Tag Archives: writing

Celebrating 10 years of Right with Rhonda – Part 2

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Welcome to part 2 of my blog celebrating 10 years since I started my business Right with Rhonda in late 2013. Read part 1 here.

1. Reflections on my clients

      I have enjoyed working with a diversity of clients over many years, including students and academics, and public sector clients. I have supported clients from editing their PhD thesis, to then editing their job applications, editing their journal articles, editing the theses of students they supervise, editing their students’ journal articles, editing research grant applications, and then editing their promotion applications. Some clients are well on the path from PhD student to Professor. Many of my clients are at top universities in Australia. Read my blog on university rankings and editing here.

      2. Reflections on my work

      It has been very satisfying to edit public reports and research on important issues in gender equality, health, education, transport, and diversity and inclusion. Some work has been publicly available, and some work is published in journals. I am maintaining confidentiality by not mentioning specific reports here, but I am named and acknowledged on some.

      Most of my work is broadly in the social sciences, but sometimes there is something a little different – like archaeology, veterinary science or research in countries I am less familiar with like Mongolia. I enjoy contributing in my areas of knowledge including economic geography, urban planning and transport, using my experience as a published researcher.

      Read my blog on getting published in Nature here.

      3. Reflections on the changing nature of editing work

      Over 10 years of business, I feel there has been a greater acceptance of a more relaxed approach to strict grammar and style rules. This is partly due to the delay in updating the Australian Government’s Style Manual, the emergence of other Australian style guides, the increase in short-form and informal communication such as texts and Twitter, and the variety of “Englishes” around the world. As always, the focus should be on clear communication for the purpose and audience.

      Over 10 years, I have definitely seen better use of reference management software from students, but referencing still needs checking.

      However, not every one takes advantage of all the useful style, structure and formatting features in Word when working on a long document. This is my number 1 tip for students – learn how to use Word early on. It saves time later on.

      With research becoming increasingly complex, clear presentation is essential. It is so competitive to publish in the top academic journals that professional copy editing on all submissions, from the first to the final, is essential to avoid distracting errors and typos and get past gatekeeping journal editors. Some journals even require authors to organise and certify the copy editing. I have had an increase in clients in China, usually through Australian co-authors, as Chinese researchers also seek to publish in the top English language international journals.

      4. Looking ahead

      Looking ahead, I’m sure there will be more changes in editing. Even with the development of AI tools such as ChatGPT, there will always be a need for a careful and thoughtful professional editor with real-world commonsense.

      As I noted in my blog in 2020, Celebrating 100 editing blogs and 7 years of Right with Rhonda, my blogs are based on issues which arise in my day to day work as a self-employed academic editor and as a professional member of the Institute of Professional Editors. Thanks to all my clients over the last 10 years for providing such interesting material to edit and making me think.

      Read all my blogs here.

      Contact me

      To work with an accredited editor who has been successful for over 10 years striving for clear communication, please contact me at rhdaniels@bigpond.com

      Celebrating 10 years of Right with Rhonda – Part 1

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      This blog celebrates 10 years since I started my business Right with Rhonda in late 2013.

      I attended an Editors NSW presentation at their monthly meeting in November 2013, established my business Right with Rhonda and set up my own website myself using WordPress in November 2013, and joined Editors NSW as a professional member.

      With my listing on the Editors NSW freelance directory, client interest increased in 2014, and I was on the way in my self-employed editing career. I provide high-quality research, review and editing services to researchers, academics, students and government departments. I help people communicate clearly in writing, focusing on academic and research related material.

      My very first blog in November 2013 was on How to identify spam. Many blogs are based on issues which arise in my day to day work as a self-employed academic editor and as a professional member of the Institute of Professional Editors. Thanks to all my clients over the years for providing such interesting material to edit and making me think.

