Maurice Nevile
- editor -
Adj. Prof. (Oulu), PhD (ANU)
Member Canberra Society of Editors
Member ACT Writers
Adjunct Professor (Research and Writing), University of Canberra
CONTACT ME
maurice.nevile[at]gmail.com
Hello and welcome
I am an academic editor, and researcher, based in Canberra.
My career has been balanced across academic editing and academic research (social sciences). I have read and advised on more than 2,000 texts, across all major discipline areas.
I bring to editing and proofreading my own substantial experience of both researching and publishing at the highest levels in my field and applying for competitive and other research funding. Alone or with others I have won four nationally competitive research grants, and many internal grants, and been a member of a university-wide research committee (three years).
I am especially experienced and interested in editing larger texts (e.g. PhD theses, books, collections, reports), applications for funding (e.g. grants, fellowships) and awards, and journal articles and book chapters.
My passion is to help words work well, so they can accomplish whatever it is they are trying to do. I do substantive editing, copy editing, or proofreading.
I look forward to working with you, and to giving your text close and careful attention so it has the best chance of success.
Here you can learn more about me, the editing I offer, pricing, recent editing projects, and see testimonials, and details of my editing experience, research and publications, and qualifications.
About me
I am a full member of the Canberra Society of Editors.
I hold a PhD (2002, Linguistics) from the Australian National University. I was conferred the title Adjunct Professor by the University of Oulu in Finland (Docent, 2012), for my achievements and international standing in research and education. I also hold BA Honours (1st Class, Linguistics) and MA (Applied Linguistics) degrees, both from Macquarie University in Sydney.
My primary employed academic editing positions, apart from freelance work, have been in staff development (three years) and student support (six years), both at the Australian National University. My roles were focussed on helping writers to develop or finalise their texts for submission and assessment, of whatever form. Staff were applying for national and institutional educational grants and awards. I have also acted as coordinating editor for a university centre’s 5-year evaluation report.
I have held positions at four universities in Australia, and at universities in Denmark and Finland. I am currently an Adjunct Professor in research and writing, at the University of Canberra, in the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research. My previous academic position was as an Associate Professor and Senior Researcher at the University of Southern Denmark (five years), where I was also chief investigator on a large-scale funded research project.
I have around 90 publications, most as sole author, including as author/editor of eight books, edited collections, and reports to government. My work has been cited over 2,700 times (h-index 26, i-10 index 41).
I have received approx. $1.8m in nationally competitive and other research funding. So, I know what it is to write successful funding applications … and to revive and revise unsuccessful ones.
Beyond academic text, I also write short-form poetry (haiku, senryu) and have published around 160 poems in national and international journals, on the web pages of relevant societies and associations, and in several anthologies. My first book of published poetry, titled Translating Loss, appeared in July 2022, and in 2023 won an ACT Notable Book Award (Poetry). You can see my poet profiles at The Haiku Foundation (USA) here, and at the Living Senryu Anthology here.
How can I help?
I can help you through substantive editing, copy editing, or proofreading. I have written and published, edited, or proofread many forms of academic and other writing, and have particular experience and interest in working on applications (e.g. for grants, fellowships, awards), larger texts (e.g. PhD theses, books, collections, reports), or research papers.
For example, I can...
– suggest changes to increase your text’s overall clarity, organisation, flow, argument, effectiveness, etc. (substantive editing)
– suggest changes to improve language and formatting, expression, word choice, etc., and identify and correct errors and inconsistencies (copy editing)
– do a final check for surface problems that can negatively impact your text and give a poor impression (proofreading)
– for an application (funding etc.), be another pair of experienced eyes to read generally through your text and notice areas for possible improvement, though I cannot give discipline-specific advice
– consider how your materials might best be collected and published as a book
Or, perhaps you have a different editing need? Please just ask.
Pricing
I prefer to set my fee by the hour, according to the time I actually spend, though if you prefer we can agree on a fee according to word count.
I base my fee on recommendations of the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) for freelance editing work (see Editors’ pay rates), and the typical rate is $100-110 per hour.
I do not charge GST.
I will agree on a fee with you depending on the nature and scale of the work. For example, proofreading may be at the lower end of the scale, and substantive editing that requires closer attention to content will be at the higher end.
I will give you an estimated range for the time I expect to spend, and advise you as I progress if my estimate could change.
It’s likely that I will first ask to see a representative sample of your text, especially if it’s large or somehow more demanding.
