copy-editor Nancy du Plessis

Editing

I review the grammar, punctuation, and orthography – whether US or UK spelling. Beyond that, I check references, sources, the forms of proper names – and more.

If you wish, I also cut and reorganize your text.

I derive a great deal of pleasure editing book proposals, which gives me a chance to plunge into the texts and reaps excellent results.

My fine editing and copy-editing is for writers and editors who recognize and appreciate the painstaking effort that goes into creating excellent written English.

Indexing

I recently returned to a freelance activity I began long ago in New York: indexing. My first publication was the landmark Women in American Architecture—A Historic and Contemporary Perspective edited by Susana Torre, for which I was also the editorial assistant. Less memorable art and architecture publications followed.

Then I totally forgot about indexing.

Now well-known indexer Pierke Bosschieter is mentoring me as I re-enter the profession—using software, not index cards!

Indexing requires different analytical skills that I enjoy sharpening.

I am a member of the Deutsches Netzwerk der Indexer, DNI.

"Your intervention was exactly what was called for. It was well-targeted. You made no unnecessary changes. Your work was excellent."

Anne Harrington, Editor
Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
"Thank you again for your meticulous work. Having gone through all your corrections I can definitely say that they have improved the quality of the book."

Erik Schumacher, Author
Traces of Sobibor – Archaeology of a Death Camp
"I owe you my thanks – not only because you responded so quickly: You have done a really excellent job. I have worked with a number of language editors, but never received such a thorough and elaborate revision. I look forward to working with you more often in the future."

Dr. Tilman Altenburg, Department Head
Sustainable Economic and Social Development
German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
"Thank you for the support that you've offered me so generously throughout the last years. I am very grateful to have such a brillant editor! In you, I have found a sharp-minded and dedicated editor who combines scientific rigor with sensitivity to language."

PhD candidate

This scholar has since won a prestigious prize for her dissertation and is now teaching at a top European university.
"Thanks so much for your hard work on the texts. This has been very helpful. (August 2021)
Thanks again for all your support during this process! (December 2021)
The book proposal was indeed successful and both the publisher and the reviewers liked it very much!" (June 2022)

Prof. Dr. Lisbeth Zimmermann, Social Sciences
Institute of Political Science
Goethe University Frankfurt
"Thank you again for your editing, I really like the result – excellent work! What was amusing for me: the abstracts of two articles that were written by native speakers were almost as 'red' as the other parts.
I especially like your ability to elegantly shorten complicated sentences without losing the substance."

Dr. Claudia Baumgart-Ochse
Senior Researcher
Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF)
"Thanks so much once again for all the work you did. Now I understand about the format: It’s not easy to work with! Your comments and feedback are really clear and useful.
Thanks again so, so much for professionalizing our handbook."

Orphélie Mercier
CARAVAN – Changing lives through circus
"Many, many thanks for all your help, patience and understanding over the last weeks – and most of all for the great effort you invested in this text to improve it so tremendously."

Dr. Fariborz Zelli, (former) Associate Fellow, Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)
Associate Professor for Political Science, Lund University
"I appreciate your brilliant editing.
It's an honor for me to be quoted on your website."

Mao Ruipeng
Director, The Transnational Cooperation Division of the
Institute for Global Governance Studies
Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS)
"Thank you for the careful editing."

Marta Arretche
Associate Professor of Political Science
University of São Paulo
"We were urgently seeking someone to revise a computer-generated translation of a 24-page action plan against rightwing extremism on campus that we urgently needed for public relations. Thank you so much for responding so quickly, with such commitment and attention to detail. We’ll gladly make use of your expertise again!"

Graduate School Coordination
Brandenburg University of Technology
Cottbus - Senftenberg
"That all looks excellent! Thanks a lot for the great collaboration!"
Dr. Nele Kortendiek
Goethe Universität
I copy-edited her book on migration policy, Oxford University Press (forthcoming)
"Many thanks for your thorough editing,
which makes the text’s main ideas much clearer."

Researcher
German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
"Dear Ms. du Plessis, Many thanks for your quick and careful editing.
We’re especially pleased by the text's readability.“

A German NGO staff member
"Thank you again very, very much for your great work.
It was truly a pleasure working with you."

Dr. Ibtesam Al-Atiyat
Sociologist and Anthropologist
(I edited her article on Arab feminisms.)
"Many thanks once again! You've made a tremendous effort revising our study and surely invested a great deal of time in it! At first, all the red in the text shocked me: I wasn’t used to that in language editing by native speakers. But I recognize that it was necessary and good – you’ve done an outstanding job and upgraded our study by several levels!"

Senior Researcher & Team Leader

Everything in English!

Nancy du Plessis

Editing

Indexing