Matthew Sidebotham MA, AE, ELS
EDITING, PROOFREADING, WRITING, INDEXING
Accredited Editor (Institute of Professional Editors)
Certified Life Sciences Editor (Board of Editing in the Life Sciences)
Professional Member, Council of Science Editors
Professional Member, Australasian Medical Writers Association
Professional Member, Australian Society for Technical Communication
Professional Member, Australia and New Zealand Society of Indexers
Professional Communication for Research, Business and Government
Whether you’re writing your thesis or research report, managing an annual report, review findings or policy paper, or drafting a novel or non-fiction book, I can ensure your content is clear, concise and consistent, that your writing meets industry, academic or professional standards and that your communications are accurate and professional – ready to submit, print or publish.
As an accredited and certified editor with over thirty-five years of experience in writing, editing and publishing across academia, the public service and the private sector, I have have helped hundreds of academics and researchers, government departments and agencies, businesses and not-for-profits, and fiction and non-fiction authors, both aspiring and established.
450+ thesis & dissertations | 100+ books & chapters | 100+ research reports & papers | 50+ annual reports & corporate plans
I offer expert support encompassing developmental editing for early drafts, copyediting to enhance style and ensure consistency, accessibility checking and plain language editing, and proofreading to correct typos and layout errors in your final document. As a former researcher and academic I also specialise in thesis editing, addressing the specific requirements of scholarly writing.
As a member of the Institute for Professional Editors, all my services comply with the Australian Standards for Editing Practice and the IPEd Code of Ethics. I am also a professional member of the Board of Editing in the Life Sciences, the Council of Science Editors, Editors NSW, the Canberra Society of Editors, the Australasian Medical Writers Association, the Australian Society for Technical Communication, the Australia and New Zealand Society of Indexers, and the Plain Language Association International.
My Services
Editing and Proofreading
I offer a range of editing services to ensure your text does the best possible job in communicating your message to readers. This goes beyond merely checking spelling and grammar. Editing will assess whether the document is structured properly, is internally consistent, contains all the necessary elements, is expressed in the right tone and abides by the expected guidelines and writing conventions, as well as improving the the clarity and quality of writing (e.g., word choice, sentence structure and expression). Proofreading identifies typographical and formatting/layout errors and checks the accuracy of cross-references before publication.
Contact me to discuss your editing or proofreading needs.
Thesis Editing
Accredited expert thesis editing for Word, PDF and LaTex/Overleaf files – more than 400 theses edited for clients from over 50 universities in Australian and internationally.
Thesis editing includes comprehensive copyediting to ensure a professional academic style and writing that is clear, consistent and complies with university style requirements and word limits. In addition to copyediting and proofreading, I will format your thesis in compliance with university or faculty submission guidelines; create your preliminary pages; ensure tables and figures are properly presented and consistent; edit and format bibliographies and appendices; and ensure referencing is complete, accurate and complies with the required citation style.
I provide thesis editing for Word, PDF and LaTex/Overleaf files. All thesis editing complies with university policy and the Institute for Professional Editing’s Guidelines for Editing Research Theses to ensure your thesis or dissertation meets the highest standards of academic integrity and is ready for submission.
Learn more or contact me to discuss your requirements for thesis editing.
Annual Report Editing
Professional annual report proofreading, editing and indexing to guarantee clarity, consistency and compliance.
I provide expert editing, proofreading and indexing services to ensure annual reports comply with legislative requirements and meet policy guidelines. My experience includes working within the public sector on coordination and publication of annual reports, and supporting Commonwealth, state/territory and local government agencies plan, compile, polish and publish more than 30 annual reports as freelancer. I can help impose a consistent corporate voice across the draft, edit to meet government style and inclusive language/accessibility guidelines, ensure completeness and consistency, and check compliance with the PGPA Rule and other legislative and policy requirements.
Contact me to discuss requirements for your annual report.
Academic Editing
With experience helping numerous academic writers, in Australia and internationally, publish research in peer-reviewed journals and scholarly books and book chapters, I provide tailored structural editing, copyediting, proofreading and formatting to produce rigorous, professionally presented work that is ready for peer review and meets publishing standards. In addition I can assist with identifying publishable material from previous research and developing your publication plan. I also provide professional drafting and editing for a wide range of other material for academic clients, including research proposals, grant applications, conference papers, training material and curricula vitae
Contact me to discuss your academic editing needs.
Manuscript Assessment and Developmental Editing
I provide expert review and advice on your draft to evaluate its suitability for purpose and the intended audience or market. A manuscript assessment considers your text at the highest narrative level: overall structure and length, internal structure, development and pace, point of view and voice, characterisation, dialogue, use of non-textual elements and overall suitability for the intended readership.
Contact me to discuss assessment and editing for your manuscript.
