About me

Hello. My name is Tom Musselman. I am a freelance copyeditor and proofreader of science writing, specializing in the Earth sciences. I am a native English speaker raised in Los Angeles. I mostly edit manuscripts of research articles that will be submitted to a journal for publication. The manuscripts come from many fields of science, but mostly the Earth sciences, matching my background. I have a BS in geology and an MS in geochemistry. Many manuscripts I edit are written by English as a second language (ESL) authors.

As a Master's student, I studied isotope and trace-element geochemistry in igneous rocks. My MS is from a chemistry department, so I also studied subjects like phase equilibria, thermodynamics, and analytical chemistry. I even took a class in biochemistry since I had a year of organic chemistry as an undergrad (I may have missed my calling!).

I got my start in proofreading and copyediting when my wife asked me to edit her PhD dissertation in structural geology and tectonics. I have been asked to edit documents ever since and started editing professionally in 2015.

A repeat client is the Bulletin of the Mexican Geological Society. I am especially familiar with common errors made by native Spanish speakers.

In addition to editing, I teach five online courses per year in science writing, mostly to ESL students. See Classes for details—you are welcome to sign up. And over the last few years, I've taken college courses (seven so far) in academic and creative writing.