Connor Wood

I’m an experienced editor and writer with an academic background in interdisciplinary social sciences. I can help improve and perfect your book project, paper, or article with in-depth developmental or content editing, line editing, copyediting, and translation.

My bachelor’s degree is in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and I earned a PhD in science, philosophy, and religion from Boston University in 2016. A former web content editor, I gained extensive experience as an author, editor, and copy editor of peer-reviewed publications in both the sciences and humanities during my academic career. My particular expertise is in the human sciences and social sciences, including evolutionary frameworks, as well as religion-science issues and the philosophy of language and institutions. I also have quite a lot of experience with translation, web content, and writing for the public (including science journalism). I’m excited to work with you on your trade book or popular writing as well as on specialized academic projects.

A broad knowledge base helps an editor-author team work to successfully tailor writing projects to specific or general audiences, cross disciplinary boundaries, and tell stories that resonate. I can bring experience in study design, statistics, data visualization, and computational simulation to our collaboration, as well as interdisciplinary training in the philosophy of science, history of science, theology, and social theory. I also have a long record of successful grant writing, having funded my own and others’ work through both government and private funders. Working together, we can powerfully convey your ideas about nearly any topic, publish academic papers in the journal you’ve been dreaming of, or finally write that successful grant proposal.

My developmental editing, line editing, and/or copyediting services are especially useful for:

• Authors of popular nonfiction trade books in the human sciences, evolution, philosophy, social theory, or religion
• Authors of academically focused nonfiction manuscripts in these or related fields, including manuscripts intended for peer review and university press publication
• Authors of nonfiction books and articles with interdisciplinary focus and/or methods
• ESL academics hoping to publish research in peer-reviewed journals
• German-language writers looking for faithful, effective, idiomatic translations
• Graduate students
• Scholars or others seeking grant funding
• Researchers seeking help with grant applications
• Organizational and institutional entities (internal and external content)
• Web content editing
• Authors aiming to self-publish nonfiction books with a focus on social sciences, religion, or philosophy

Testimonials:

“Connor is without doubt the best editor I have ever engaged with. There is not even a close second. His comments are invariably insightful, his writing is always clear, and his attention to detail is remarkable. But what distinguishes Connor is his broad vision – he not only improves the writing of every project on which he works, but he helps authors clarify their message so that they are able to express precisely what they wish to express. Moreover, Connor is a consummate professional – always reliable – and is simply a pleasure to work with.”

–  Richard Sosis, James Barnett Professor of Humanistic Anthropology, University of Connecticut

“Wood’s editorial work reflects his own exemplary writing style. He enhances clarity without sacrificing sophistication, marshaling many different perspectives without indulging in salesmanship. In both style and substance, my work has improved as a result of his care and attention.”

– Benjamin Purzycki, Associate Professor, Department of the Study of Religion, Aarhus University, Denmark

More information: View PDF file

Years in the field: 10
Years freelancing: 3