Writing and Content Development
For clients who lack in-house writing expertise or are pressed for time, I provide expert copywriting and ghost-writing services to turn research into narrative or develop plans or outlines into comprehensive documentation. I have extensive experience writing copy for publishers, government agencies and the business sector for products inluding book chapters, research reports, information sheets, industry standards, operating procedures, web pages and more.
Contact me to discuss your copywriting needs.
Technical Writing and Editing
With extensive experience supporting research, policy and business in fields, including engineering, medicine and ICT, across a wide range of technical documentation – standards, operating procedures, technical and scientific reports, expert witness testimony, web content, project documentation, business plans and grant applications – I offer professional support to ensure technical and scientific writing complies with relevant standards and offers the highest levels of accuracy, precision and clarity.
Contact me to discuss requirements for writing and editing of your technical documentation.
Indexing
Effective indexing allows the reader to find out whether your book or report references particular topics they are seeking, and to quickly locate the content that matters most to them. A well-structured index is critical to the value of an educational or reference work, and to transparency and accessibility in government and business writing. I provide expert indexing services for a wide range of publications, including compliance indexing for annual reports covered by the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 or other regulations.
Contact me to discuss developing an index for your project.
my clients
Thesis, Research and Academic
Professional thesis editing and academic editing provided by a former postgraduate researcher, academic, and book reviewer for scholarly journals.
As a former academic and university-approved editor with over thirty years’ experience in writing, grading and editing research, I have helped hundreds of PhD candidates and scholarly authors from more than 100 universities, research institutes, journals and publishers worldwide. Contact me to ask about professional, affordable thesis editing and support for planning, drafting and polishing journal articles, books and book chapters, research reports, conference papers and presentations, research and grant proposals and more.
Matthew has been my editor of choice for my PhD thesis and subsequent academic papers for the last two years. Matthew’s work is professional, intelligent and shows scrupulous attention to detail. It has been wonderful to work with an editor so committed to producing work to the highest standards… There are plenty of good editors to be found, but excellent ones like Matthew are hard to find. (Claire Hill, PhD)
Government and Corporate
High-quality, cost-effective professional editing and drafting services tailored to the needs of government and corporate writers
With a Baseline security clearance and more than twenty years working in and with the public sector – Commonwealth, State/Territory and local – I have managed annual reports, drafted strategic and corporate plans, designed communications strategies, developed agency style guides, written information sheets and web content, edited review submissions and inquiry findings, and taught effective communication. Contact me for expert, cost-effective professional support – from planning and drafting to copyediting and layout – for publications that comply with legislative and style requirements, Plain English guidelines, easy reading needs and accessibility standards.
The team were really happy with your edits and we’ve progressed the document on to the next stage. Thank you for your work on this project. You’ve been great to work with and really accommodating with the changing timeframes – which has enabled us to meet our project deadlines. We really appreciate it! (Keirena Cornish, Department of Home Affairs)
Industry and Not-For-Profit
Fiction and Non-Fiction Authors
Comprehensive planning and editorial support for scholarly, nonfiction and fiction authors.
I provide expert assistance to support authors – whether first-time or experienced – in navigating every step of the writing process: from planning and outlining (including adapting research for book form) to drafting and development through to copyediting, proofreading and indexing. Contact me for professional support with outlining, manuscript assessment, editing and proofreading, indexing or support with ghost writing.
The kind of editor who is the best of both worlds – an analytical mind with the creative understanding of how to bring your story to life through words. I highly recommend Matthew to any writer who needs one of the best in the business in their corner. (Megan Rogers, author, Finding the Plot: A Maternal Approach to Madness in Literature)
Publishers and Designers
Expert assistance with editing, proofreading, ghostwriting, indexing and other publication tasks.
With experience working with over 50 Australian and international publishing and design houses, I provide professional outsourced support across the publication process, from styling and formatting text, to structural and copyediting, to reference checking, proofreading and indexing. Contact me for expert assistance with your draft or proof manuscript.
Thanks again for such a thorough edit! Especially in regards to those chapters that needed particular attention, as well as the references. I’ve gone through your suggested changes and have now sent the text back to the authors for their review—your comments will prove immensely helpful. (Rebecca Allen, Allen & Unwin)
ESL Writers and Researchers
Expert support with academic, technical or idiomatic English for English as a Second Language clients.
For researchers and students writing in English as a second language, mastering English idiom – let alone the requirements of academic or technical writing – can be an additional challenge. I work closely with ESL researchers and writers, providing editing services and writing advice to ensure that their thesis, paper or report meets the requirements for submission or publication and is assessed on its content, not its expression. For more information, see ESL Clients.
I would also like to thank Matthew Sidebotham for the eye-opener that language is to an expert editor what the Mona Lisa was to Leonardo da Vinci. It was bravery on your part to enter my world of L2 English Language writing skills. (John Lahai, author Human Rights in Sierra Leone, 1787-2016)
I acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples as the traditional custodians of the Canberra area, and pay respect to the Elders, past and present, of all Australia’s Indigenous peoples, recognising their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.