      See my other blogs celebrating business milestones:

      Over the years, I have learned from my experience as a self-employed professional and have contributed to Editors NSW and the Institute of Professional Editors in various roles, including as a member of the Standing Committee on Academic Editing and the Pay and Conditions Standing Committee. I am proud that, with a strong foundation and focus, I was able to survive the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and continue my business serving clients.

      See Part 2 next month for more reflections on my clients and work over the last 10 years.

      To work with an accredited editor who has been successful in business for 10 years striving for clear communication, please contact me at rhdaniels@bigpond.com

      Letters to the editor – success in writing and editing

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      I was pleased my letter to the editor on one of my interests – our natural environment – was published in The Sydney Morning Herald in July 2023 here. I have been a dedicated Herald reader since childhood, and had letters published on a range of topics over the years. I’ve also had letters published in my local paper. In the same month, Joan Brown of Orange reached the grand total of 500 letters published. What a record!

      Writing a letter that is published reflects the writing and editing task at a small scale:

      • thinking of a topic and what to say
      • editing to keep the letter short and succinct
      • meeting the requirements of the publisher
      • being timely and relevant.

      Writing with passion helps. See my blog here. A touch of humour always helps too and appeals to the Letters Editor, but that can be much harder to achieve.

      The Sydney Morning Herald has guidelines for letters including a preferred word limit. Keep the letter short so readers can focus on the key words and message and not be distracted by too many words. When I edit material, I can usually reduce the word count without even trying through several different techniques:

      • using the simplest form of a word or phrase
      • deleting repetition
      • deleting unnecessary linking words or phrases
      • deleting distracting detail.

      If you are struggling with writing, think of less is more. Write less, and make every word count.

      See my related blogs to help write a letter that gets published:

      To work with an accredited editor who has letters to the editor published, please contact me at rhdaniels@bigpond.com

      Futureproofing editing: 11th IPEd editors conference 2023

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      The IPEd conference held online in May 2023 had the theme of futureproofing the profession of editing – very topical for editors and their clients in the age of AI and ChatGPT. Are editors redundant? No. Reassuringly, keynote speaker Martin Delahunty explained that ChatGPT still requires human curation and checking answers. It requires human intervention behind the scenes, and in use. We still need critical thinking, and editors are excellent at critical thinking, checking, and exercising judgement. For instance, AI can make up convincing references that do not in fact exist.

      Clearly AI is very useful. It is already being used and will continue to bring changes. The landscape is changing very quickly and policies are being developed in different fields. In education, schools and universities are developing policies on student use. In academic publishing, some journals have developed policies that AI cannot be a paper author, but authors need to acknowledge and cite AI if it is used.

      The Plain English Foundation has produced a report on editors and ChatGPT. Get the report here.

      The conference also provided an update on IPEd activities, including the work of the Pay and Conditions Standing Committee of which I am a member.

      This is the fourth IPEd conference I have attended. See my blogs on previous conferences here:

      Brisbane 2017: “An excellence of editors” – advancing the profession conference

      Melbourne 2019: Beyond the page – words from the IPEd national conference May 2019

      Hobart 2021: Editing on the edges: the IPEd editors conference, June 2021

      As part of my own futureproofing, I look forward to viewing sessions I couldn’t attend in real time.

      To work with an accredited editor who strives for clear communication, please contact me at rhdaniels@bigpond.com

      Everywhen: Indigenous history and language

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      A new book combines my interests in Indigenous culture, Australian history and language. Everywhen: Australia and the Language of Deep History is edited by Ann McGrath, Jakelin Troy and Laura Rademaker and published by University of Nebraska Press, 2023.

      It is difficult to describe the complex focus of the book and the book title is not necessarily going to be clear to potential readers. The publisher blurb says “Everywhen is a groundbreaking collection about diverse ways of conceiving, knowing, and narrating time and deep history. Looking beyond the linear documentary past of Western or academic history, this collection asks how knowledge systems of Australia’s Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders can broaden our understandings of the past and of historical practice.”

      I like this comment about Indigenous languages: “language both as a means of knowing and transmitting the past across generations and as source material for historical investigation”.

