Elysia Guzik
Helping you tell compelling stories and find out more about the world.Research Support, Stylistic and Copy Editing, Manuscript Preparation
About
Hello! I’m Elysia. I help people tell compelling stories and find out more about the world. I’ve worked in corporate settings, academia, and freelancing with startup and consulting clients. Trained as an anthropologist and librarian, I love to observe how every (work)place has its own values, customs, and ways of documenting life. I pay attention to even the smallest details, noticing each “tree in the forest.” I put this into practice in my research work – supporting clients through compiling sources, doing environmental and jurisdictional scans, designing interview guides, analyzing qualitative data, and transcribing interviews. I also do this through editing and indexing – adding polish and precision to clients’ writing, and finding points of connection across topics, themes, and narratives.I have written and edited journal articles, a dissertation, book chapters and manuscripts, and web content. I enjoy collaborating across disciplines, as we can all learn from each other. (I also like to bake cookies and granola, so if there’s a way to incorporate that into my work, bring it on!)I'm seeking my next opportunity to support research projects and storytelling. I look forward to hearing your ideas, and possibly helping you bring them out into the world!
Research Support
Research Interviews / Usability Tests
When you want in-depth insights about people’s experiences with a product, service, or subject, research interviews can help. I can support you in designing interview guides, conducting research interviews and usability tests, and analyzing responses. At the beginning of a project, I can also help with reviewing consent forms and developing ethics protocols. Throughout the project, I can support you with project documentation to facilitate learning and knowledge sharing.Literature Review/ Media Scan/ Jurisdictional Scan
Often, before we start a project or define our approach to solve a problem, we need to know what’s been said about the topic and how others have approached similar issues. I can help to summarize what’s been published and explore related media, jurisdictions, and environments to set up the foundation for further research and decision-making.Annotated Resource Lists/ Bibliography
Whether you want advice on where to start or you need to compile sources from diverse places, I can help to create and organize systematic lists of materials that support your work.Transcription
Quality transcription offers a level of detail that you won’t get with your memory or point-form notes alone. Transcripts of research interviews can help reveal deep insights into a person’s experiences and opinions. Throughout the transcription process, I pay attention to technical language, subject-specific terminology, and proper nouns (names of people, places, and organizations) – details that often get missed.
Editing and Writing Support
Stylistic Editing
Have you ever read something and said, “That just doesn’t sound right”? Stylistic (or line-by-line) editing can refine your writing by helping to clarify meaning, smooth out awkward phrasing or transitions, effectively express your points, and make arguments more coherent, while preserving your voice as a writer.Copy Editing
The unsung hero of good writing, copy editing focuses on the mechanical details (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.) to ensure that your writing is consistent.Proofreading
The last step of the editorial process, proofreading checks for any details that may have been missed. This includes errors like typos, accidentally repeated sections, text that has been mistakenly left out, incorrectly sequenced lists, misaligned headings, weird spacing – things you don’t want in your final copy.Indexing
An index is an act of care for your readers. It serves as a map to help readers navigate the text, and find the information they need quickly and efficiently. Once you have a manuscript ready, I can help to create a detailed, organized list of keywords, subjects, and/or names that will connect readers with the information they need.
Writing
Peer-Reviewed Journal ArticlesGuzik, E., Griffin, B., & Hartel, J. (2020). Multimedia approaches to learning the foundations of library and information science. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 61(1), 126–154. doi: 10.3138/jelis.61.1.2018-0003Guzik, E. (2018). Information sharing as embodied practice in a context of conversion to Islam. Library Trends, 66(3), 351–370. doi: 10.1353/lib.2018.0007Hartel, J., Nguyen, A. T., & Guzik, E. (2017). Mindfulness meditation in the classroom. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 58(2), 112–115. doi: 10.3138/jelis.58.2.112Vamanu, I., & Guzik, E. (2015). “Closer to God”: Meanings of reading in recent conversion narratives within Christianity and Islam. Journal of Religious & Theological Information, 14(3-4), 63–78. doi: 10.1080/10477845.2015.1085784Guzik, E. (2013). Representing ourselves in information science research: A methodological essay on autoethnography. Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, 37(4), 267–283. doi: 10.1353/ils.2013.0025Book ChaptersHartel, J., & Guzik, E. (2024). Positive Information Science. In D. Baker & L. Ellis (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Libraries, Librarianship, and Information Science. Elsevier.Guzik, E., & Poston, L. (2020). Da‘wa in North America: The past, the present, and the future. In I. Weismann & J. Malik (Eds.), Culture of Da‘wa: Preaching in the Modern World. University of Utah Press.Sharify-Funk, M., & Guzik, E. (2017). Muslim veiling and the legacy of laïcité in contemporary Quebec. In H. Kaell (Ed.), Everyday Sacred: Religion in Contemporary Quebec (pp. 186–211). Montréal, QC; Kingston, ON: McGill-Queen’s University Press.Edited CollectionDerry, K., & Guzik, E. (2019). A quilted offering: Essays on teaching and learning religion in honour of Michel Desjardins. (Guest Editors’ Foreword to Special Issue: Festschrift for Michel Desjardins.) Religious Studies and Theology, 38(1-2), 1–11. doi: 10.1558/rsth.38720Sharify-Funk, M., & Guzik, E. (2019). Reflections on learning with Michel Desjardins. Religious Studies and Theology, 38(1-2), 172–186. doi: 10.1558/rsth.38711Book ReviewGuzik, E. (2021). Review of The Self as Subject: Autoethnographic Research into Identity, Culture, and Academic Librarianship. Journal of Critical Library and Information Studies, 3(2). doi: 10.24242/jclis.v3i2.119
Contact
Do you have questions about research and editing? Want to work together? Please contact me through this form. I will do my best to reply as soon as possible. Have a lovely day!
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