FAQs
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Absolutely. This is a requirement because style guides and preferences are changing, especially due to technology. Because more and more research materials are online, the APA rules are becoming more directed toward electronic materials than hard copy publications. Also, writers have to keep track of preferred spellings, usages, and politically correct language. Examples: Many hyphenated words are becoming "closed" now (e.g., "co-worker" is becoming standardized as "coworker"). The title "Mrs." is no longer considered appropriate for anyone. Even married women should now be referred to as "Ms." The term "diabetic" should no longer be used to refer to a person; one should use the term "person with diabetes."
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
I have always found writing to be both enjoyable and easy. I wrote my first "book" at three years old. It was about dinosaurs, and the spelling was terrible. In high school, I regularly competed at the state level in "ready writing," in which competitors were given brief prompts and were then required to write the longest and most coherent essay possible in a specific period of time. No assistance was allowed, and grammar, spelling, and punctuation were evaluated harshly. As a junior at UT, the director of the archaeology department was impressed enough by an essay I wrote that he invited me to work on an archaeology project in Italy for the summer of 1999.
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
Be as specific as possible. Be clear about the intended audience, because that determines word choice, jargon level, reading level, and even the style guide that should be followed. For example, some style guides spell out every number up to 100 (e.g., "eighty-eight"), while others use numerals after 10 (e.g., "88").