Custom Research and Report Writing
Research and writing help for people who need the argument to make sense.
Most writing problems are thinking problems first. I help you figure out what the data actually means before we try to make it sound good.
A report can be well formatted and still not say anything clearly. An article can have good sources and still wander around looking for a point. A spreadsheet can contain useful information, but unless someone knows how to interpret it, the numbers just sit there.
These are the kinds of problems I can help with.
I work with people who have research, data, notes, drafts, or complicated source material and need it turned into something another person can actually understand. Sometimes that means finding the argument. Sometimes it means checking whether the evidence really supports the claim. Sometimes it means cutting through a draft that sounds impressive but does not quite know what it is trying to say.
I have spent many years writing about business, teaching statistics and carrying out applied research. My interests are labor markets, the changing nature of work, education reform, retirement issues, economic history, and the gap between how statistics are presented and what people actually experience.
I am not a marketing agency. I am not a designer. I am not the right fit for every project.
I am useful when the material is complicated, the argument matters, and the final piece needs to be clear without being dumbed down.
Services
Research Summaries
A research summary is an overview of the state of knowledge of a topic. It might be very brief or quite lengthy depending on the complexity of the research question. Structure is important. A good summary tells what is known, what is uncertain and where the evidence is weak.
Data-to-Story Summaries
Spreadsheets, surveys, public data, and reports often need interpretation. It is easy for analysts to make the numbers the message. My view is that the numbers and statistics are like a foreign language that needs to be translated into everyday English. There is also a temptation to make the data say more than it really does. The goal is to explain what it supports, what it does not and why that is important.
Draft Review and Editorial Repair
Articles, reports, white papers, and essays can have excellent writing but poor structure. I look at the argument, the evidence, the order of ideas, and the way they flow from one to the next. That is structure. The goal is not to make the piece sound professional or scientific. The goal is to make it clear.
Starting a Project
Send me a note about the problem you are having, how I can help, and what you need in the end. I’ll need to know your goals, who the reader or audience is, and when you need it. I’ll suggest a practical way to present it. That might be a short review, a research brief, a cleaned-up draft, or a larger project broken into stages. Every project is unique, and I would rather define it clearly at the beginning than force it into a standardized process.
Why Work With Me
I have an unusual combination of business ownership, statistical skills, teaching experience, research ability, and writing talent. I have spent years moving between data, writing, applied business problems, and teaching statistics and business analytics in classrooms.
That matters because research and writing projects often fail to translate objective data into real-world explanations. The data person may understand the numbers but not the subjective effect on human beings. The writer may know how to make the prose move, but not the science of testing the claim. The subject-matter expert may know the issue but not how to explain it to non-experts.
I am in my element when facts need to be understood, arguments need to be tested, and the final explanation has to make sense to a reader.
Examples of Projects That Fit
- A short research brief on a labor market, education, retirement, or economic trend.
- A plain-English explanation of what a spreadsheet, survey, or public dataset appears to show.
- A review of a draft article or report that has good material but needs a clearer argument.
- A background memo for someone preparing an article, presentation, proposal, or report.
- A rewrite of complicated material so an intelligent non-specialist can understand it.
Contact
Send me a short note describing what you are working on.
I will tell you whether it sounds like a good fit and suggest a practical first step.