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 900 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.

Upcoming Events

Call for Volunteers!

Wednesday, January 22 | 11 a.m. PDT / 2 p.m. EDT | Register

Are you interested in volunteering to be more involved in the EFA / Editors Canada Academic Editing Chapter? In this ninety-minute meeting, you’ll meet members of the Leadership Team and current volunteers to learn more about getting involved and shaping our chapter’s conversations and events.

Want to hear from current and recent chapter volunteers about their experiences? Check out our blog post, which features chapter volunteers describing the benefits they get from contributing to our activities.

Not able to attend live? The first forty-five minutes of this meeting will be recorded, and the recording will be emailed to all those who RSVP.

(Alt text: Text reading “Get Involved” in all caps, printed on a sticky note next to a pen on a black background. Photo by Iryna Drozd on iStock.)

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January Coffee Chat: Establishing Rates & Project Scope

Tuesday, January 28 | 4 p.m. PDT / 7 p.m. EDT | Register

At the start of a new year, maybe you’ve resolved to change a few things about your editing business. If that’s you, we have the Coffee Chat you need: establishing your rates and project scope.

Whether you’re new to editing or have decided to give yourself a raise, you might have questions about setting rates:

• What’s fair?
• Are the EFA standards realistic for you and your clients?
• How best should you calculate the time you’ll need on a project?
• Will you work on a per project, hourly, or word-based scheme?
• If the client wants more of your services, how do you calculate that fee?
• What if you will be paid by the client’s university?
• If you find your client via Reedsy, Upwork, or other platform, do you add their fees to your fee?

Join us to discuss questions, practices that have worked for you, success stories, and even a few tales of woe! We can help each other charge into 2025 better prepared for growth and new frontiers.

(Alt text: A computer screen showing four people in a video call is next to a stack of books, a coffee cup, and a plant. Copyright: pongsirionkham © 123RF.com)

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Academic Editing Book Club: Black Feminist Writing

Friday, February 21 | 10 a.m. PDT / 1 p.m. EDT | Register

We look forward to hosting a Q&A with Dr. Stephanie Evans to discuss her book Black Feminist Writing. Our host will be Dana Johnson of yourwordsonlybetter.com. This meeting will include a discussion about the book among attendees and will not be recorded.

Use coupon code SAEB25 when buying directly from SUNY Press for 30 percent off.

(Alt text: Flyer featuring the cover of Stephanie Evans’s Black Feminist Writing and the text, “Academic Editing Book Club: Friday, Feb 21, 10am PT / 1pm ET.”)

Past Events

Recordings of past events are available to watch on our YouTube channel.

• Dec. 20, 2024 | December Coffee Chat: Continuing Education & Professional Development
• Nov. 15, 2024 | EFA / Editors Canada Joint Academic Editing Book Club (JAEBC) | a discussion of Scott L. Montgomery’s The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science
• Nov. 7, 2024 | November Coffee Chat: Research Grant Editing
• Oct. 17, 2024 | October Coffee Chat: Cold Emails and Letters of Introduction
• Sep. 20, 2024 | JAEBC | a discussion with author Karen Yin about The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers
• Sep. 11, 2024 | September Coffee Chat: Author Queries
• Aug. 15, 2024 | August Coffee Chat: The Joys of Editing
• Jul. 16, 2024 | July Coffee Chat: AI for Academic Editors
• Jun. 11, 2024 | June Coffee Chat: Macros and Productivity Tools
• Jun. 10, 2024 | Let’s Talk About . . . Indexing | a talk by Jolanta N. Komornicka and Alex Peace
• Jun. 7, 2024 | JAEBC | a discussion with authors Cara M. Jordan and Leslie Castro-Woodhouse about The Art of Academic Editing
• May 7, 2024 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat: Conferences
• Apr. 12, 2024 | JAEBC | a discussion with author Amitava Kumar about Every Day I Write the Book
• Apr. 9, 2024 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat: Style Sheets
• Mar. 12, 2024 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat: Taxes
• Feb. 29, 2024 | Webinar: Introduction to Coaching Academic Writers with Kate Vacek
• Feb. 14, 2024 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat: Editor–Client Relationships
• Feb. 2, 2024 | JAEBC | a discussion with authors Katelyn E. Knox and Allison Van Deventer about The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook: Exercises for Developing and Revising Your Book Manuscript
• Jan. 18, 2024 | From Academia into Academic Editing: A Panel for Prospective Editors
• Jan. 17, 2024 | Call for Volunteers
• Jan. 11, 2024 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat: Setting Rates
• Dec. 14, 2023 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat: Mulled W(h)ine!
• Nov. 30, 2023 | Let’s Talk About . . . Creating a Successful Network | a talk by Linda Ruggeri and Brittany Dowdle | event recording available here
• Nov. 16, 2023 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat: Billing
• Nov. 10, 2023 | JAEBC | a discussion of Patricia Matthew’s Written/Unwritten: Diversity and the Hidden Truths of Tenure
• Oct. 30, 2023 | Academic Editing Co-Working Session
• Oct. 19, 2023 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat: Marketing
• Sep. 21, 2023 | Let’s Talk About . . . Communicating Science through Comedy | a talk by Kasha Patel
• Sep. 12, 2023 | Academic Editing Coffee Chat: Working with Students
• Sep. 8, 2023 | JAEBC | a discussion of Rachael Cayley’s Thriving as a Graduate Writer | event recording available here
• 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 | JAEBC | a discussion of Linda Ruggeri and Brittany Dowdle’s Networking for Freelance Editors: Practical Strategies for Networking Success
• Apr. 28, 2023 | 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

Applicable Harassment Policies

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