“Mary provides our laboratory with an excellent editing
service for journal articles, technical reports and presentations.
She has worked well with many nonnative English-speaking students
and researchers both in person when she was located in Hawaii,
and now through the Internet after her move to South Carolina.
Her service is very prompt. I highly recommend her.”
Dr. Lloyd Hihara, University of Hawaii, Department of Engineering
As an interdisciplinary researcher working at the interface
of engineering, mathematics, computer science, and biology, I
came to Wordworks for help preparing a book chapter for MIT Press
with a broader target audience than my typical journal articles.
Meeting this objective was difficult given that my coauthor's
native language is not English. The ideas in our chapter are
extremely technical. Nevertheless, Mary Johnston was able to
help us substantially reorganize and revise our work to make
the points clear and accessible. Her feedback helped us understand
where we could augment the text with figures to illustrate key
points, bringing our mathematics to life for scientists with
a different background. Her work was timely and encouraging,
driving us to keep on a tight editing schedule. My experience
was extremely helpful, and I will definitely use Wordworks again.
Dr. Sean Warnick, Professor of Computer Science at Brigham Young
University
I am not a native English speaker so I have hired Mary to edit
my scientific research papers I submit for publication in reputed
peer reviewed international journals. She is highly professional
and punctual in her work. Although she does not have an engineering
background, she makes changes that do not change the meaning
of my analysis and asks questions that help me clarify and expand
my ideas. She also offers words that are suitable for academic
papers. I have been surprised by how much my manuscripts have
improved as a result of her editing. I admire her help and recommended
her services to colleagues who have also used her services.
Dr. Atul Tiwari, Hawaii Corrosion Lab at University of Hawaii
“With Mary's help on my application essays, I was accepted to Johns Hopkins Medical School, my top choice. Her editing of my essays was unique because she not only made corrections, but more importantly, provided reasons for her corrections. In short, her help was one of the most critical components in writing a competitive application and getting accepted to the school of my choice.”
Joseph Crompton, Johns Hopkins Medical School, Baltimore, MD
“Mary has helped me with a variety of family history writing projects. After my husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness, she recorded conversations with him and wrote his memoir based on these interviews. Later she organized and edited his letters and talks. Mary works well from transcription to finished text, keeping the authenticity of the speaker's voice and organizing material in a cohesive fashion.
Mary also organized and edited two volumes of family letters, bringing order to material that family members valued but did not have the time and/or skills to complete. She is helping me preserve voices from my family’s past.”
Charlotte Cannon, Chicago, IL
“I'm writing my autobiography. When Mary received my book, the story was disjointed and unorganized. I am grateful that she took on the project because her guidance has helped me focus on the direction the book should take. After talking to me for more than three hours, she helped me fill in gaps in my timeline and expound on parts that were not fully explained. Thanks to Mary’s knowledge of the power of the written word, my book is now close to being completed. If I had found her earlier, perhaps it would not have taken me five years to write my story. I have recommended Mary to my son, who is writing a book of short stories and poetry.”
Val Johnson, Charleston, SC
“For many years I have been working on a book about my clinical method for children with autism. At every step Mary was there to help—with outlines, punctuation, sentence structure, tone, and style. I'm very grateful for Mary's work and for her dedicated efforts to keep me writing. Without her, I would have dumped my drafts into the trash long ago. Thanks to Mary, Greenwood Publishing Group is publishing Helping Children with Autism Become More Social 76 Ways to Use Narrative Play!”
www.greenwood.com/catalog/C9702.aspx
Ann Densmore, Ed.D., CCC-SLP/A, Boston, MA
Mary Johnston helped me turn a rambling collection
of notes, ideas and survival stories about my life as a global business
manager into a pair of how-to books. Today's fast-paced business
jargon does not always translate well into everyday prose. Mary's
editorial talents brought those comprehension gaps to light while
simultaneously showing me how to create a cohesive flow that was
both informative and grammatically correct. She helped me find my
style and my voice and kept the project on track. As a result, The
Global English Handbook and Travel Smart: Pack and Go Like a Global
Pro will soon be published. Without Mary's expertise I am sure I
would be another year away from completion and still feeling uncertain
about the written quality of my work.
Patricia Warner, MBA, President, Global-eze Inc., Charleston, SC
(www.global-eze.com)
“We hired Mary to edit Head Start curriculum as well as brochures, essays and newspapers articles about child development and parenting. She ensured that we had 1) consistent formatting; 2) correct grammar, punctuation and spelling; and 3) clear content. Because she is a thorough editor who writes well, we know that whatever she edits is ready for publication. In addition, she is easy to work with and returns manuscripts in a timely matter. Without any doubt, my colleagues and I highly recommend her as an editor.”
Mary Ann Nemoto, Program Administrator, University of Hawaii, Center on the Family
"Mary is an exceptionally talented editor who is passionate about helping others express themselves concisely and beautifully. Mary's professional editorial guidance empowered and inspired me to write my best work. A seasoned professor's response to my application essays for a top ten graduate school program was that they were 'eloquent and concise--exceptional in every way.' I feel so wonderfully (and unexpectedly) calm after sending my applications in and I know it is because of the work she and I did together. Had I forged ahead alone, I would not have felt such confidence in the strength of my application; the essays communicate everything I needed and wanted them to communicate."
Amy Rossiter, Candidate for admission to Physician Assistant Program at Baylor School of Medicine
"Mary Johnston is an extraordinary editor; her insights and careful attention to detail will show in the final pages of your work. Recently I had the pleasure of working with her on my book about urban forestry. Her enthusiasm and knowledge of her craft strengthened the message word by word. I can’t imagine working on any writing project without the assistance of Mary as editor. She’ll take the time to understand the message you are working to convey. Then, she’ll help you work the text into something masterful. Mary has a gentle way of helping improve your writing skills, while at the same time helping you to meet your goals. I recommend her highly."
Colleen Carroll, Ed.D., Director, NatureTalks
Testimonials
