Dr Rachel Finnegan
Trading as: Irish Academic Editing
Based in:
Piltown, Co. Kilkenny
Professional memberships
Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland
Association for the Study of Travel in Egypt and the Near East (ASTENE)
Educational qualifications
PhD (Classics), National University of Ireland, 1991 BA Hons (Classics), Trinity College Dublin, 1986
Training and professional development
Diploma in Webediting, College of Media and Publishing, UK, 2019 Writing Plain Language, Plain Language Commission, 2019 Rewriting and Substantive Editing, Publishing Training Centre, UK, 2018 Proofreading Theses and Dissertations, CIEP, UI, 2018 Progress in Editorial Skills, Publishing Training Centre, UK, 2017 References, CIEP, UK, 2016 Diploma in Proofreading and Editing, College of Media and Publishing, UK, 2015.
Languages
Latin, Classical Greek.
Experience
I was an academic administrator for three years (Royal Irish Academy), a lecturer for 17 years (Waterford Institute of Technology), an academic head of department for three years (Waterford Institute of Technology), and now specialise in academic proofreading and copy-editing and editorial training.
I was a tutor for the Diploma in Proofreading and Editing, College of Media and Publishing, UK from 2016- 2022 and have been Head Tutor and Academic Compliance Manager for this online college since 2020. In addition, I have been the official proofreader for the college since 2016.
I am also the author of eight academic books, the last three of which were published by Brill (Leiden) in 2019 and 2020, and Archaeopress (Oxford) in 2022. A second, revised edition of the Archaeopress book is due for publication in 2022.
Services offered
Academic proofreading, academic copy-editing, structural editing, referencing (converting references from one format into another, compiling reference lists and bibliographies).
Media
Academic documents (books, journal articles), art books, official reports, cultural documents (exhibition catalogues, labels, etc.).
Subject areas
Arts/humanities, social sciences, education, business/management.
Clients include
Academic publishers, publishers of art books, cultural/academic/research institutions, writers/researchers, government departments/agencies.
Proofreading and copy-editing of art and academic books for Irish Academic Press, Colourpoint Educational Books, Routledge, Churchill House Press, Greylag Press, National Gallery of Ireland, Office of Public Works (Dublin Castle).
Proofreading and copy-editing of academic journal articles for the Royal Irish Academy, the Irish Journal of Management.
Proofreading, copy-editing and structural editing of official reports (annual reports, strategic plans, etc.) for the National Gallery of Ireland, Office of Public Works (Dublin Castle), Fingal County Council, Mayo County Council, Meath County Council, Fine Gael, Fiscal Council of Ireland, Clontarf Hospital, Trinity College Dublin, Crosscare, Framework, Dublin City University, Economic and Social Research Institute, Higher Education Colleges Association, Parents Plus Charity, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, Spirituality Institute for Research and Education, Quality and Qualifications Ireland, Digital Marketing Institute, University of Limerick.
Examples of work undertaken
Details of commissions from the above clients can be provided upon request.
Testimonials
“Rachel is an exceptional editor: astute, thorough and utterly reliable. I cannot recommend her highly enough” (Fiona Dunne, former Managing Editor, Irish Academic Press and Merrion Press).
For further client testimonials, see the Testimonials page of my website.
Additional information
In addition to working for the organisations listed in the Clients section, I do editorial work for academics and independent researchers (especially those whose first language is not English) in terms of polishing up journal articles and books before they are submitted to publishers.
I also work with independent scholars who need help with self-publishing.