Welcome to the website of Donna Maurer, Ph.D.! I am a sociologist who has been providing editing services for social scientists as a freelancer since 2000. I specialize in journal article editing, though I also sometimes edit book projects, grant and tenure materials, and other academic documents. I am not editing theses or dissertations at this time (nor do I work with students in general), and I usually do not edit projects in psychology or clinical social work. I mostly edit sociology journal articles. I also do light-editing projects in economics and finance.
I am currently not accepting new clients, but I'll post here if my situation changes.. If you are looking for editing assistance, I suggest that you check out the networks of academic editors at http://www.editing-writing.com and http://www.cambridge-editors.org/. (This is not an endorsement of these services -- they are just useful sites for checking out and evaluating the services of a variety of academic editors.)
If you are looking for info on becoming a freelance editor, I suggest that you check out the Editorial Freelancers Association (http://www.the-efa.org/). Again, this is not an endorsement, just a suggestion for a potentially useful resource.
I have been editing journal articles since I served as Managing Editor of the highly ranked sociology journal Social Problems, during the 1996-97 academic year (when I was completing my Ph.D. studies). In addition, my own book publications provided a solid foundation for my editing career.
I opted out of full-time university teaching and chose to work primarily as an academic editor because I truly enjoy helping people move ahead in their writing and in their careers. Most of my current clients are "repeats"; many I have worked with for 10 years or more! I highly value establishing these long-term connections with my clients; this, in addition to finding out about my clients' successes, makes my work very rewarding.
This site is created and maintained by Donna Maurer, Ph.D.