Dr Claire Taylor-Jay | Academic Editor
Between London and Cambridge, UK; I work with clients worldwide
- Website
- www.clarionediting.co.uk
- Organisation
- Clarion Editing
- Membership Grade
- Professional Member
About Claire
I'm an ex-academic who now edits and proofreads academic work, especially (but not only) in musicology and other arts and humanities subjects. I published books and articles in my previous career as well as supervising many students, so I know what good academic writing looks like.
I have worked on a wide range of academic fields, from performance studies to geography, art history and law. I’m particularly interested in working on texts about music / musicology or history (my PhD was on music history), and I'm confident at checking music notation. I also have a personal interest in Buddhism / Buddhist Studies, mindfulness and meditation. But I'm happy to work on almost everything that's not STEM – one thing I love about editing is the diversity of subjects!
I have almost-fluent German (C1/C2), a working knowledge of French, basic Italian and Spanish, and very basic Pali and Sanskrit.
I have a qualification in teaching English to speakers of other languages, and have helped many second-language writers with their English in the past.
How can I help you?
If you’re an academic and you’re writing an article or book for publication, I can help you be confident that the colleagues looking at your work will be engaging with your ideas, not complaining about your use of semicolons. A well-edited piece of writing has a greater chance of being accepted for publication.
If you’re a student, you can be sure that I know what a good university essay or thesis looks like – I have marked thousands of them! I also know what kind of proofreading will be accepted by your university without you getting into any problems.
If you’re a musician or musicologist, I will help you with those tricky names and terminology (Brahm’s or Brahms’ Violin Sonata? Götterdammerung or Götterdämmerung?). I copyedit for the Journal of the Royal Musical Association, one of the leading journals for musicologists, so am up to date with the field.
I offer proofreading, copyediting and translation checking (from German).
>> Find my webpage at www.clarionediting.co.uk (hyperlink at the top of this page), where there is a contact form.
Experience:
Freelance since 2021
Academic Editorial Assistant (part-time) at Carnegie Book Production, 2021–2024
Academic journals I work on: Journal of the Royal Musical Association (CUP), Journal of African Law (CUP), Ethnomusicology Forum (Taylor & Francis), Developing Academic Practice Journal (Liverpool UP), Music, Sound, and the Moving Image (Liverpool UP)
Publishers I've worked with: Liverpool University Press, Clemson University Press, Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, Windhorse Publications, Brill
I've also worked with a range of private clients – academics and PhD students – who have gone on to publish with Brill, Boydell & Brewer, Brepols and others
Subjects:
Musicology, music, music history, music theory, music analysis, ethnomusicology, performance studies, performing arts, humanities, history, Buddhism, Buddhist studies, meditation and mindfulness
Editing / Proofreading Training:
Copyediting 3 (CIEP) – 2024 - pass with distinction
Essential Proofreading (PTC) – 2021 - pass with merit
Qualifications and Awards:
BA Music
MA Analytical Musicology
PhD Musicology
Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Testimonials:
'Copy-editor Claire Taylor-Jay’s exacting eye for detail and sensitivity to language ironed out infelicities and corrected numerous mistakes.’ (David Rechter, author of At Eden's Door: The Habsburg Jewish Life of Leon Kellner, 1859–1928 (Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2023)
‘I was impressed with the range and detail of the things you noticed… It was a fussy book and you did it brilliantly.' (Janet Moth, Littman Library of Jewish Civilization)
'Thanks… especially to copy editor Claire Taylor-Jay for her attentive and careful work.' (Rodge Glass, author of Michel Faber (Liverpool University Press, 2023))
‘Many thanks for your amazingly meticulous copyediting. I have not encountered such fine work before.’ (Prof. Julian Roberts, University of Oxford)
Service(s)
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Client types
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Disclaimer note
The CIEP Directory of Editorial Services should be considered a point of first contact and prospective clients must satisfy themselves that members are capable of the work on offer. The Institute cannot be held responsible for the quality of work provided by any member listed in the directory. The members themselves are responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of their entries in the Directory and the CIEP has not made any attempt to vet them. The institute cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in the Directory. Inclusion in the Directory as a freelance does not necessarily mean that the member is self-employed as defined by HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions.