shell logo Fran Aitkens,BSc, ELS
Victoria, B.C. Canada 
e-mail: aitkens at islandnet.com

 Freelance scientific and technical editing services
"Fran's thoroughness and attention to detail, understanding of the technical aspects of the text, and ability to craft disparate text into a cohesive manual have vastly improved the material she was given by the authors. Readers will also appreciate the clarity and organizational structure she has introduced into the manual." Dr. C. Leadem, senior author, Field Studies of Seed Biology.

Can I help you?

What I do Media My qualifications  My specialties Some happy clients
shell logo Wonder about
my logo?

What I do 
  Editing scientific and technical material
  Substantive, stylistic, plain language editing, and rewriting
  Assembling and editing conference and workshop proceedings
  Checking species lists and scientific terminology
  Proofreading - quality control for all your documents
  Pen-and-paper or electronic editing, as required
  Internet capabilities, secure FTP site for safe file transfer
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Media
    Books, journal articles, consultant reports, research papers, proceedings, web pages, brochures, manuals - in short, any text material will benefit from my editorial experience.
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My qualifications
  Board-certified editor in the life sciences (ELS).
  A life-long interest in scientific, technical, and environmental subjects. Bachelor of Science (Geology and Math), Carleton University, Ottawa. I have been reading, exploring, and studying various aspects of science ever since. Accepted as a Fellow of the Geological Association of Canada.
  Continual improvement of my editing skills through courses and workshops, such as Editing Science, Meeting Editorial Standards, Indexing, Manuscript Editing, Plain Language Editing, Publishing in the Heritage Community, Policy & Procedures Manuals, and Substantive Editing. 
  Membership in professional editing organizations: Association of Earth Science Editors (AESE), Board of Editors in the Life Sciences ( BELS), and Professional Editors Association of Vancouver Island (PEAVI).
  Associated with these interesting and dynamic groups: Geological Association of Canada, Old Cemetery Society of Victoria, Victoria Genealogical Society, and Block Watch and Emergency Preparedness programs.
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My specialties
 
Americanization of British or Canadian text   Canadianization of British or US text  
Plain language revision of technical jargon Polishing and smoothing of translated text
Effective use of tables, graphs, & figures Assembling conference & workshop proceedings
Webpage comprehension and readability Inclusive and bias-free language
Manuals: software, computer, and technical instructions Compliance with a set style guide (e.g., journal, Chicago, CSE)
Anthropology 
Local history
Biology 
Life sciences
Environment 
Biodiversity
Forestry 
Forest research
Gardening 
Native plants
Genealogy 
Family history
Geology 
Earth sciences
Mathematics 
Statistics
Oceanography 
Ocean sciences
Science education 
Science for children
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Some happy clients
Publishers
 

Smithsonian Institution Press and Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press (Washington DC)
Copyeditor: Smithsonian Plant Collections, Guyana 1995-2004, H. David Clarke (2012). The Therian Skull: A lexicon with emphasis on the Odontocetes, Mead and Fordyce (2009). Phylogeny and Evolution of Angiosperms, Soltis et al. (2005). Anuran Communication, Michael J. Ryan (ed.) (2001). Ecology of the Marine Fishes of Cuba, Claro et al. (eds.) (2002). Komodo Dragons, Murphy et al. (2002). Amphibian Conservation, Semlitsch (2003). Molecular Systematics and Phylogeography of Mollusks, Lydeard (2003). Parasite Biodiversity, Robert Poulin and Serge Morand (2004). Snakes in Question, 2nd ed., Zug and Ernst (2004).

