Jacqueline Harvey | Humanities and social sciences editor

I have over 35 years’ experience of copyediting and proofreading different kinds of publications, including academic books, reference works (dictionaries, bibliographies and multivolume encyclopedias), illustrated books, exhibition catalogues, journals, reports and websites. My expertise is mainly in the humanities and social sciences. I am what is often called a generalist and can work in most non-technical areas.

The main services I offer are copyediting, proofreading, web editing and proofing, and transcription. I can also rewrite, repurpose or restyle any document for print or online circulation.

Having been freelance since 1986, I joined the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) in 1989, shortly after its inception. In 2012 I became an Advanced Professional Member of what is now the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP).

Subjects

I work in most humanities and social science subjects, including:

• anthropology
• archaeology
• architecture
• art and art history (including photography)
• biblical studies and theology
  
• biographies
• Christianity
• communication (media) studies
• cultural studies
• diaries/letters
• dictionaries
• education
• English and world literature
• environment
• film and theatre
• geography (human)
• history
• literary criticism and theory
• literary history
• museum studies
• philosophy
• politics
  
• popular science
• sociology
• South-east Asian studies.

Clients

Past and current clients have included:

• Bodleian Library Publishing
• Bristol University Press/Policy Press
• The British Library
• ​Council of Europe
• Ideas on Fire
• Manchester University Press
• Oxford University Press
• Palgrave Macmillan
• Paul Mellon Centre
• ​SPCK and IVP
• Thames & Hudson
• TMF Group
• Wiley Blackwell.

Portfolio

Here are some examples of the books I have copyedited and proofread over the years. A list of them can be found here.

Testimonials

I appreciate you’ve undertaken a mammoth task with getting a book of this complexity into proper order. Thank you for your supreme attention to detail and the clarity that you’ve brought throughout, which have proved absolutely invaluable for transforming the script into its happy publishable version. (Ian Dudley and Maridowa Williams (eds), Aubrey Williams: Art, Histories, Futures, Paul Mellon Centre)

My writing was improved immeasurably by Jacqueline’s work. I have published several books before but never received quite this level of insight, attention to detail, and scrupulousness. Every intervention was communicated clearly and sensitively. High class copyediting. (Mark Crinson, Shock City: Image and Architecture in Industrial Manchester, Paul Mellon Centre)

Jacqueline is one of the most dependable and accurate copy-editors I have ever had the pleasure to work with. She is diligent about following a brief and at the same time is able to exercise her considerable judgement, experience and expertise when necessary. She knows her craft very well and thoroughly engages with every project. She is reliable in her communications and in keeping me apprised of issues that arise. I can always be sure that when I place work with her she will do a professional job. ​ (Hazel Bird, project manager for Wiley Blackwell)

I’ve worked with Jacqueline on a number of projects over several years and have always found her to be a first-class editor and valued colleague – thoughtful and attentive to detail, an excellent communicator and with reliably good judgement about all aspects of complex and demanding texts. Given her expertise across a range of humanities and social sciences subjects, Jacqueline’s work is certainly appreciated by authors and I recommend her warmly to scholars and publishers in need of editorial help. (Robert Davies, project manager for University of London Press)

I have worked on several unusual and quite challenging projects with Jacqueline, including a book written in contemporary blank verse and two edited volumes, both of which contain extremely varied subject matter. In every case Jacqueline’s flexibility, detailed knowledge of the language, and attention to detail have been outstanding. It is always reassuring to know that Jacqueline has cast her expert eye over a piece of work before it is published. (Paul Williamson, writer and general editor for Festival O/Modernt Publishing)

You made it so easy for me – your questions are so clear, and editing improves the text so much. I’m very grateful. (Yossef Rapaport, Islamic Maps, Bodleian Library)

Jacqueline Harvey was a godsend for this project. She was careful, diligent and smart, making excellent corrections where obvious and gently guiding me to clarity in places where I might have been more resistant. Throughout all of it, she sustained my voice while also keeping me stylistically and academically honest. ​I recommend her most highly. (Christopher Meyers, The Professional Ethics Toolkit, Wiley Blackwell)

I was very impressed by your editing of our text. We had taken pains with it, yet every change you made was a clear improvement, and a kindness to the reader and our discipline. You made us look good. By taking the pain out of writing, you made me want to do more of it. Thank you for the skill and effort you invested! (Siobhan Reilly, contributor to The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Family Studies, Wiley Blackwell)

• Editor
• Proofreader

• Art history
• Anthologies
• Anthropology
• Architecture
• Art & culture
• Biography, autobiography & memoir
• English literature
• Environment & nature
• History
• Humanities
• Narrative non-fiction
• Performing arts
• Philosophy
• Photography
• Poetry
• Publishing
• Reference
• Social sciences
• Sociology
• Television, film & radio

• Transcription
• Authenticity/sensitivity reading