Bluestocking Academic Editing provides professional editing services to universities, academics and postgraduate students. We also work with government and not-for-profit clients throughout Australia.
Find out more
About Bluestocking Academic Editing
Claire Nettle PhD is an IPEd Accredited professional editor who specialises in working with academics in the social sciences. A dedicated and meticulous editor, Claire’s background in academic research and writing allows her to engage with complex ideas and brings an in-depth understanding of scholarly conventions and the rigours of academic life. Like Bluestocking Academic Editing’s clients, Claire is committed to the clear communication of important research and ideas.
Services
Bluestocking Academic Editing provides high-quality substantive and copy editing services.
For academics, we edit:
Journal articles
Books and book chapters
Book proposals
Research reports
Conference papers and proceedings
Funding applications
Project acquittals.
FOR GOVERNMENT AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT CLIENTS, WE EDIT:
Research publications
Training documents
Promotional collateral
Annual reports
Grant applications.
For postgraduate students we edit:
Research proposals
Masters’ and doctoral theses, dissertations and exegeses
Journal articles
Conference papers
Book chapters.
Types of editing
Claire Nettle provides substantive and copy editing services, and edits theses within the guidelines for professional editors.
Substantive editing
Bluestocking Academic Editing’s substantive (or structural) editing addresses your document as a whole. It includes attention to:
- the structure of your argument or narrative
- the use of data
- reference to your wider academic field
- order, logic and flow
- signposting and transitions to guide readers
- consistency of authorial voice (particularly important for works with multiple authors)
- suitability for intended audiences – publishers and readers.
Copy editing
Bluestocking Academic Editing’s copy editing services ensure your work is clear, polished and fit for purpose. This includes:
- clarity and flow
- freedom from errors (grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure)
- language (consistency of tone and suitability for audience)
- style (compliance with your publisher’s requirements)
- referencing (completeness, accuracy and use of required conventions)
- visual elements (heading hierarchy, captions, page layout, tables and figures, cross references within text and between text and figures)
- discussion of suggested changes and queries via email.
Thesis editing
Bluestocking Academic Editing ensures your thesis is ready for your examiners and a wider audience.
As a professional editor, and full member of Society of Editors (SA) and the Institute of Professional Editors, Claire Nettle is bound by the Guidelines for Editing Research Theses, as established by the Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies and the Australian Council of Graduate Research. The Guidelines provide important information for candidates and supervisors.
Within the Guidelines, Bluestocking Academic Editing can make sure that your thesis:
- is free from distracting errors of spelling, grammar and punctuation
- adheres to academic conventions
- is fully and correctly referenced in your required style
- has correctly formatted tables and figures
- contains all the required elements in the right order and format.
Styles and conventions
Bluestocking Academic Editing will ensure that your manuscript complies with all of the required conventions, whether that’s your journal or book publisher’s guidelines, your university’s requirements or your organisation’s unique house style or branding manual.
Australian Government Style
The standard for Australian media and publishing.
APA Style
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, widely used in the social sciences.
Chicago
The Chicago Manual of Style is widely used in US publications in the social sciences and history.
AGLC
The Australian Guide to Legal Citation sets standards for language and formatting as well as referencing conventions.
Publishers’ guidelines
Academic and trade publishers have their own style guidelines. Bluestocking Academic Editing has worked with a wide range of book and journal conventions. We can tailor our editing to comply with any style.
