If you are involved or interested in academic editing, the Academic Editing (AE) Chapter will allow you to build your professional network, share information, and discuss relevant topics. Our regular programming includes quarterly virtual informational meetings, hosted alternately by the EFA and Editors Canada, and more frequent, small-group meetings like the EFA / Editors Canada Joint Academic Editing Book Club (JAEBC) and our monthly Coffee Chats.

The chapter is a collaboration between the EFA and Editors Canada, which was formed in early summer 2022. After conducting focus groups in 2021, the EFA formed an academic editing working group that reached out to colleagues in Editors Canada to propose creating a partnership. The virtual launch event in September 2022 was attended by nearly 250 people from around the globe, and the chapter was born! We currently have over 500 members in the chapter.

The Chapter’s efforts are run by volunteers who are members of either organization, and both organizations market the chapter events and provide support. Presently, the EFA hosts the AE Chapter’s website and email, and the EFA has granted the chapter funds to support administrative costs and to provide honorariums for guest speakers. We invite anyone who performs academic editing in any capacity to participate in the activities and events free of charge, and you do not have to be a member to participate.

The AE Chapter is organized into working groups with a leadership team overseeing all efforts. The Organizational Chart is a living and changing document that shows the solid team of dedicated volunteers who are building and running chapter activities and events.

Interested in joining our mailing list and receiving our newsletter? Sign up for our mailing list here. And to read past issues, visit here.

Have questions or want to volunteer? Email the co-coordinators at chap_academic@the-efa.org. Our team at Editors Canada can be reached at academic.editing@editors.ca.

 

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Upcoming Events

September Academic Editing Book Club w/ Rachael Cayley

Friday, September 8 | 10am PT / 1pm ET | Register

Our chapter’s Joint Academic Editing Book Club will return from summer break on Friday, September 8, to discuss Rachael Cayley’s Thriving as a Graduate Writer. Rachael will be attending, so please bring your questions! The meeting will be hosted by Letitia Henville.

We have set up a 30% discount code to use when purchasing your book! Please enter the code “UMTHRIVING” at checkout to apply the discount.

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September Academic Editing Coffee Chat: Working with Students

Tuesday, September 12 | 10am PT / 1pm ET | Register

September is a month of changing leaves, apple-picking, pumpkin spice everything . . . and back to school. 

Join fellow academic editors this month to talk about how you approach editing student work. Do you approach editing student work differently? Do you ask for permission from the university or a supervisor? Do you follow specific guidelines for student work?

(Pictured: A handmade mug sits next to a laptop. On the screen is a group video chat. Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash.)

This is part of our informal monthly Coffee Chat series, where academic editors can exchange ideas and socialize with colleagues near and far. With small breakout groups, participants are welcome to share their experiences, ask questions, or just listen.

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Let’s Talk About . . . Communicating Science through Comedy with Kasha Patel

Thursday, September 21 | 11am PT / 2pm ET | Register

Climate change, pandemics, and misinformation don’t sound like great fodder for a side-stitching joke, but they can be—all it takes is the right perspective and tools. Join science communicator and comedian Kasha Patel as she shares the basic tenets of relatable science communication along with some unorthodox ways people share scientific findings to reach audiences. 

Pick up practical tips on making science more fun and accessible, learn to assess the risks and pitfalls of incorporating humor, and, most importantly, get inspired to think about communicating science in a more creative way.

(Pictured: Kasha, a smiling woman with long black hair, is wearing a lab coat and pouring two test tubes into a beaker.)

Speaker bio:

Kasha Patel was named one of the “Best Undiscovered Comedians” in the US by Thrillist magazine because of her unique voice that couples life as an Indian-American and her love for science. She produces science-themed comedy shows through her company DC Science Comedy. She gave a TEDx talk called “Sneaking Science into Stand-Up,” where she shares a series of surprising revelations pulled from her analysis of more than 500 of her stand-up jokes. She has been featured on NPR, BBC World, Travel Channel, The Science Channel, The Weather Channel, and has hosted a miniseries on NASA TV.

 

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Past Events

• Aug. 23, 2023 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat: Agreements and Contracts
• Jul. 13, 2023 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat: Taking Vacations as a Freelancer
• Jun. 22, 2023 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat
• May 5, 2023 | EFA / Editors Canada Joint Academic Editing Book Club (JAEBC) | a discussion of Linda Ruggeri and Brittany Dowdle’s Networking for Freelance Editors: Practical Strategies for Networking Success
• Apr. 28 | Let’s Talk About . . . AI and Automation for Editorial Project Management | a talk by Dr. Cathy Hannabach
• Apr. 17, 2023 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat
• Apr. 3, 2023 | JAEBC | a discussion with author Laura Portwood-Stacer about The Book Proposal Book
• Mar. 23, 2023 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat
• Mar. 10, 2023 | JAEBC | a discussion of Anne E. Greene’s Writing Science in Plain English
• Feb. 3, 2023 | JAEBC | a discussion of Marcus Weaver-Hightower’s How to Write Qualitative Research
• Jan. 27, 2023 | Let’s Talk About . . . Working with ESL/EFL/Multilingual Authors | a talk by Katharine O’Moore-Klopf
• Jan. 12, 2023 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat
• Jan. 6, 2023 | JAEBC | a discussion of Ellen Bryant Voigt’s The Art of Syntax
• Dec. 15, 2022 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat
• Dec. 2, 2022 | JAEBC | a discussion of Pamela Haag’s Revise
• Nov. 4, 2022 | JAEBC | a discussion of Helen Sword’s Stylish Academic Writing
• Sep. 23, 2022 | Academic Editing chapter launch | Summary Report—Academic Editing Chapter Launch Event

 

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Applicable Harassment Policies

• EFA’s Anti-Harassment Policy
• Editors Canada’s Workplace Harassment Policy