Most recent editing projects
* copy edited five PhD theses, from 40,000 to 85,000 words (Economics, Pacific Studies, Policy Studies, Social Sciences)
* copy edited and proofread a trade book (18,000 words)
* copy edited six research journal articles (economics, public policy; from 6000 to 12,000 words)
* substantive edit, research journal article (2,500 words)
* substantive edit, grant application, Swedish Research Council
* copy edited promotional materials (brochure, leaflet) for an academic centre
* consultant editor for the Global Commission on the Economics of Water (Aust. Nat. Univ., OECD, Govt. of the Netherlands): copy edited six technical reports and a discussion paper (total approx. 135,000 words)
* substantive edit, research paper (water, indigenous studies) (17,000 words)
* copy edited and proofread a research paper (medical policy, covid19)
* copy edited a policy brief (water policy), 8,500 words
* copy edited a research paper (energy policy, 11,000 words)
* read/advised on previously published materials for potential collection and publication as a book
* substantive edit, funding application to the Australian Research Council
* edited three research papers for submission to journals (economic policy)
* copy edited a report (28,000+ words) for submission to a research centre
* advised on and edited three funding applications for a charity
* compiled, edited, and proofread a trade book manuscript (85,000 words) (published in 2021)
Testimonials
* “Just a short note to thank you for your wonderful support.”
* “1001 thankyous. Wise and great comments, I’ll do my very best to incorporate them.”
* “Just a brief note to express my thanks to you for all the hard work on this. Your speedy and substantial feedback pushed me to develop what I know is a profoundly better application. … Pleasure working with you!”
* “Thank you very much. I just want to tell you how much we
appreciated our meeting with you. You’ve got such a good, clear style of talking things through.”
* “I just wanted to say thanks for the extensive comments you made … I had not thought of this [my suggestion], but on reflection, I see what you mean, and how this change of viewpoint has important implications…”
* “I wanted to thank you very much for your enormous contribution to my application. I really am most grateful for all your comments and formatting suggestions which must have contributed greatly to the success of the application.”
* “once again thanks for a close, detailed and scholarly
review. The author will be grateful that they’ve been read so expertly and sympathetically.” (journal editor)
* “I’m writing to thank you for your time and advice yesterday. I really appreciate your help at such short notice, and the application was much improved because of it”
* “I would like to convey our sincere gratitude and appreciation for the support and advice you’ve given us over these past weeks and months. In particular, the most recent feedback you provided on our last draft proved invaluable in focusing our minds … There is no question that it would be a much weaker application were it not for your practical and sensible recommendations. … The guidance you gave us has allowed us to craft what is hopefully a more incisive, concrete, and pragmatic document”
* “Thank you so very much for your advice and guidance. It is great to have the opportunity to write … for a non-law audience and to benefit tremendously from your insight and experience. Thank you so very much for taking the time to come over to law to help me with this process and for your considered, helpful and detailed feedback”
* “I’ve just received notice of my success [a teaching citation] … I wanted to be in touch right away to say thank you. … You certainly went the extra mile to help me to put together a strong application. Your advice, patience, insight, and general helpfulness were the key to success. I want you to know how much I appreciate your effort on my behalf.”
* “This process somehow has highlighted the things I know, the heaps I don’t know, and has encouraged me to keep on going … my interactions with you mediated my learning. Thanks.”
* “I think your assistance … was largely responsible for my success”
My experience
editing
I have read and advised on more than 2,000 academic texts, of all kinds, from students’ essays, reports, and theses, to researchers’ papers, chapters, books, reports, and applications for grants, fellowships, and awards. I gained much of this experience when employed at the Australian National University in roles for staff development (three years) and student support (six years).
I have also edited internal texts for universities, including as coordinating editor for a university centre’s five-year research evaluation report (in Denmark). This required me to liaise with 20+ research and administration staff, to generate, compile, and edit multiple contributions. In my freelance academic editing work, I have helped many writers by editing or proofreading their doctoral theses and research papers.
As a researcher, I have co-edited three books with European publishers, and co-edited two journal special issues. Details of these are below.
My experience
research and publications
My books and major studies
My PhD (2002, ANU, Linguistics) and subsequent research concerns the systematic organisation of social interaction, across a wide range of settings, especially for collaborative professional work. This research involves collecting and transcribing naturally occurring data, usually video recordings, to analyse the language and embodied practices (e.g. gesture) through which people understand and accomplish together whatever it is they are doing.