      This is a diverse collection of chapters, which will attract different interest depending on readers’ perspectives. The editors themselves note in their lengthy and excellent introduction that “the contributors do not all agree with each other”, and “that juxtaposing Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives… will inevitably introduce some sharp contrasts of style”.

      I particularly enjoyed Chapter 10 on analysis of 13 different versions of a Wik story of early Indigenous encounters with the Dutch in northern Queensland, and Chapter 12 on the living heritage of the Dharawal Country people in southern Sydney, where the trail of Gymea lilies marks a songline from the forest country to the coast to celebrate the whale. With the notes and bibliography for each chapter, it is not as long (and daunting) as it may first look.

      The Everywhen book and my recent experiences documented in my blog Cultural safety in editing continue my interest in learning more about Aboriginal culture and supporting culturally diverse perspectives, both personally and professionally, building on the Diploma in Aboriginal Studies I completed in 2008. The free app on Dharawal Language and Culture by Gujaga Foundation in La Perouse provides information on the language of the Dharawal people of southern Sydney where I live.

      See my other blogs on recent books:

      Writing on the Job

      More than Words: The Making of the Macquarie Dictionary

      Look – It’s Your Book

      To work with an accredited editor who strives for clear communication, please contact me at rhdaniels@bigpond.com

      Look – It’s Your Book! by Anna Featherstone

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      This hefty guide by an Australian author has it all for people who want to publish their own book in Australia. It has an exclamation mark because having your own book is exciting. It is subtitled: Write, publish and promote your non-fiction book: A self-publishing guide for Australian writers. It is a great effort to pull all the relevant information together. There are five main sections. As well as covering the basics of writing and editing and publishing, it also covers those neglected topics of distribution, marketing and leveraging.

      There are lots of subheadings to find content easily. The extra tips and insights from various experts scattered throughout are useful, although sometimes it is confusing who was saying what (the author or the interviewed expert). Who doesn’t know and love Kim McCosker, best-selling author of the 4-ingredients recipe books.

      Anna thanks all the people involved at the back of the book, showing it really does take a team to get a book published, whether it is a traditional publisher or self-publishing. Anna has published her own books and learnt from the experience.

      The book is published by Anna’s imprint CapeAble Publishing, 2022.

      See https://annafeatherstone.com/product/look-its-your-book-a-self-publishing-guide-for-australian-writers/

      Very practical and highly recommended. There’s also an accompanying workbook.

      See my recent blogs on other books:

      Writing on the Job

      More Than Words: The Making of the Macquarie Dictionary

      To work with an accredited editor who strives for clear communication, please contact me at rhdaniels@bigpond.com

      More than Words: The Making of the Macquarie Dictionary by Pat Manser

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      English and History teacher Pat Manser started working on the Macquarie Dictionary in 1973 and is well placed to tell the story of how it all came together and has continued to grow.

      Part One is a good introduction to a new kind of dictionary, and how it was put together.

      Part Two is the road to publication. Launched on 21 September 1981, the dictionary was described as the first comprehensive documentation of Australian English.

      Part Three is the ongoing evolution. After the launch, the team began the process of establishing a dictionary in every market at every price point, which included 23 spin-off editions in 10 years. Appendix A has a long list of Macquarie publications. I had no idea there were so many! One I do have is the Macquarie Atlas of Indigenous Australia (2005). The Macquarie Dictionary Eighth Edition in two volumes was released in 2020.

      The book also contains photos of the many people involved over the years.

      I found More than Words in my local library, but check your favourite book supplier. It is published by Macquarie Dictionary, Pan Macmillan Australia, 2021.

      For more on this theme, see books by Sue Butler AO, Editor of the Macquarie Dictionary: Rebel without a Clause, The Aitch Factor and The Dinkum Dictionary.

