to promote the area to residents and visitors. See a recent blog here.

Editing a thesis by publications

A thesis by publication is an increasingly common format. For client K, Rhonda advised on how to combine the three papers into one thesis including numbering of chapters, graphical material and appendices, referring to the papers or studies consistently and editing for a consistent style in language and references throughout.
The result: Although the papers had been written for different journals at different times, they were compiled into a coherent thesis for examination.

Getting published in Nature journal

See Rhonda’s blog post from November 2016 on getting published in Nature journal. Congratulations to lead author Giles Hamm, doctoral student in archaeology at La Trobe University, for his success in publishing a paper titled Cultural innovation and megafauna interaction in the early settlement of arid Australia in Nature 539, 280-283. Rhonda worked with Giles on several iterations of the paper including identifying the key findings, interpreting the journal guidelines, advising on the submission process, and editing the text, references and supplementary information.
The result: After a long process with many people having a say in the final paper including the co-authors (13 in this paper), the reviewers and Nature editorial staff, the paper was published in a prestigious scientific journal.

Getting a journal article accepted

A draft journal article had originally been written for a different journal and did not meet the requirements of the new target journal. Rhonda went to the target journal website and read the journal requirements including total word length, headings and section numbering, language and reference style. Rhonda then adjusted the journal article to meet the new requirements, particularly structure and word length. Read Rhonda’s blog on meeting journal requirements.
The result: The revised journal article met the requirements of the target journal and proceeded to the review process.

Applying for an academic job or award

Sometimes applicants are just too close to their own experience to see it objectively and it is worth getting it right for an academic job or award. Rhonda has worked with several applicants to ensure their applications for academic jobs and promotions meet the selection criteria, provide the right information at the right level of detail and are error-free. Read Rhonda’s blog on return on investment.
The result: Applicants have confidence that their application meets the requirements and that they have presented their experience in the best possible way.

Formatting fiddly references

In many theses, academic articles and research reports, the references in the reference list have been assembled from various sources over several years and are formatted differently. Rhonda asks for a copy of the reference style preferred by the university or target journal and applies the reference style to the reference list. This can include consistent use of commas, brackets, italics and capitalisation. Rhonda also highlights missing information, such as a missing author initial, date or page number, and fills it in if easily available from an internet search. It’s fiddly work but the result is worth it! Even with the use of reference management software, there can be glitches.
The result: The outcome is always a beautifully and consistently formatted reference list with complete information. The credibility of the thesis, article or report is enhanced as readers can find references easily and are not distracted by poor formatting.

Overcoming multiple authors with multiple styles

A government agency had a draft business case for a major project with chapters written by different authors in different styles. First Rhonda developed a style sheet for the business case for consistent style, spelling and preferred terms, then applied the style sheet to the business case. Rhonda also simplified the writing and cut out unnecessary words.
The result: The business case was much easier to read, allowing readers to focus on the content without distracting inconsistencies between chapters.