Manuscript Spa's services help prepare academic manuscripts for publication.
These include editing, document and citation formatting, and indexing.

Your scholarship is important. Manuscript Spa will give it the care it deserves.

Contact: jennifer@manuscript-spa.com.

Introduction to Manuscript Spa (video, 1:48):
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=5GijMyVuU3w

Scheduling Notice:
I am currently booked out several months.
My next calendar opening for a new project is August 2026.
Thank you to all of my wonderful clients!

Find a freelance editor: https://www.the-efa.org/hiring/
Find a freelance indexer: https://asindexing.org/find-an-indexer/

Welcome

Welcome to Manuscript Spa

Manuscript Spa provides polishing and care to prepare scholarly books and journal articles for publication. Services include research, editing, proofreading, creating and formatting citations (Bluebook, Chicago, APA, MLA), document formatting, and indexing.

Manuscript Spa's principal, Jennifer Allison, brings more than 20 years of experience as a technical writer and an academic law librarian to this work.

In addition to being thorough, efficient, and intellectually curious, Jennifer provides a deep level of compassion and care in her work with scholars across disciplines. She is especially skilled at supporting authors whose native language is not English.

Manuscript Spa Services

Research

I will look for materials to replace your "cite" footnote text with citations to legal primary and secondary sources and other works across scholarly disciplines.

Formatting

I will format the document according to the standards that you specify. I will also format your citations in adherence to any of these citation systems: Bluebook, Chicago, MLA, APA, OSCALA, and Cambridge University Press Legal Citation Rules.

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Proofreading / Editing

I will carefully review your piece, suggesting change-tracked edits according to the parameters that you specify.

Indexing

I will create a detailed and nuanced index for your book, allowing researchers and librarians to quickly and easily locate relevant content in the work.

How Long Does Editing or Indexing Take?

This is a great (and perfectly reasonable) question! Every project is different, of course.

To get an idea from some of my prior projects, click See Statistics (below).

See Statistics

Rates

As of September 1, 2025, my rate for all new bookings is $70 USD (60 Euros) per hour.

I accept many payment methods: credit cards, checks, Venmo, PayPal, Zelle, and Revolut. I can also accept transfers to a German bank account in Euros.

I am happy to register in a university vendor program if necessary.

Any way you have to pay, I'll do my best to make it work!

I would love to hear about your project and discuss how I might be able to help. Email me at jennifer@manuscript-spa.com.

Testimonials

"What a total privilege it is to work with you!
I have such confidence in your work and you made it so easy for us.
You bring a special set of skills and sensibilities to this work.
We see how hard you worked on this and how much improved our manuscript is because of your care."

- Professor Bridget Crawford, Pace Law School
(Note: Bridget is a Manuscript Spa repeat customer!)

"Jennifer, you are a gift. Thank you so much for your work."
- Dean Franita Tolson, USC Gould School of Law

About Jennifer

Jennifer Allison, J.D., M.L.I.S., LL.M is the principal of Manuscript Spa. Originally from San Diego, California, she has lived for many years in Boston, Massachusetts.

After graduating with her B.A. in English and German from Pacific Lutheran University, Jennifer won a Fulbright award to work in Germany as an English-language teaching assistant at a high school. Following this, she worked for many years as a technical writer in the software industry in Southern California before transitioning to a career in law.

In 2007, Jennifer earned her J.D. from Pepperdine Law School, was admitted to the California Bar, and began working as a law librarian at the Pepperdine Law School Library. She completed her M.L.I.S. at San Jose State University in 2010.

In 2012, Jennifer was hired to work as a librarian for Foreign, Comparative, and International Law (FCIL) at the Harvard Law School Library. In 2017, she took a yearlong leave of absence to teach legal English and U.S. law classes at the University of Würzburg in Germany. She also earned an LL.M., magna cum laude, in German law during that period.

Jennifer left Harvard in 2022 and started Manuscript Spa in 2023. Currently, she is also an adjunct law professor at Penn State Dickinson Law School, where she teaches advanced legal research, and returns regularly to the University of Würzburg to teach U.S. law and legal research classes as a Dozentin.

Funny Story...

I promise I picked the name "Manuscript Spa" for my company BEFORE I read this article:
https://medium.com/slackjaw/spa-treatments-for-your-languishing-manuscript-b7d145ba3707

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Contact Manuscript Spa

Email: jennifer@manuscript-spa.com

In your email, please include information about the nature of your project, what kind of assistance you are seeking, and your deadline. Thank you!