"I take great pride in helping you communicate effectively."

Audrey Glynn possesses a unique mix of experience, including clinical and basic research laboratory science. She acquired a PhD and completed a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship in the overlapping fields of infectious disease and biological defense. Although Audrey found her basic and applied research work on vaccines and animal models of infectious diseases stimulating, she craved to expand her scientific purview beyond areas that laboratory research could offer.

Can you describe your career in short? How did you decide to become a professional editor?

During my fellowship in Washington DC, the scientific topics I handled were extremely broad and the work was incredibly illuminating—gradually, I discovered my passion for scientific writing/editing and public health. Following the conclusion of this fellowship, I made a series of careful and difficult decisions to steer my career toward professional scientific editing.

You are part of the “Allied Healthcare Center of Excellence” at CACTUS. How does this association with an area of specialization influence your approach toward editing? What do you like most about this area of study?

As an editor in the Allied Healthcare Center, I am able to review documents that truly interest me. Not only do I recognize errors quickly, I also access the appropriate resources readily (if needed) to correct them.

I have significant experience in modern laboratories with cutting edge tools and on select agents, but my direct clinical experience is limited. In my role with CACTUS, I have been able to deepen my understanding of human clinical research studies and protocols. In addition, I have learned about various methods for developing extrapolations between various populations and between animals and humans.

Is there anything specific you do to provide high-quality edits across various manuscripts?

I cultivate genuine interest in the research by scanning the entire document and developing an understanding of the authors’ overall objective—a necessary step to spark my intrigue. This interest is crucial because it triggers my deep-seated motivation (from which momentum builds) to transform the manuscript into a document that communicates the science as clearly and directly as possible.

As an editor, how do you define a good English paper? Do you have any advice for authors on how to improve their writing skills?

A good English paper tells a direct and concise story that generally does not require the reader to re-read sentences. At a minimum, authors can improve their writing skills by ensuring each sentence has a purpose and is integral to the message being communicated; scientific writing may be an art, but it is not creative writing.

You have organized global scientific workshops in Istanbul, Turkey, and Cairo, Egypt. Could you tell us something more about it?

Outside of my editorial role, I provide federal and private clients with a number of consulting services, which, in addition to various types of writing and editing, include literature review, data analysis, and meeting planning.

I planned, organized, and implemented the global workshops as early steps in two different outreach efforts intended to foster various scientific collaborations and communications across country borders. I never cease to be amazed by the sense of community that emerges readily during most of these gatherings. Regardless of differences or similarities in politics or culture, when scientists across the globe meet to discuss science, the barriers tend to fall away. My passion resides in reinforcing these types of connections and bonds by ensuring strong and clear communication is projected among the scientists involved.

A few words for our clients…

I am fascinated by your research. I take great pride in helping you to ensure that your findings are communicated effectively and thus can enrich the collective body of scientific knowledge.