Melissa Dawes – Editor

I offer substantive editing and copy-editing of scientific texts. I provide suggestions in the form of constructive comments and in-line corrections (in MS Word, Overleaf, or Adobe Acrobat), resolving linguistic errors and helping to improve overall readability and logical flow.

I have edited books, high-profile reports at the institutional, national, and international level, over 500 scientific articles, and websites (e.g. and depicted in my portfolio). My work has included manuscripts from many basic and applied fields, primarily in the broad domain of environmental sciences: biogeochemistry, botany, biodiversity, ecology, evolution, forest resources, genetics, geography, engineering, landscape planning, microbiology, natural hazards, and snow and climate science, among others. I love interacting with scientists as an editor and learning about the latest research on a vast range of topics.

My academic background in plant ecology, ecosystem science, landscape architecture, and biology helps me to fully understand the content of writing from a broad range of disciplines, which is key for maintaining the intended message in scientific texts. Further, several years dedicated to ecological research mean that I have extensive first-hand experience in writing grant proposals, writing and publishing papers, and presenting work at international conferences. With my editing service, I help scientists improve their writing in the full research process.