Copyediting
Professional editing for content that's accurate, consistent and delivers its message every time
Clear, accurate health and medical content that your audience understands and trusts
Health and medical content affects real people and guides life-changing clinical decisions, so clarity and accuracy matter.
I specialise in editing health and medical communications for healthcare and research organisations, helping to refine complex content so it's clear, consistent and professionally presented.
Health and medical content often involves technical language, multiple contributors and detailed evidence. This can create opportunities for errors and inconsistencies to creep in, and even small mistakes can affect readability, credibility and trust.
Professional copyediting addresses these issues through a careful, detailed review of your content. As an experienced editor with over 20 years’ experience in health communications and publishing, I improve clarity, consistency and accuracy. I also bring a strategic understanding of how language and tone shape effective communication with your audience.
What copyediting involves
Copyediting typically involves a review of the following aspects:
Clarity and flow: shaping sentences so the writing is clear and easy to read, without altering the author's voice.
Consistency: checking terminology, abbreviations, tone and formatting throughout.
Style: applying appropriate style guidelines across the document.
Accuracy: addressing errors, unclear phrasing and inconsistencies in facts and details.
Grammar and usage: checking spelling, punctuation and usage issues in line with the preferred style.
References: ensuring in-text citations match the reference list and any references are correctly formatted.
Audience and readability: ensuring the content is clear, engaging and appropriate for the target audience.
Queries and comments: raising appropriate queries where clarification or further review may be needed.
A professional editor turns good writing into clear, confident and credible communication, so your message makes the impact you intend.
Alongside my professional editorial training, I bring:
Professional-level membership of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading
experience in health research communications, publishing and medical education
experience in plain language principles
an academic background in biological sciences and public health
Expert editing –
clear communication
Are you ready to discuss your project?
"Thanks to your suggestions, our messaging is so much clearer and feels properly aligned with our organisation's direction."
Project manager
Incorporating plain language
For patient and public-facing materials, my approach is informed by plain language and health literacy principles, including familiarity with NHS and Patient Information Forum guidance.
I handle all NHS and healthcare content securely, in line with UK GDPR requirements.
Types of content I work on
Public health and public information content
health promotion and public health campaigns
website content
impact case studies
patient stories and case studies
Patient information and education materials
information leaflets and guides (standalone or series)
web content explaining conditions, treatments or services
Professional education materials
e-learning modules
clinical guidelines and summaries
workshop or seminar materials
Research and policy communication
evidence-based reports (evidence reviews, case studies, annual reports)
policy briefs
conference proceedings
editorial articles for media or academic publication
After the edit
Following a copyedit, you’ll typically receive:
a revised document with tracked changes and margin comments
one round of follow-up queries or clarification
Additional review rounds can be arranged depending on project scope.
Clients I work with
My clients include healthcare and health research organisations, universities and charities, working mainly on projects that promote research, evidence, current practice and public understanding.
With more than two decades of editorial experience, I bring insight and commitment to health communication to every project. Clients trust me to shape and refine their content, and I work with them to deliver clear, effective communications tailored to their audiences.
What type of editing does your project need?
I provide different forms of editing, depending on your needs and the stage of your content:
If you need help developing your content from scratch, please head to my content writing page for more information or get in touch to discuss your project.
I offer different types of copyediting, depending on the purpose of the text, audience and type of publication.
Copyediting is the core editorial service for complete, final drafts. If your content would benefit from a more specialised focus, I also offer:
Standard copyediting doesn't include research for fact checking, but this can be carried out as a separate service if you need it.
Copyediting is carried on the final draft of the text, when any major changes to the content or its organisation have already been made.
If your content needs more work to reorganise sections, develop its key arguments or improve flow between chapters, it may benefit from structural editing before copyediting.
More details on my structural editing service can be found below.
What type of copyediting does your project need?
Academic and medical research editing
Academic and medical research copyediting is specialised editing for journal articles and research outputs and other scholarly content, ensuring clarity, precision and adherence to style guidelines.
