Some recent (2018-22) reviews of my editing in the social sciences, humanities, nursing, and education
Social Sciences Clients
Steve was wonderful to work with during the final stages of my dissertation. During our first meeting, it was clear that Steve was invested in helping me deliver well-presented, high-quality research. He took the time to understand the content and the audience, as well as how the work fit into the bigger picture. In subsequent edits, he was prompt, reliable, thorough, and attentive to submission requirements and formatting issues. Beyond his editing expertise, I truly valued Steve as a cheerleader—his encouragement was a breath of fresh air. I passed my dissertation defense with no revisions, an accomplishment that would not have been possible without Steve’s careful eye for detail!
M. O. J., PhD dissertation, Brandeis University
Steve did a wonderful job as my editor. I had been editing my dissertation for almost a year without making any real content change and this long process definitely tarnished me. However, Steve turned things around for me. He not only pays great attention to readability, logic, word choice, and punctuation details, but also kept me motivated throughout the writing and editing process. I would say the latter part was crucial when I was at the last stretch of my dissertation writing. I felt much more empowered and motivated to get the work done because he constantly made me aware how close I was to the finish line, and the rest of the work could be easy, doable by just following the steps he suggested. I highly recommend anyone writing their dissertation, especially ESL students, to work with Steve.
L. T., ESL Writer, Heller School of Social Policy / Brandeis University
Your service was both professional and thought-provoking. I can say without hesitation that your contribution helped to improve the manuscript, and that increased my satisfaction with my work. It was a pleasure working with you.
J. S.., retired Professor of Sociology; line edit of book manuscript
Working with Steve has been extremely helpful, perhaps in more ways that he might expect. He helped me hone in on the crux of my argument and cut all the rest; and he refined passages [in several journal articles] that were unclear because my thinking was still unclear. I would highly recommend reaching out to him.
A. K.-B., Professor of Sociology, Ursinus College
Steve is an invaluable asset for researchers who wish to improve the effectiveness of their writing. Thanks to his help, my journal articles read more naturally, and I have learned how to writie in a more concise and engaging way. Steve has a deep understanding of social sciences' core questions and thus provides useful comments about the content.
Giovanni Angioni, PhD Scholar of Political Science, London School of Economics and Political Science
Humanities Clients
I was in the middle of pressing deadlines when I went looking for a copy editor to support me and meet those deadlines successfully. For an academic nonfiction writer like me, Steve Knox’s profile stood out as an ideal match. We have worked together since, and he has lived up to his profile. Most of the projects he copyedited for me moved faster toward production because they needed no more revisions after Steve worked on my manuscripts. The important thing I have learned from working with Steve is that you, the writer, should be very clear about what your needs are for each project; that way, Steve can apply his exceptional focus on your work leaving you – and your readers – very satisfied with the results.
R. A. C., Journal Articles, Monograph in Cultural and Women's History, Professor of History, Universität Bern
Steve’s editing was crucial to the success of my dissertation. My committee chair said the writing was ‘excellent’, which is the first time any professor has said that to me. His many suggested revisions helped considerably and enabled me to rethink many passages. And I can say without a doubt that I’m a better writer after this experience.
D. M., PhD dissertation in History (Early US), University of Minnesota
It’s lucky that I happened upon Steve’s website and then hired him to edit my dissertation. I admit I’m not a great writer. He suggested a lot of changes to enhance the tempo and flow of the storytelling, and corrected my habit of writing in the passive voice. He was always available to answer questions while I revised and was always so encouraging.
S. L., PhD dissertation in History (Modern Europe), University of South Carolina
Thanks a lot, Steve, for your hard work. None of the journals had any problems with publishing the articles, so I’m really pleased. You asked such good questions and raised important points, which made me go back and rewrite some paragraphs, and doing so really improved my argument.
T. F., PhD, Temple University, several journal articles in Religious Studies
I was very satisfied with Steve’s work. I found Steve very helpful in one particular respect—wherever he deemed necessary, he did not hesitate to challenge my views in a positive manner. As an author, I found his honest feedback invaluable. He was not only forthright in his feedback, he had the knowledge to opine on the key ideas in my work, which dealt with history, psychology, and philosophy.
R. S., ESL writer and independent scholar in intellectual history and philosophy
From Nursing and Education Professors and PhDs
I found Steve in the last stages of my dissertation, which was truly a godsend. He laid out very precisely his operations from charges to methods of editing. He was readily available and took time to help me learn the why, not just the how. He was very knowledgeable, communicative, and appreciative of my time constraints. He really gave me my money’s worth. I thank him from the bottom of my heart.
D. N., DNP dissertation, Abilene Christian University
Steve has been a pleasure to work with; he is an absolute gem of an editor! Steve assisted me with preparation of three articles for submission to peer-reviewed journals [based on my dissertation]. I appreciate his nonjudgmental and supportive attitude toward my area of research and my writing skills. His feedback has been invaluable to me and I respond well to his compassionate critiques. He kept me informed throughout the editorial process, and he always asked for my input. I look forward to continuing my work with him in the future.
Sarah Guy, PhD Nursing, University of Texas at Austin; converted dissertation to three journal articles
Mr. Knox was a joy to work with in the copy editing process. He has vast knowledge of academic writing and he was very thorough in reviewing my work. I got feedback from him not just in grammar and mechanics, but also in styles and academic conventions. He not only made corrections, but also articulated why he suggested certain changes. I became a better writer by working with him in the editing process. I would recommend him highly for other academic writers.
B. F., Professor of Education, Abilene Christian University
It was a pleasure to work with Steve. Steve edited my entire PhD dissertation, which contained 6 chapters and more than 200 pages. He helped me with the grammar, spelling, organization, APA formatting, content fluency, reducing repetition, and replacing some vocabulary with more academic words. My dissertation defense committee mentioned that the dissertation was well-written and did not need any revisions. Thanks, Steve, for being part of my success.
G. A., PhD dissertation in Education, ESL writer, University of Rochester