Academics

Specialized services for graduate students, researchers, and professors.

Flatpage offers academic editing for students, researchers, and professors at universities and other scholarly institutions. We work with academic writers on dissertations and theses, journal articles, and single- and multi-author books for university presses and scholarly publishers.

Scholars speak a special language and need to convey strong ideas to advance their fields. Whether you need help developing an argument or cleaning up a manuscript for publication, we’re here to assist with high-quality editing at a fast turnaround.

Our academic editors have PhDs in various subject areas, as well as specialized training and/or years of experience as professors at top universities across the United States and United Kingdom. Many of our editors are current and former professors; some have even been department chairs.

Our professional editors help authors in the humanities and social sciences, including but not limited to the following fields:

Art History
Cultural Studies & Anthropology
Economics
Film & Media Studies
History & History of Science
Languages & Literature
Philosophy
Political Science
Psychology
Race, Gender, & LGBTQ+ Studies
Sociology
Theatre & Performance

Coaching

Coaching provides authors with a tailored, 1:1 experience with a trained professional who can assist in strategizing your manuscript as a whole, crafting your research into a digestible and engaging narrative, and providing accountability and moral support throughout the writing process. It’s ideal for authors who need help beyond the manuscript itself.
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Developmental Editing

Developmental editing will help you shape the content of your document so that your contribution takes center stage. Our developmental editors have served as managing editors of academic journals and published widely. We can help you shape the argument, evidence, organization, and flow of your manuscript.
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Line editing

Line editing is used to address the style of your writing so that it has maximal impact. Our line editors are experts at the craft of writing and have published widely themselves. We can help you maintain a consistent tone, improve word choice, identify text to be cut or expanded upon, and write clear sentences in native English.
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Copyediting

Copyediting involves a rinse of your manuscript, with attention to grammar, punctuation, and mechanics (i.e., conforming it to house style or manual like the Chicago Manual of Style). Whether you’re a novice or experienced writer, this service will ensure that you deliver a clean document to your respective publisher, journal editor, or advisory committee.
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Proofreading

Proofreading is the final stage in the publication process and is reserved for minor typos and consistency between manuscript sections on page proofs. By the time you are ready for a proofread, your manuscript should have already gone through a content (developmental) edit and a copyedit. This service will ensure that your manuscript is publication-ready.
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Indexing

Our trained indexers can help you create a guide to your book’s contents so that readers can find important information as quickly and easily as possible. Alongside their final read of the book’s page proofs and compilation of names, terms, and themes, the indexer will also generate a list of errata for your publisher.
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We speak the language of scholars.

Pricing

Minimum project budget $100

Coaching

Each 60-minute session includes up to one additional hour of reading/research (e.g., reading a book chapter or manuscript). It does not include editing of the manuscript itself (see other services below).

One session

Six sessions

Twelve sessions

Developmental Editing

Note that the rates for developmental editing do not include front/back matter or citations/bibliographies.

Manuscript Assessment – Report + Call

Up to 50k words

50k words and up

Full Developmental Edit – Draft markup + Report + Call

Up to 50k words

50k words and up

Graduate Student Manuscript Assessment – Report + Call

Book Proposal Evaluation – Report + Draft markup + Call

Up to 5,000 words; $30 per extra 250-word page

Job Application Document Evaluation – Cover letters, statements, proposals

Up to 1,000 words

1,001–1,500 words

1,501–2,000 words

2,001–2,500 words

2,501–3,000 words

Line Editing

Note that the rates for line editing do not include front/back matter or citations/bibliographies.

Line Edit

Up to 50k words

50k words and up

Graduate Student Line Edit
For dissertations and theses (only one editorial pass included). Proof of enrollment required.

Copyediting

Our project manager can help you determine the level of copyediting your text needs.

Light Copyedit
Correct grammar and punctuation, apply style guide to text and citations

Medium Copyedit
Correct grammar and punctuation, improve word choice or sentence flow, apply style guide to text and correct citations

Heavy Copyedit
Correct language, grammar, and punctuation; reformat text; apply style guide to text; overhaul citations

Grad Student Copyedit
For dissertations and theses (only one editorial pass included). Proof of enrollment required.

Proofreading

Indexing

Other Services

Citations
Apply a house or style manual to foot/endnotes and/or bibliography (CMoS, APA, MLA, others)

Per citation (not per note)

Convert biblio <–> notes (per note citation)

Manuscript Formatting
Correcting layout issues, including front matter, pagination, figures and tables, headings, and page margins according to a style guide (e.g., CMoS, APA, or university guidelines)

Editorial Portfolio

Our Portfolio

Academic, Copyediting

Tie Jojima

Dissertation Copyediting

A multilingual PhD candidate in art history needed assistance correcting the grammar and punctuation in, as well as applying the Chicago Manual of Style to, the body text and citations of her dissertation before submitting it to her advisor.

Academic, Copyediting

Morgan Ridler

An art historian was preparing her book manuscript for peer review at an academic press and needed assistance cleaning up the language and applying a style guide. Flatpage provided copyediting on her text so that her reviewers could focus on the content.

Academic, Developmental Editing

Alise Tifentale

Book Proposal Evaluation

An art historian wanted to publish a book manuscript based on her PhD dissertation with a university press. She needed assistance from a former acquisitions editor who could help her tailor her book proposal and answer her questions about the pitching process.

Academic, Line Editing

Benjamin Tausig

Academic Book Line Editing

An academic author needed help weaving together the distinct threads of research in his academic book manuscript, which had already undergone peer review at a university press. After a long writing process, he sought an outside editor who could assist him with tightening the text and making it intelligible for scholars in different disciplines.

Academic, Line Editing

Dijana Ihas

Textbook Line Editing

An academic writer in the field of music needed to significantly cut down the word count of her textbook manuscript to fit her publisher’s requirements. Our line editor helped her seamlessly reduce the length while retaining the argumentative crux of the text.

Academic, Developmental Editing, Coaching

KB Dennis Meade

Academic Book Coaching

An early-career academic was developing a book manuscript from her dissertation research and needed assistance from a book coach as she developed a new direction for her first book’s thesis.

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Learn about Flatpage publishing services or send us a book proposal by clicking below.

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