Dear readers,

March and April have been very busy months, which is why you had to wait a little for the newest edition of Side Notes. Finally, here come the latest insights into my work as an independent editor. 

In view of the occasion that I am now a certified independent editor I tell you about my personal story of becoming an editor.  

If you have any suggestions or feedback in regards to this newsletter, please do not hesitate to reach out to me – I will be happy to hear from you! As always, you can read all previous editions of the newsletter on my website. 

Warm regards,

Teresa Johnson

—
Teresa Johnson, Ph.D. 姜心悦
German (native), English, Chinese

Lektorat Johnson
Services: Editing, Proofreading, Translation
Specialization: Academic Writing, Nonfiction

Tips from your Editor

How to become an independent editor

I have been asked this questions a few times. And my answer is: There are many different paths that lead to independent editing. So let me briefly tell you here, what my journey thus far has been like.

When I first started studying Chinese and American Studies, I did not yet have a fixed career goal. However, even back then I knew that I like taking a deep-dive into new topics, writing academic papers and helping others to improve their academic writing. During this time, I started working as a tutor helping other students learn the ways of academic research and writing in Chinese studies. Later, as a doctoral student and candidate, I guided and supervised hundreds of students in their process of writing academic papers. During my college and Ph.D. days, I colleceted a combined (roughly) 15 years of experience of editing academic texts. After finishing my Ph.D., I first started working as a translator, before additionally completing a certificate course in independent editing (Freies Lektorat) at the Akademie der Deutschen Medien (Academy of German Media). As of March 2026 I can proudly call myself certified independent editor (Freie Lektorin ADM)!

What’s also important to know: in Germany, the job description independent editor (Freie Lektorin / Freier Lektor) is not protected. Theoretically, anyone could call themselves that, regardless of their qualifications. That’s why it is all the more important to pay attention to the trustworthiness of your editor.

So how can you tell if your favorite editor really knows what they are doing?

Here are a few important characteristics of every serious editor:

• completed academic or vocational training in their field
• regularly attends further trainings in regards to editing
• can provide references
• no dumping prices (because quality comes at a price)

A great way to search and find a suitable editor in Germnay is the directory of editors managed by the Verband der Freien Lektorinnen und Lektoren (Association of independent editors), which you can find at www.lektoren.de. All editors listed in this directory are experienced, qualified editors with the above mentioned characteristics (and more) so that you are guaranteed entirely professional cooperation with any of them.

By the way, you can find my profile in the directory here: www.lektoren.de/profil/teresa-johnson.

Asian Studies

Correct citations are an important part of academic writing. Commonly used in Asian Studies and Chinese Studies in particular is the citation format according to The Chicago Manual of Style, in short: Chicago. For this reason, I would like to show you various examples of how to cite common source types with this citation style.

Citations with the Chicago style: monographs (electronic format)

In the footnotes:

1. S. E. Kile, Towers in the Void: Li Yu and Early Modern Chinese Media (Columbia University Press, 2023), 121, JSTOR.

2. David E. Pollard, Real Life in China at the Height of Empire: Revealed by the Ghosts of Ji Xiaolan (The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, 2014), xv, Project MUSE.

Shortened footnotes (for repeated citations):

3. Kile, Towers in the Void, 123.

4. Pollard, Real Life in China, xvi.

In the bibliography (sorted alphabetically):

Kile, S. E. Towers in the Void: Li Yu and Early Modern Chinese Media. Columbia University Press, 2023. JSTOR.

Pollard, David E. Real Life in China at the Height of Empire: Revealed by the Ghosts of Ji Xiaolan. The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press, 2014. Project MUSE.

*In the bibliography of an academic paper each entry would be visually distinguished from the others by means of a hanging line.*

How not to write…

The following examples are taken from various media that I encounter in my every day life at work and at home, in German and in English. These examples illustrate that there are many texts (and spoken words) out there that could have benefited from professional editing before they were published. I am not trying to expose anyone. Therefore, I only name the general genre or medium, not the person or the exact source who published these examples.

(Unfortunate) real world examples:

• CRIME NOVEL: Er hat zwei große Stichverletzungen, die gleich an mehreren Organen Schäden gesetzt haben. [unidiomatic choice of verb]
• DAILY PAPER: Zwölfjähriger stellt sich nach Angriff an S-Bahnhof. [double meaning]
• GOOGLE REVIEWS: Die kleinen Helfer, wie z. B. die digitale Visitenkarte, sind dann die Kirsche auf der Sahne. [false picture]
• INTERNATIONAL DAILY PAPER: ‘The highest pitch of refined emotion’: The tragic romance hidden in a 19th-Century painting [capitalization]

What I’m reading in April:

Upcoming

April 2026

Certificate Independent Editor (Freie Lektorin ADM)

It’s official! Between December 2025 and March 2026 I completed all modules of the certificate course Independent Editing (Freies Lektorat) at Akademie der Deutschen Medien (Academy of German Media). I am a certified independent editor (Freie Lektorin ADM)!

Interested in my editing services?

How about a trial edit?

If you would like to get to know my style of working as an editor, a trial edit is the way to go. I will edit your text for exactly one hour. Afterwards, I return the edited text to you and we discuss my feedback for you in a phone or video call.