Karen Crosby

Have I missed something? Is this ready to submit? What should I fix next?
These are the questions I answer every day. Through academic editing, APA 7 expertise, coaching, and practical guidance, I help graduate students, researchers, professors, nonfiction authors, and editors spend less time second-guessing and more time making progress. I’d love to help you replace uncertainty with clarity and confidence.

I’m the founder and senior editor of Editarians, a Calgary-based editing company that has helped over 1,100 writers strengthen their theses, dissertations, journal articles, books, and professional documents over the past 24+ years. We offer comprehensive professional editing, manuscript refinement, clarity reviews, and coaching for writers and editors.

I know it can feel vulnerable to hand your work to someone else. If you’re picturing someone attacking your document with a red pen, that’s not us. In fact, I believe good editing has little to do with “fixing mistakes.” Rather, it’s about helping your ideas come through as you intended. It’s all the little things to give your writing the big impact it deserves.

Writing is hard enough, so working with an editor shouldn’t be. Our respectful, encouraging, and collaborative experience (dare I add fun?) often surprises clients. We ask questions. We explain our suggestions. We celebrate what’s already working. We take our work seriously, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and clients find this approach refreshing. Instead of feeling judged, you’ll feel supported by someone who wants your manuscript to succeed as much as you do.

By the end of the process, you may agree with our many clients who tell us they feel as though they found lifesavers, miracle workers, cheerleaders, and companions, not just editors.

What Are You Looking For?

Our primary specialty is academic editing in APA Style (APA 7th edition). If your document follows APA Style, you’ve found your people.

Student Papers: Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

We work with students across North American and internationally on
theses, dissertations, proposals, capstone projects, course papers, and reports. You focus on the writing and research. We’ll make sure you’ve met all the guidelines. 

Professional Papers: Journal Articles and Book Chapters

Whether you’re a tenured professor or new researcher, you can count on us to help your work get published and disseminated. We edit journal articles and book chapters, and help convert theses to articles. We also assist with submission letters, program applications, and faculty syllabi.

Book Manuscripts and Proposals

We edit nonfiction book manuscripts from first draft through publication. This includes editing for memoirs, how‑to books, self‑help, psychology, business, and professional nonfiction. Together, we’ll refine your structure and wording so your message lands exactly as intended. Book manuscripts are typically edited to meet Chicago Style.

Other Organizational Documents

We edit academic-adjacent publications such as
business reports, presentations, manuals, white papers, annual reports, corporate documents, and nonprofit communications.
We’ll either apply the standards from your corporate style guide or suggest an appropriate guide to follow.

Fast Forward Sessions (APA Guidance, Troubleshooting, & Coaching)

Sometimes people don’t need a full edit—they just need an answer to a particular question. A Fast Forward session is a focused working meeting that compresses hours of frustration into one guided conversation. Get real‑time support for APA editing questions, formatting challenges, reviewer feedback, and document structure issues.

Editor Coaching & Professional Development

In addition to editing, I provide mentorship and training for nonfiction editors who want to strengthen their editorial judgment, workflow, confidence, and career momentum.

Why Choose Editarians?

Clients come to us for meticulous editing; they return because they were wowed.

Editarians is known for strong subject matter expertise and a collaborative, supportive editing partnership. From 2024–2026, our average client rating has been 10 out of 10; our average over the last 14 years is 9.98. We really do care about your experience, your perspective, and your outcomes. Our simple goal has always been to exceed your expectations.

We’re grammar nerds who read style manuals, yes. But we’re also pretty fab to work with. If you want to eliminate the remaining uncertainties about your work and submit a finished manuscript that delights you, please consider our services. Our tagline says it best: We see what you don’t.

Visit Editarians to learn more or
reach out to me personally.
I’d love to hear about your project.

My Editing History

I’ve been editing professionally since the early 1990s. My editorial career began in Japan, where I first edited publications for my prefectural government and later worked in Tokyo for a publishing company that produced a flagship bilingual magazine and bilingual books (English–Japanese). When I returned to Canada, I founded Documedic Editing Solutions in 2002. My first client had written a thesis in APA Style, and I was hooked!

In 2012, the company became Editarians, reflecting the collaborative team we had built and the broader support we wanted to provide writers and editors alike.

Today my work extends beyond editing to education, coaching, workshops, and community. I’m building a second company, Editor Coaching, to help people with in-the-moment support and resources.
Learn more about Editor Coaching. 

Select Testimonials

“I had the privilege of working with Karen on my master’s thesis. Her editing skills were right on the money, and she did an expert job in adapting to my learning and working styles.
She was professional, dependable, and was able to address my needs as the project evolved. She had that unique blend of intellectual and emotional intelligence, and she contributed in a significant way to the success of my paper!”—Linda Shore, MA, Former Director of Human Resources, Metro Vancouver

“Karen and the team at Editarians exceeded my expectations in all respects.
As an international student trying to achieve critical timelines while balancing work and research with family life, I relied heavily on the ability of Editarians to review my work and provide timely feedback. They were simply fantastic, both in the manner in which they committed themselves to my timetable, the content and constructive nature of their feedback, and the subject and format requirements of the paper I was writing.”—Paul Raw, MA, Strategic Business Leader, Critical Risk Associates

“The idea of having to create a perfect 150+ page thesis seemed daunting at the outset. To discover Karen and her team, through a recommendation from one of our faculty, was a gift.
I’m pleased to say that my experience working with Editarians was wonderful!
 … Thanks to our collective efforts, this thesis was deemed worthy of a PhD recommendation!”—Nick Langshaw, MA, Director, Human Resources, eHealth Saskatchewan

“I am a jubilant customer and fan of Editarians! I am grateful that Editarians was recommended to me by a colleague at Royal Roads University.
Editarians’ thoroughness and expertise saved me hours of valuable time and no doubt many tears. I will stand by my testimonial, and I would not hesitate to recommend them to a friend or a colleague.”—Sue Garries, RPN, MA, Coordinator, Staff Education and Development, Vancouver Coastal Health

For more testimonials, please visit https://editarians.com/testimonials.

Education

BA with Distinction, University of Alberta

Professional Editing Certificate, Mount Royal University

Ongoing professional development through Editors Canada, the Editorial Freelancers Association, and discipline-specific training.