Princeton Editorial Associates (Scotsdale Arizona)
Turtles of the United States and Canada, 2nd ed. C.H. Mead and J.E. Lovich, Johns Hopkins University Press (2008)

  McGraw-Hill Higher Education (New York)
Copyeditor: Exploring Geology, Reynolds, Johnson, Kelly, Morin, Carter (2008).
  University of British Columbia Press (Vancouver BC)
Copyeditor: Aboriginal Plant Use in Canada's Northwest Boreal Forest, Marles et al. (2000). Biodiversity and Democracy, Wood (2000). Ecology of a Managed Terrestrial Landscape (Forest Landscapes in Ontario), Perera et al. (eds.) (2000). Policy and Practices for Biodiversity in Managed Forests: The Living Dance, Bunnell and Johnson (1998), and other titles. 
  Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins (Baltimore MD)
Copyeditor, articles for medical research journals. Copyedited supplement issue on Management of Acute Cervical and Spinal Injuries (March 2002), and supplements by Dr. Albert L. Rhoton Jr. on Posterior Cranial Fossa (Sept. 2000) and Supratentorial Cranial Space (Oct. 2002). Also articles for various medical journals, including Nephrology, Laboratory Investigation, Neurosurgery, Shock, Shellfish Research.
 
Scientific Organizations
  Forestry Canada, Northern Forestry Centre, Edmonton AB and B.C. Ministry of Forests (Victoria BC)
Branches: Research, Production Resources, Silviculture, Tree Seed Centre, Timber Supply, Tree Improvement. Part of a team of editors and proofreaders working on the many papers and reports, including journal submissions, land management handbooks, research reports, trail signs, and posters.
 
B.C. Ministry of Environment (Victoria BC)
various branches, including Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Environmental Protection, Water Quality, Wildlife. 
Copyeditor for many publications, including Environmental Trends in B.C., 2007; Coast and Marine Environment Project 2006; recovery strategies, management plans, status reports and feasibility studies for species at risk, proceedings, and others.
  Foothills Model Forest (Hinton, Alberta)
Editor, Foothills Model Forest History Project books, Mountain Trails: On Patrol in the Athabasca Forest Reserve, Mueller and Udell (eds.) (2009), A Hard Road to Travel: Land, Forest and People in the Upper Athabasca Region to 1955, Murphy, Stevenson, and Udell (2007), Learning from the Forest: Adaptive Forest Management at Hinton, Alberta, Bott, Murphy, and Udell (2002).
 
Non-Profit Organizations
  Garry Oak Meadow Preservation Society (Victoria BC)
Volume editor, proceedings of the Garry Oak-Meadow Colloquium, 1993. The first compilation of research about this threatened local ecosystem.
  Women in Trades and Technologies (Victoria BC)
Volume editor, proceedings of the Western Regional WITT Conference. Papers describe working conditions and coping strategies for women working in trades.
Consultants
  2WE Associates Consulting Ltd. (Victoria BC)
Editor for this dynamic group of former Ocean Sciences research scientists who recently won a standing offer with Environment Canada to research and write documents as required.
Annual Reports
  B.C. Police Complaint Commissioner (Vancouver BC) 
Copyeditor, Annual Reports for 1999 to 2001.
Education / Science for Children
  B.C. Ministry of Education (Victoria BC) 
Part of a team that produced curriculum guides. Specialized in substantive editing/fact verification for senior mathematics and sciences (earth science/geology, physics, chemistry), physical education, and technology education.
  SCWIST: Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology 
Co-author, Shape Wonders, and series editor for Shape Wonders, Spaghetti Wonders, Body Wonders, science activity brochures for girls.
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shell logo

The shell logo can be viewed on many levels. At first glance, it's an intricately patterned shell of the Chambered Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius). But, look more closely: the spiral is a continuum. The markings on the outer shell give way to the internal structure, and then to a mathematical spiral. Perhaps the shell surface represents Beauty, the internal structure, Reality, and the spiral, Simplicity. Or, the outer Nautilus represents the Present (they swim today in our tropical seas), the inner structure represents the Past (Ammonite fossils often show this pattern), and the equiangular spiral represents the Future (based on the infinite Fibonacci sequence 1, 1, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, ...). What do you see? 

Want to know more about the Fibonacci sequence?

Copyright Fran Aitkens, BSc, ELS

Victoria, B.C. Canada 

e-mail: aitkens at islandnet.com

Webpage by FA with polishing by Taylor Wordsmiths
Last updated: May 2012