My name’s Simon F. Davies. I have a PhD in English Literature (University of Sussex, 2013), which was passed with no corrections; I’m a native English speaker and I have also trained as a TEFL instructor.

I’ve been a full-time professional proofreader and copy-editor for some years now. I love working with language, and I’m fascinated by the range of topics and ideas I encounter in this job. It’s fantastic being able to help people express themselves in the best way they can.

I specialise in working with academics and students, although I am happy to take on work of any kind. My particular expertise lies in postgraduate student work, journal articles and academic monographs, and critical editions.

Postgraduate student work: the majority of my clients are doctoral students and MA students, and I have a great deal of experience in this area. I have successfully been through the process myself, so I understand exactly what it’s like, and I spent several years teaching English Literature at the University of Sussex. My academic background allows me to engage in issues beyond language, helping make sure your work is as critical as it can be. I really enjoy helping students through what can be a stressful time – let me help with boring things like reference consistency, while you focus on your ideas.

Journal articles and academic monographs: I have a large amount of experience working with academics on monographs and essay collections, including at the proposal stage, as well as assisting with journal articles. I have published in these formats myself, and I have edited a collection of essays, News in Early Modern Europe (Brill). I am a regular copy-editor for journals published by the Open Library of the Humanities. Since 2010 I have been Assistant to the Editor for the journal Renaissance Studies, meaning I have many years experience of the process of publishing in academic journals, and I can advise on every stage of the process.

Critical editions: I particularly enjoy working on scholarly editions of historical texts, and have much experience in this area. I am a regular copy-editor for the Modern Humanities Research Association, working on texts from the early modern period up to the Modernist era. I was Research Assistant on the Thomas Nashe Project at the University of Newcastle, assisting in the preparation of accurate copy texts. I have also undertaken a range of critical editorial work in my own academic career, including an edition of a seventeenth-century manuscript for the Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies series.

See my Services page for more details on what I offer, and see my Testimonials page for what some of my past clients have to say about me, as well as some notable projects that I have worked on.

Find me on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook. Send me an email today and we can discuss your specific requirements.