      See www.macquariedictionary.com.au

      To work with an accredited editor who strives for clear communication, please contact me at rhdaniels@bigpond.com

      Writing on the job – a simple guide by Martha Coven

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      When a book on writing follows its own advice, and is short, simple and easy to read, it’s worth reading. Martha B. Coven has written a book on writing in the workplace titled Writing on the Job: Best practices for communicating in the digital age.

      I particularly liked the chapter on editing. It starts “Edit everything. Even a one-paragraph email”. Couldn’t agree more. Martha provides some interesting advice on how much time to spend on editing your own work and recommends “a good rule of thumb is to spend two-thirds of your time writing, and one-third editing”.

      She also advises that, in the digital age, screens can make everything look tidy and professional. Editing requires a careful, slower read than quickly scrolling on a screen. Her number 1 tip to overcome this problem is what I also recommend for long documents: print a hard copy, and read that.

      I also support “Think like a critic. Become your own worst critic.”

      Grammar is clearly important, but Martha recognises that “much of what we call grammar is a matter of stylistic preference”. For instance, she is in favour of using “they” to refer to one person. In general, I agree and I edit to ensure clear communication.

      I found Writing on the Job in my local library, but check your favourite book supplier. It is published by Princeton University Press, 2022.

      See my other reviews of books related to editing:

      Is a subversive copy editor right for you?

      Edit is a four-letter word

      New Style Manual now online

      The Australian Editing Handbook, 3rd edition

      To work with an accredited editor who strives for clear communication, please contact me at rhdaniels@bigpond.com

      Consistency is core for editors and readers

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      There are many definitions of editing. At its heart, editing is about clear communication and making it easy for the reader. An important way to achieve that is through consistency. Consistency is part of making it easy for the reader by avoiding distractions.

      Consistency applies to all aspects of a document from the micro to the macro scale. It includes decisions about the basics of spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalisation, hyphenation, abbreviations and acronyms, numbers, symbols and common terms. It can refer to sentence and paragraph length and structure which affect the general reading level of a document. It can also refer to the look of a document, from formatting and the heading hierarchy to tables and figures. For documents with sources, consistent use of references both in the text and in the reference list is important and can contribute to the credibility of research work.

      Editors and writers make choices about style all the time to meet the needs of their audience and the message. Editing is about decision making, and editors make and implement decisions efficiently and accurately. While there is not always right and wrong in editing, it is important to be consistent within a document.

      To ensure consistency and clear communication, there are style manuals and tools for different audiences and purposes. The Australian government’s Style Manual, now available online, has been complemented by other manuals such as the online Australian manual of style. There are guides for the many different styles of referencing, some with minor variations in punctuation. Not everyone will agree there is one accepted right decision. However, using a style guide or style sheet can help ensure consistency throughout a document and over time.

      See my blogs on related aspects of consistency:

      To work with an accredited editor who strives for consistency and quality, please contact me at rhdaniels@bigpond.com

      Editors are always asking “Does that seem right?”

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      After a data privacy breach by a major Australian telecomms company in September 2022, current and former customers need to be even more vigilant about emails, phone calls and other communications to prevent identity fraud and other scams.

      With increasing digital communications, spam and scams are always evolving. In day to day life, we all need to be aware and ask “does that seem right?”.

      I have written two previous blogs on the issue of spam and editing:

      In whatever field they edit, editors constantly ask themselves when reading and editing work – “does it sound right?” or “does that seem right?” Editors may be uncertain about a fact, a detail, apparent inconsistencies, or even tone. If they are not sure, editors can check a range of other sources, or raise a query with the author. Even when checking sources, editors also need to be aware of the credibility of sources, and keep asking “does that seem right?”.

      Editors are finely attuned to nuances and inconsistencies, and are able to question and check diverse elements. It doesn’t mean editors are foolproof, but they are very detail oriented and analytical. At the same time, they have a focus on the big picture and whether every element in a work comes together to make sense to readers.

      To improve your digital safety, approach all communications like an editor, and ask yourself “does that seem right?”.

      To work with an accredited editor who asks the right questions on academic and research work, please contact me at rhdaniels@bigpond.com