Research Writer Interview With Maria

Hello! My name is Maria, and I am a biologist from Europe. I was looking for a freelance writer position online, came across your ad and decided to apply.

I hold two Master`s degrees: from British National University and from Rijksuniversiteit Groningen. I have always been very keen on biology, zoology and evolution; I would say natural sciences are my passion. I have worked as a Research/Teaching Assistant in English speaking environment and found myself enjoying helping students with their assignments, as well as doing my own research and writing manuscripts.

I would say it comes down to just three things: love for writing, attention to details and instructions and belief that you should continue learning throughout your life. Obviously, you have to love writing and researching to be successful in this kind of occupation. Attention to details sometimes determines whether your work gets an “A”, or an “F”. A minor issues, such as incorrectly formatted reference list can make professor give your paper a low grade, therefore attention to details is a must-have characteristic to have for a freelance academic writer. And life-long love for learning makes you do your research, stay up to date with theoretical frameworks and learn about new fields. For example, I enjoy writing about Business and Management, Marketing and HRM, even though I am a biologist. I enjoy learning new things, working with scholarly sources and understand how are theories applied in practical environment.

I have a rather wide circle of interests and enjoy writing on the following topics: Biology, Business and Management, International Relations, PR and Marketing, HRM, Healthcare and Nursing. I am always critical about my knowledge and prefer to double check information, trust only peer reviewed sources. I really like working with Excel: building graphs, diagrams. I believe Excel is a powerful tool every writer should embrace and utilize. I have recently became interest in Social Sciences and Women`s Studies, and I would really enjoy writing on these topics as well.

I consider myself underqualified to write Law and Physics papers. I can perform simple statistical tests and solve High School level Math problems, however I am rather cautious regarding my technical skills. I have done some programming in R environment and would be able to do it again if opportunity arises.

I like working on all kinds of papers, but I definitely prefer slightly longer ones: 1000+ words. I have also completed 4 dissertations and consider that a unique experience. First of all, I have significantly broadened my horizons, and secondly I really enjoyed interacting with the client and discussing academic issues and theories. Completing a project like dissertation gives a feeling of accomplishment. I also prefer creative projects and assignments where critical thinking and evaluation are required.

You sometimes get too involved into researching and writing up your assignments and it is hard to find a balance in your normal life. This is why I have developed a routine that helps me change the scenery and re-charge between the projects. My solution to this problem is outdoors and exercising. However, even when I am enjoying nature I do not forget to check my email on the phone for new interesting assignments...