Jessica Watson – Editor

I am a professional editor with strong project-management, copy-editing and proofreading skills. I specialise in non-fiction and am familiar with all aspects of the publishing process from manuscript to print, with six years' experience working in a range of subject areas – particularly politics, history and international affairs.

I started my publishing career in 2015 as Copy-editor for the Royal Studies Journal and as Editorial Assistant for an alternative-assets data company. I've now been working at a leading think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, for more than four years, mostly recently as Assistant Editor for the Institute's journal, Survival: Global Politics and Strategy.

Over the last six years I have worked with myriad non-fiction writers and authors, including non-native English speakers, to ensure that their copy is coherent, grammatically correct and conforms to house style, while retaining their unique voice. I have also undertaken five comprehensive training courses on copy-editing, proofreading and grammar, and am proficient at using Microsoft Word (Track Changes) and Adobe's mark-up/comment tools, as well as creating style sheets.

If you need someone to go over your copy with a fine tooth comb to ensure that you are saying something in the best possible way, and to catch grammatical errors or flag any ambiguities, I’m your person!

"Jess has been an excellent copy-editor for the Royal Studies Journal. Her work has always been of the highest calibre, and her eagle eye and professionalism has always been much appreciated! I would highly recommend her as an experienced and highly skilled copy-editor."
– Dr. Elena Woodacre, Editor-in-Chief, Royal Studies Journal