The most significant publications from this are three co-edited collections, and my book Beyond the Black Box: Talk-in-Interaction in the Airline Cockpit (2004, Ashgate). That book examined how pilots work together (and with others) to understand situations and perform tasks. The three co-edited books are Interaction and Mobility (2013, De Gruyter), Interacting with Objects and Multiactivity in Social Interaction (both 2014, John Benjamins). Another co-edited collection is a special issue for the journal Semiotica (2012, Mouton), titled Meaning in Motion: Interaction in Cars. A further publication highlight is the substantial review paper ‘The embodied turn’ (Nevile, 2015), in the leading journal Research on Language and Social Interaction, for which I examined and discussed over 500 studies. Other key sole-authored papers appeared in the international journals Language in Society (Cambridge University Press), Text & Talk (Mouton), Discourse Studies (Sage), Computer Supported Cooperative Work (Springer), Human Factors and Aerospace Safety (Ashgate), and locally in the Australian Journal of Linguistics (Routledge).
My government-funded and consultancy research studies, alone or with colleagues, have researched aviation accidents and incidents (commercial and general), problem gambling, distracted driving, and the role of material objects in social interaction (including studies of dressmaking and forklift truck driving).
My earlier research focussed on the nature and development of academic writing, for example, citation practices, and student support.
Summary and highlights
– currently an Adjunct Professor (visitor) of research and writing at the University of Canberra, in the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research
– last employed academic position: Associate Professor and Senior Researcher, University of Southern Denmark (2012-2017)
– Held positions at four Australian universities (ten years at the ANU), and at universities in Denmark and Finland
– approx. 90 publications, more than half as the sole contributor
– eight substantial texts – four books, two edited collections, two major reports to government
– Google Scholar: 2,700+ citations,
h-index 26, i-10 index 41
– research funding: approx. $1.8 million in nationally competitive and other institutional funding support
– presented internationally at over 25 conferences and gatherings
– expert reviewer for 20 international and national journals, and some funding sources and book publishers
If you want to know more...
See details of my books and major studies directly below.
See my scholarly record at my Academia.edu page, or at Google Scholar.
See my full CV here.
My books, collections, and major studies
Nevile,M. (2004) Beyond the Black Box: Talk-in-Interaction in the Airline Cockpit. (Aldershot: Ashgate).
Launched the series ‘Directions in Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis’.
The whole book is available here.
Haddington,P., Mondada,L. & Nevile,M. (eds.) (2013) Interaction and Mobility: Language and the Body in Motion. Berlin and New York: De Gruyter.
Haddington,P., Keisanen,T., & Nevile,M. (eds.) (2012) Meaning in Motion: Interaction in Cars. Special issue for Semiotica, 191, 1/4.
Translation into Chinese (2010) of Nevile,M. (2004) Beyond the Black Box: Talk-in-Interaction in the Airline Cockpit. (Aldershot: Ashgate).
Rendle-Short, J., & Nevile,M. (eds.) (2007) Language as Action: Australian Studies in Conversation Analysis. Special thematic issue, Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 30(3), John Benjamins.
Making the Most of Your Arts Degree. (1994) Longman, Melbourne. With John Clanchy and others.
Nevile,M., Haddington,P., Heinemann,T., & Rauniomaa,M. (eds.) (2014), Interacting with Objects: Language, Materiality, and Social Activity. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Haddington,P., Keisanen,T., Mondada,L., & Nevile,M. (eds.) (2014), Multiactivity in Social Interaction: Beyond Multitasking. Amsterdam: John Benjamins..
Nevile,M., & Haddington,P. (2010) In-car Distractions and Their Impact on Driving Activities. Canberra: Australian Government, Department of Infrastructure and Transport.
Delfabbro,P., Osborn,A., Nevile,M., Skelt,L., & McMillen,J. (2007), Identifying Problem Gamblers in Gambling Venues. Melbourne: Gambling Research Australia.
Nevile, M. (2022) Translating Loss: A Haiku Collection. A collection of 80+ haiku, most previously published in national and international haiku journals and websites.
Winner, 2023 ACT Notable Book Award (Poetry)
Qualifications
BA Honours, MA, PhD, Adj. Prof.
Adjunct Professor (Docent), conferred title, University of Oulu, Finland (2012),
– for Studies of Multimodal Interaction.
Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics, Australian National University (2002)
– Thesis: Beyond the Black Box:
Talk-in-Interaction in the Airline Cockpit
Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics, Macquarie University (1990)
– Thesis: The Cost of Increased Readability
Honours (1st class) in Linguistics,
Macquarie University (1989)
– Thesis: A Taxonomy of Conflict Strategies
from Mother-Child Discourse
Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics,
Macquarie University (1988)
– Arthur Delbridge Prize, for First in Linguistics
CONTACT ME: maurice.nevile[at]gmail.com