Recently I’ve been receiving a lot of inquiries about editing job market materials and advising new clients on how to get published. These tasks, and writing and formatting a dissertation, are some of the most stressful responsibilities that academics face during their career.
I remember how it felt when I was a professor to have the constant weight on my shoulders of the to-do list that kept piling up and the growing sense of foreboding that told me I wasn’t going to be able to get it all done. There was no vacation that didn’t include work, and once I had my son, I was working seven days a week just to keep up with my teaching responsibilities. Work–life balance? What is that?
Setting aside the systemic issues that create these problems (I’ll need more than a blog post to talk about that!), let’s discuss some of the biggest pressures that academics face… and how an editor can help.
Workload
The pressure to publish research, secure funding, and maintain a teaching load (I used to teach five classes per semester!) can be overwhelming. Balancing research, teaching, administrative responsibilities, and committee work can lead to long hours and high stress. The quality of mentorship and collaboration with colleagues can also greatly affect an academic’s stress levels. Many faculty advisors don’t teach their grad students how to submit papers to journals, turn their dissertation into a book, or even to teach effectively. This lack of support and guidance can be a huge stressor when navigating a new career.
As an editor, my job is not only to proofread your materials, but also to serve as your guide as you navigate the job market and publishing landscapes. I’ve published several peer-reviewed articles and a book, served on job search committees, and landed two tenure-track jobs and one visiting assistant professor position—I know what it takes to succeed in these environments. If you don’t know where to start or you’re feeling stuck, please reach out and let me know how I can help you push through the brain fog and achieve your goals.
Publish-or-Perish Culture
Many academics are under constant pressure to publish their research in reputable journals to advance their careers. Publishing requirements are constantly being raised at research universities and liberal arts colleges. The fear of not publishing enough or in the right journals can be a significant burden. The peer review process can also be slow and frustrating. Rejection of research papers, required revisions, and resubmissions can cause anxiety and delays in academic progress.
While part of my job is editing your text for spelling, grammar, clarity, and concision, I also offer a journal recommendation service. Through this service, I research journals that would make good targets for your submission. I provide you with a report in which I summarize the journal’s subject matter, readership, and publishing requirements. Once you select which outlet you’d like to target, I edit and format your paper to meet the style guidelines, and all you have to do is send it in. As my five-year-old likes to say, “Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!”
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Job Insecurity and Competition
In some cases, especially for adjunct faculty or early career academics, job insecurity may be a major concern. As we all know, the academic job market is highly competitive, and there’s an art to writing a strong cover letter, research and teaching statements, and even presenting qualitative and quantitative evidence of your teaching evaluations.
When I review job market materials, I proofread the text to make sure it’s polished, but I also offer extensive comments that advise you on how the letter or statement should be reframed, what information you should add to better market yourself to the search committee, and how you should structure the text to ensure that the very busy committee members (who also have a huge workload and job pressures) are intrigued by your experience and place your application at the top of the “to-be-interviewed” list.
Tenure and Promotion
If you’re lucky enough to be offered a tenure-track job, you’re probably now working toward the goal of earning tenure and promotion. Meeting the criteria for tenure can be stressful, and the process is subject to rigorous review. These requirements are closely tied to publish-or-perish culture, but they can also include applying for and winning grants and fellowships and service to your community and discipline.
In addition to editing texts for publication, I frequently revise grant applications and institutional reports. Typos and grammatical errors are distracting, and grant applications require you to make your point as clearly and succinctly as possible. Having an editor look over your application materials can make a huge difference in your chances of success. If you’re preparing materials to share through a research institute or at a community event, you don’t want embarrassing typos to reflect badly on you. Contact me for a custom quote to make sure you make a great impression.
Work–Life Balance
Academics often work long hours, including evenings and weekends, to meet deadlines and tick off all the items on the ever-expanding to-do list. This can lead to poor work–life balance and hurt your well-being and mental health. The level and type of stress can vary greatly depending on an individual’s career stage, discipline, and specific job responsibilities. Often, it is early career scholars (and, let’s be honest, women and BIPOC people) who carry these burdens and the weight of their department’s success.
As a former professor and a mother, I know how hard it is to juggle all the responsibilities and carry the mental load related to work and family. As an editor, I’ve developed tips and tricks that help me format and review papers, book manuscripts, and other writing efficiently and effectively. It’s easy to squander precious hours fiddling with Microsoft Word in an effort to format your text consistently, or Googling terms used by publishers in their style guides that you’ve never even heard of before. Paying an expert to take care of these tedious tasks for you will free up your time and head space to focus on other more important things, like yourself and your family. And if you’re really struggling (who hasn’t?), talk with a trusted friend or mental health practitioner who can help you find healthy ways to cope—we’ve all been there, and there’s no reason to be ashamed of having trouble balancing the inordinate number of responsibilities you’ve been handed.
How can an editor help?
In summary, a skilled copy editor can be a valuable asset to academics by helping alleviate some of the pressure associated with writing and publishing. There are several ways a copy editor can provide support.
- Improve Clarity and Readability: Copy editors can review papers, book proposals, and other materials to ensure they are written in a clear and coherent manner. This can make the research more accessible to a wider audience and improve the chances of acceptance by journals or publishers.
- Correct Grammar and Style Errors: A copy editor can identify and correct grammar, punctuation, and style errors in academic writing, which helps maintain a professional and polished presentation. This can save you time and effort in the revision process.
- Meeting Journal Requirements: Academic journals often have specific formatting and submission requirements. A copy editor can ensure that a manuscript meets these standards, reducing the chances of rejection based on formatting issues.
- Language Polishing: If English is not your first language, a copy editor can help improve the fluency and coherence of the writing, making it more suitable for an international audience. (We also offer Spanish-to-English translation and editing.)
- Reducing Publishing Anxiety: The copy editor’s work can reduce the fear and anxiety associated with the publishing process. Knowing that the document has been thoroughly reviewed can boost your confidence and help you stop procrastinating about that submission.
- Time Savings: By entrusting the editing process to a professional, academics can save time that can be better spent on research, teaching, or your personal life.
- Moral Support: Having a copy editor who provides constructive feedback and support can be emotionally reassuring during the stressful process of publishing research and applying to jobs.
Do you really get all that when you work with a copy editor? You most certainly do! We have a growing list of satisfied (and less-stressed) clients who attest to the benefits of hiring Acadia Editing Services to edit and format your manuscript or job market materials. Some began by having me edit their book, and then hired me to review their job letters. Others started with their dissertation and later asked for help with navigating journal publishing. We’re flexible in our approach because we know that not all clients have the same needs. Contact us and let us know how we can help reduce your stress and give you more time to tackle other responsibilities (and maybe even relax a bit!).
Thanks for reading! We look forward to helping you achieve your academic and professional goals.
Paulina S. Cossette, Ph.D.