Athenaeum
Academic Editing
A bespoke editing service
Working in partnership to help you achieve your academic goals
Welcome. I'm Dr. Christine Pelican, an award-winning scholar and alum of both the University of Oxford and the Geneva Graduate Institute. I provide bespoke services offering careful and thoughtful proofreading, copyediting and academic mentoring services. I specialise in the humanities and social sciences, and I have deep subject knowledge in Politics and International Relations. I am, however, open to all disciplines. My clients are diverse, and include undergraduate and master's students to doctoral researchers, academics, non-fiction and fiction writers, policy professionals, and organisations.I provide friendly, collaborative services and will treat your text with care, providing the professional polish expected in top-tier academic environments. My goal is to ensure your work meets the highest standards of academic English and argumentation, all while preserving your authorial voice.
How I can help. I provide proofreading and editing for master's dissertations and doctoral theses, journal articles, book manuscripts, applications, proposals, statements of purpose, and policy documents. I'm also happy to look at fiction projects. I work extensively with writers for whom English is not their first language, helping them meet publication-ready standards.I also provide academic mentoring for writers feeling isolated or overwhelmed. I help with motivation and project planning, keeping your enthusiasm buoyed and ensuring that you meet goals and deadlines.With all my services, my aim is to make your text ready for publication and for you to feel confident that your writing is in its optimal form. I do not use AI tools, instead, I bring the expertise of an experienced, committed editor with an eye for clarity, a passion for the English language, and scrupulous attention to detail.
About me. I have extensive experience in academic research, writing and mentoring. I hold a BA (Hons) in Politics and Philosophy (1:1), a Master's in International Relations and Political Science from the Geneva Graduate Institute, and a DPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford. My DPhil thesis was awarded Oxford's prestigious Winchester Prize. I have tutored undergraduate students in Politics at Oxford, as well as teaching International Relations to groups of visiting students. During my doctorate I was a college Junior Dean, a role in which I helped students encountering welfare issues.I am based in the UK and work with clients worldwide.
Services
Scroll down to see the main services I offer
Proofreading
Select proofreading if you require a fresh pair of eyes to check your work for typographic, grammar and punctuation errors, as well as ensuring consistency in spelling styles and formatting. I offer this service for all types of work, including book manuscripts. My proofreading service gives your text with a final 'polish' so you can be confident it's ready for presentation to your readers.
Copy and developmental editing
Copyediting checks your work for clarity of expression, flow, tone and consistency. As I read your work, I'll be evaluating your work for logical coherence. Edits will be made sensitively to preserve your voice while improving readability.Developmental editing is the service most appropriate if your work requires extensive rewriting and/or restructuring. This is beneficial when you need a second pair of eyes to check the coherence of your argumentation, identify flaws, and reorder/rewrite sections for clarity.
Academic mentoring
Alongside my editing work, I offer academic mentoring for writers who want structured support, motivation, and a sense of partnership throughout their project. As a former Junior Dean at the University of Oxford with welfare and pastoral duties, I understand how academic pressures, self-doubt, and life circumstances can affect your progress. My mentoring combines practical guidance such as project planning, goal setting, and developing good writing habits, with encouragement and accountability. Whatever issues you need help with, I provide a supportive space to guide you forwards through your project. (Please note I am not a certified coach or counsellor; the support I offer comes from my personal and professional experience within academia.)
Pricing
Naturally, you'll want an early sense of cost. However, because every text is unique and the level of editorial intervention varies greatly, it's almost impossible to set standard prices. I find the fairest approach for all is for me to provide a tailored quote based on your text's length, level of intervention required, and turnaround time. This can be arranged as an hourly rate or a fixed project fee. Once I have provided an estimate, I will commit to working with that figure. Rarely, I may find something that enlarges the scope of the project significantly. In this instance I will contact you immediately so that we can discuss options. My minimum rates align with the recommended rates of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, but will sometimes exceed these, reflecting my specialist expertise and professional experience.
Testimonials
"Christine really helped make my DPhil thesis ready for submission. She provided an excellent copyediting service which not only corrected typographical errors but helped me identify where my arguments needed restructuring. Her editing skills are of the highest calibre and I recommend her highly." - Ece, DPhil student, University of Oxford"Christine proofread my master's dissertation in architecture and I cannot recommend her highly enough. She picked up errors that I had missed and after she had worked on my project I was confident it was ready to submit." - Amy, Master's student, Munster Institute of Technology, Ireland"Christine proofread my academic grant proposal, correcting any typographical errors and suggesting edits. Her input polished my writing and enhanced the persuasiveness of my application." - Rodrigo, Lecturer, University of Southampton
Contact
If you're considering working with me, I'd be very happy to hear from you. Please tell me a little about your project, including:* Manuscript type
* Service you require
* Approximate word count
* Desired turnaround time
* Writing sample (circa 1000 words)You can email me at [email protected], or use the form opposite. I'll aim to reply within 24 hours and we can take it from there.All personal information and documents are treated with strict confidentiality in line with UK GDPR requirements.