VAL GERARD, MA, PhD in Biology
Scientific Editing | Medical Editing | Editor of Scientific Research Papers
Dr. Gerard edits research papers, grant proposals, theses, dissertations, and materials for commercial or public use (brochures, instruction manuals, websites, etc.) in medicine, the life sciences, and other fields of science. She retired after 30 years as a scientist and professor, with a strong record of publications and successful research funding. She now uses her skills to help others achieve similar successes.
Val has worked with professionals and students on writing projects in a broad range of medical and scientific fields. Many of her clients have returned for assistance with new or ongoing projects. Val helps her clients to communicate complex information in a succinct, clear, and well organized manner; to design clear and efficient figures and tables; to identify and summarize the most important points. With her assistance, clients have been successful in obtaining multi-million dollar research grants, publishing articles in prestigious journals, completing and defending dissertations, etc. Val takes pride in the achievements of every one of her clients, and particular pride in the development and improvement of their own writing skills that will help to ensure their future success.
- Dr. Gerard’s research has appeared in 50+ publications (e.g., physiology, biochemistry). She has written, reviewed, or edited one million dollars worth of successful grant proposals.
- High rate of client success with manuscripts submitted to scientific and medical journals.
- Over thirty years of teaching experience, including scientific writing courses. Served as advisor and/or mentor to many graduate and undergraduate students.
- Past experience as associate editor, editorial board member, and/or reviewer for over two dozen scientific journals, including Science, and government funding agencies.
- Associate editor and/or reviewer for over two dozen scientific journals, including Science and government funding agencies.
- Past and current clients from Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Croatia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malawi, Mexico, the Netherlands, Patagonia, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, the U.K., the U.S., and Venezuela.
- Medical and science editor and writer since 2001. Editing and copyediting of manuscripts, books, grant proposals, dissertations. Topics range from oncology, cardiology, immunology, and epidemiology to ecology, oceanography, molecular genetics, biochemistry, and development of new therapies through chemical mining. Specializes in organization, interpretation, and clear presentation of complex information.
- Helps clients improve their own writing skills for future projects, including non-native English speakers.
- Provides rapid turnaround. Helps you submit your grant proposal, manuscript, book chapter, or report on time.
SANDRA JUDD is an editor, proofreader, and indexer with more than 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. Her clients have included university presses, large, mainstream publishers, and smaller presses and professional organizations. She has edited or proofread over 300 published books, on topics that include politics, history, business, literary criticism, ethnic history, anthropology, science and medicine, industry manuals, memoirs, Christian and inspirational, parenting and relationships, humor, and fiction.
She has edited 20+ volumes in the Health Reference Series published by Omnigraphics, all published under her name as editor.
She has also edited professional journals and newsletters, business plans, scholarly articles being prepared for publication, economic plans to be distributed to the state legislature, and a number of dissertations.
She has prepared indexes for more than 30 published books.
She strives for precision in language and is devoted to making the author’s voice heard.
- Proofreading and copyediting
- Stylistic editing
- Substantive editing
- Indexing
- Fiction: thrillers, mysteries, Christian, historical fiction
- Nonfiction: inspirational, self-help, business, science and medicine, ethnology, history, political science, memoirs, scholarly/textbooks
HOLLY MONTY, MA, MAC, ELS
APA 6th Edition, Chicago Manual of Style, LaTeX (tables, figures, equations)
Medical copywriting and editing
Ms. Monty, a Microsoft Word and LaTeX expert, has worked on books and articles published by many of the world’s leading publishers, including Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, MIT Press, W. W. Norton, Sage, John Wiley, Springer, Lawrence Erlbaum, Pearson-Prentice Hall, Praeger, Greenwood, Blackwell, and other top names in academic and nonfiction publishing. To date, she has edited more than 2,000 published journal articles, more than 150 nonfiction books, and a wealth of dissertations and theses. Ms. Monty is proud to have worked with a diversity of students and academics from a broad range of our nation’s universities. Given her wealth of experience, she is adept at working within the precise terms of your university’s thesis/dissertation guidelines or with the publication guidelines of any peer-reviewed journal.
Holly graduated with honors from the prestigious Writing Seminars program of the Johns Hopkins University, ranked second in the United States, with a concentration in nonfiction writing. She also holds two master’s degrees: one a master of arts degree in linguistics from Rice University, and the other a master of arts degree in communication from Johns Hopkins (with honors). In 2010, she became certified as an editor in the life sciences with the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS). Holly is currently pursuing a PhD in technical communication and rhetoric.
An expert working with non-native speakers of English, Ms. Monty helps to transform nonfluently written medical text into stylistically and grammatically correct medical prose. She can work with any journal’s author guidelines to ensure that your submission meets expectations and requirements.urban studies
SHANNON WILKINS – PhD in Professional Writing (medical communication emphasis)
Before focusing her energies on a freelance editing career, Shannon was a staff editor at Mayo Clinic, which has the largest in-house editorial service at a medical institution. In this role, she edited whatever manuscript came down the pike, whether it was about cardiology or dermatology. Such demands required her to be nimble in her approach to editing and to have a firm grasp of the medical resources necessary to assist authors in creating credible, cohesive documents.
In her dissertation, she analyzed the arguments regarding the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. Besides providing an understanding of the nexus between public discourse and science, the PhD degree nurtured in Shannon a strong sense of what belongs in a scientific document and what does not. Added to this scholarly knowledge is the practical experience of being the copyeditor of the Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics for 5 years. Shannon has also taught courses in “Technical Editing” and “Healthcare Writing.”
As Shannon follows the rhythm of an author’s language, she picks up the language of ESL writers that might need further clarity or the odd detail that seems out of place and needs to be researched. Her first clients were biomedical engineers whom she assisted in preparing their manuscripts for successful publication. Since her entry into the field of editing, she has edited manuscripts on pharmacology, dermatology, cardiology, echocardiography, endocrinology, transplantation, hand surgery, asthma, various cancers, and other topics. Shannon has edited manuscripts that have been published in several highly respected journals:
Biomedical Microdevices
Echocardiography
Endocrine Practice
IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering
Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging
Mayo Clinic Proceedings
Neurocritical Care
Techniques in Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery
Shannon considers all of the documents that she edits to be life documents—documents that are pivotal in the development of one’s life. Medical manuscripts are not just write-ups of research; they are documents that affect the career advancement of the writers and, often, the very lives of those in need of medical care. Various impediments may complicate journal acceptance of a manuscript, but the quality of expression should not be one of them.