The HF Edge
The only people who say writing is easy…are probably not doing that much writing. The trials and tribulations of the writing process are legend. From days where ideas flow like water from a fountain to weeks where the inkwell is as dry as the Sahara, writing can often be a fraught process. It is even harder when a submission is rejected without much reasoning as to what could or should be improved. That’s where Humanities First Editing comes in. We will work with you from proposal to final product, helping you hone your ideas, clarify your writing, and submit your best possible work. As a non-profit, we are deeply committed to ensuring that writers have access to affordable, expert editors. Having an editor examine your work for blindspots gives you an edge over other authors. Read on to learn more about the “Humanities First Edge” and how it has helped numerous writers hone their arguments, strengthen their writing, and publish their work.
A Nonprofit Committed to Humanities Scholarship
From manuscripts that have stalled in the revision process, to shaky sentence structure and grammar, to the fatigue that comes with reading your own work for the umpteenth time, our editors have seen it all. As former or working academics and researchers, we’ve also been in the same position. Humanities First is here to help you with content review and copy editing for essays, journal articles, tenure files, third-year reviews, annual activities dossiers, and book-length manuscripts. We support every field within the humanities. Our areas of focus include, but are not limited to:
- Art
- Africana Studies
- African-American/Black Studies
- Asian American Studies
- Asian Studies
- Communication
- Critical Race Theory
- Cultural Studies
- Gender and Sexuality Studies
- History
- Latinx Studies
- Linguistics
- Literature
- Music
- Performance Studies
- Philosophy
- Religion
- Rhetorical Theory
- Theatre
Affordable, Expert Editors
We understand that pursuing an education/career in academia often comes with substantial financial obligations. Not many educational institutions set aside funding for humanities scholars to receive help with their writing. As a nonprofit, Humanities First is able to provide top-notch copy editing, proofreading, and content analysis at a reasonable cost. We help you present your very best work at a fraction of the cost of other editing services. We all know how important writing groups are to the intellectual process of putting words to paper. Think of us as an extension of your writing group. We provide an objective, impartial analysis, giving you feedback on the areas you feel you need it the most. There are several benefits to hiring an editor before you submit your piece:
Everyone Has A Blindspot
Nearly everyone has a writing tic – that phrase or word or stylistic choice that appears again and again in our writing. Taken alone, those elements aren’t problematic, but when used repeatedly, they can negatively impact the flow, organization, and clarity of your text. A Humanities First editor will be on the lookout for potential blindspots in your writing, and suggesting ways to avoid or mitigate them.
No One Has Unlimited Time
A professional editor can turn your almost-finished work into a well-polished final product quickly and professionally. Take some of the pressure off and leave the copy editing to us.
Improve Your Writing As We Edit
Most writers repeat the same grammatical errors over and over again. A copy editor understands grammar and style rules with which you may not be as familiar. Humanities First editors take special care to explain which writing errors you may be making most frequently and how to correct them.
Editing Tailored to Your Needs
We offer several levels of support, including but not limited to: developmental editing, proofreading, and single-prose review.
Developmental Review
Includes thorough content analysis, feedback on logic, argument, structure and tone, a comprehensive copy edit, and application of your preferred style guide.
Single Round Prose Review
Includes a single round of content edits, suggestions for eliminating redundancies, and advice regarding areas where further elaboration would be useful for the reader. Also includes a full copy edit and application of your style guide.
Proofread
Includes a comprehensive copy edit and application of your preferred style guide as well as comments on grammar, word choice, and glaring inconsistencies within the text.
For more on our work, see our Offerings & Rates.