Catherine B
Westwood, United States
“You can rely on professional and respectful feedback from me!”
Specialist subjects:
Editing formats:
Education:
BS in Biology
Haverford College
1992–1996
Master in Education
Harvard University
2000–2001
Favorite referencing style
I prefer MLA referencing because I do not like using the sentence case for titles of books and articles (which is what APA uses). This is just a pet peeve of mine!
Why I became an editor
I've always had a lot of interests and ended up pursuing a biology major in college. Yet, I always enjoyed grammar and expository writing as well! Over time, I realized that writing and editing is a strength I would like to cultivate further. I enjoy clarifying my own thinking through writing. It is satisfying to craft a clear sentence from one that may have initially confused the reader. I would like to help others experience that satisfaction too!
Background and experience
I am on the newsletter/blog team for a private genetic counseling practice called Advocate Genetics, and I enjoy the more informal nature of blogging. However, I also really love grammar rules, so I feel comfortable with academic and scientific writing. I recently wrote an article about a school event that was published in my local town paper, and I did some routine writing in my previous jobs. During my teaching jobs, I always wrote helpful comments for students during each grading period.
Why I love proofreading and editing
I find it satisfying to create “frictionless" writing. Writing should be clear enough that the reader does not need to pause to figure out what a sentence means. When a sentence is unclear, I find it satisfying to craft it so that the intended meaning is apparent. Many brilliant scientists and professionals can struggle to express their thinking in the written form, and I enjoy helping with this process. I am comfortable with scientific writing, and I’m familiar with APA, Chicago, and MLA.
Favorite book:
My favorite book of all time is The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. When I read it years ago, I loved the juicy story line, and I also felt like I was learning a lot about Tudor England.
Hobbies:
I love to travel. I also enjoy running with friends because it keeps me fit and allows me to socialize with other adults. I have two kids, so it’s always nice to chat with people my age!
Editing tips:
I think it's effective to read the document out loud before returning it to a client. This helps me to catch anything that I may have overlooked while proofreading.
