Linda
I grew up in West Yorkshire, England. I have a BSc in chemistry from Durham University and a PhD in polymer chemistry from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. I’m currently based in Edinburgh.
Since I left university, my working life has varied widely to accommodate raising my two sons. However, the English language has remained one of my strengths and interests. Spelling and grammar errors have frequently drawn my attention, and at times I have had to restrain myself from correcting them.
I have over 10 years’ experience as an academic editor and have edited well over 2,000 academic texts in British, US, Australian, and Canadian English, specialising in scientific papers for publication in academic journals.
In 2015, I completed a TEFL course and began running a weekly EFL conversation class. Teaching English as a foreign language has made me more aware of concepts I previously took for granted, such as uncountable nouns. It has also given me an insight into the difficulties faced by those who learn English as a second language.
I enjoy improving a piece of writing and helping people write better English. For me, one of the best aspects of being an editor is that I am constantly learning.
Academic writing tips:
Write concisely – don’t use several words when you can use one.
Read your work aloud – this highlights grammar errors as they generally spoil the flow of the text. I often use Microsoft Word’s Read Aloud feature for this.