I specialise in academic and clinical healthcare research, with strong experience in public and population health research. Drawing on my in-house editorial experience in learned journal and book publishing, I work closely with researchers and healthcare professionals to refine their manuscripts, improve clarity and structure, and ensure their findings are communicated clearly and confidently.
I've worked with many leading clinical and research professionals in the UK and internationally, supporting individuals and organisations in producing clear, focused and timely content. I also support authors for whom English is a second language, helping ensure their research is presented clearly and effectively.
Typical content that I edit:
research summaries
research articles
evidence summaries
policy and public health documents
continuing medical education materials
conference proceedings
book chapters
I don't edit theses or dissertations.
Expert editing for researchers and healthcare professionals, helping to communicate your findings clearly, accurately, and effectively
Clarity and flow: improving the flow so arguments, methods and findings are clearly presented.
Language and tone: refining academic language while preserving the author’s voice and discipline-specific conventions.
Consistency and precision: ensuring consistent terminology, style and notation throughout the manuscript.
Technical accuracy: reviewing tables, figures, references and citations for clarity and consistency.
Journal style guidelines: aligning the manuscript with academic or journal style guidelines.
Reader focus: making complex research easier for reviewers and readers to follow without oversimplifying the content.
Contact me for editing services
What academic and medical research editing involves
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Academic and medical research copyediting builds on the principles of standard copyediting while addressing the specific demands of scholarly writing.
In addition to refining grammar and style, it involves familiarity with research structure, discipline-specific terminology, and academic conventions. This includes ensuring consistency in methods and results, checking references, tables and figures, and supporting alignment with journal or institutional guidelines.
The edit will address a number of elements.
Proofreading adds crucial value to any project, whether it's intended for the public, professionals or internal communications. Even after careful editing, text revisions and layout changes can introduce unexpected errors. In health and medical contexts, even small mistakes can alter meaning or cause confusion. Proofreading serves as the final editorial check for your content, ensuring it's clear, accurate and free of spelling, grammar and formatting errors.
What proofreading involves
During proofreading, your content is checked for small but important errors.
Delivering clear, error-free content that your audience understands and trusts
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Consistency: checking for errors and inconsistencies in spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Terminology: correcting and ensuring consistent use of medical/scientific terminology and abbreviations.
Presentation: making sure numbers, units and data presentation are accurate.
Formatting: checking that the formatting of headings, tables, figures and references is consistent.
Clarity: ensuring sentence-level clarity without changing scientific meaning.
Style: ensuring proper use of style conventions.
Compliance: checking for compliance with professional and regulatory language as required.
Typical content that I proofread:
research summaries
research articles
evidence summaries
policy and public health documents
continuing medical education materials
conference proceedings
book chapters
I don't proofread theses or dissertations.
"Thanks so much for all your work and help with the journals. We'll definitely come back to you when more proofreading work arises."
Production Editor, academic publisher
Contact me for editing services
Pricing
Fees
Every project is different, so I provide a quote based on your document, goals and timeline.
My fees are tailored to reflect:
the length and complexity of the content
the level of editing required
the number of documents or iterations required
If you’re unsure what level of editing you need, I’m happy to review a sample and suggest the most appropriate approach.
What you can expect
clear, upfront pricing
a clear agreement on deliverables based on your brief
Pricing is agreed in advance. If the scope or objectives change during the project, the fee will be reviewed and confirmed before any additional work begins.
OR
My fees are tailored to reflect the scope, complexity and level of editorial intervention required for your project. We can agree a project fee, day rate, hourly rate or a rate per 1,000 words
As a guide, editing rates start at £45 per hour, with a minimum project fee of £90 to ensure every project receives thorough attention.
I offer a sample edit of your content so you can see how I work and the kind of improvements I can bring before you decide to hire me. I charge a £60 fee for the sample edit, which is deductible from the final fee if you decide to work with me.
Proofreading rates start at £38 per hour, with a minimum project fee of £75.
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Get in touch to discuss your project
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