Seasoned Copy Editor and Proofreader, Policy & Finance

David R. Johnstone

**** ****-**** *******

Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815

Phone: 202-***-**** E-mail: *******@*****.***

EXPERIENCE

Copy Editor and Proofreader (independent contractor)

January 1996 to present

• Serving publishers, news outlets, policy organizations, think tanks, corporations, and independent authors; polishing and streamlining legal, political, and economics-related prose

•Highly articulate in British English

•Experienced with country reports, newsletters, white papers, and policy research (e.g., works by Foreign Policy Analytics)

• Mastery of AP and Chicago style; Google Sheets, Adobe, Word, Excel, Outlook; SEO

• Wordsmith upholding accuracy, brand guidelines, trademarks, syntax, clarity, tonal precision, proper grammar, punctuation, writing quality, and stylistic consistency under strict deadlines

Commerce Copy Editor—Dotdash Meredith

July 2022 to July 2023

• Copyediting, proofreading, and performing quality assurance of widely ranging consumer product reviews for leading digital publisher’s The Spruce, Tripsavvy, Verywell, People, Byrdie, Real Simple, Health, and Travel + Leisure verticals

Developmental Editor—Dotdash Meredith

February 2021 to June 2022

• Copyedited and proofread content of high-profile personal finance website The Balance

•Provided quality assurance and diplomatic editorial feedback

Editor in Chief—Emerald Magazine—June 2018 to July 2019

• Copyedited, proofread, and fact-checked monthly lifestyle magazine, including monthly recipes, under strict deadlines

•Generated story ideas and set house editorial style and policy

Writer-Editor—Law Library of Congress, Legal Research Directorate—August 2004 to March 2005 (six-month appointment)

• Copyedited and rewrote congressional reports by foreign staff

attorneys (native-English and ESL editing)

Editorial Intern—Faber and Faber, Inc., Winchester, MA

August 1996 to January 1997

• Evaluated manuscripts and book proposals for viability

• Maintained communications with authors and literary agents

PUBLICATIONS AND WRITING AWARDS

• “The Pirates Are Always with Us: What Can and Cannot Be Done About Unauthorized Use of MP3 Files on the Internet,” published in New York State Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section’s Bright Ideas (second-place winner of statewide writing contest);

quoted in spring 2001 report of American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law’s Committee 306: Broadcasting, Sound Recordings and Performing Artists

• “Debunking the Myth of Fair Use Rights and Copyduty Under U.S. Copyright Law,” published in Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA summer 2005; winner of Copyright Society of the USA’s 2006 Charles B. Seton Award for Best Article (repeatedly cited)

• “Crosby Aims for a Joint Venture,” Emerald Magazine, January 2019 (conducted interview; wrote 1,900-word cover feature story)

• “Jim Belushi: From Screen to Green,” Emerald Magazine, April 2019 (conducted interview; wrote 1,300-word cover feature story)

EDUCATION

The George Washington University Law School, Washington, DC

• LL.M. (legal master’s degree in intellectual property law)

graduated May 2005 (GPA: 3.4)

• A+ earned on thesis; A’s earned on all other writings

The State University of New York at Buffalo Law School

• J.D. with significant study of copyright-related law

• Honors earned on all term papers

Colgate University, Hamilton, NY

• B.A. (English)

• Study-abroad program focusing on the history of technology and industry, University of Manchester and UMIST

Georgetown University, Washington, DC

• Course work: Fundamentals of Copyediting and Proofreading

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