I had the pleasure of working with Elizabeth for several months while completing my book manuscript, which is now under contract with Stanford University Press. She has an exceptional ear for prose rhythm and a keen sensitivity to nuances of vocabulary, which greatly enhanced the stylistic quality of my writing. Without ever being imposing, her suggestions often encouraged me to rethink and reorganize passages rhetorically—something that is notoriously difficult for authors to recognize in their own work after long immersion in their argument. The developmental editing she provided was, I believe, a key reason why the peer reviewers of my book highlighted its readability, clarity, and engaging tone. I would wholeheartedly recommend Elizabeth’s editorial services to anyone seeking to refine a manuscript and present it in its best possible linguistic and rhetorical form.
—Dr. E.F., Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin, University of Regensburg
“It was an absolute pleasure to work with Elizabeth. Her feedback was constructive, intelligent, and elegant. She was able to give insightful feedback on all aspects of my writing from organization and structure to word choice and styling. She helped me clarify complex theoretical arguments while leaving plenty of room to allow my own voice to shine through. Her suggestions are specific and her editing is precise, and I feel far more confident sharing my work after it has passed through her hands.”
—D.M., Associate Professor, Tufts University
"Elizabeth did a fabulous job on my book manuscript last year (forthcoming with Harvard University Press in 2026). As a non-native speaker, I found her copy-editing work extremely helpful, and she also gave me some developmental editing advice which really helped me improve the manuscript. She also took the time to see me after she was done reading my work for a briefing, so all of her comments were crystal clear. I will definitely use her services again and I highly recommend her!"
Dr. Mélanie Lamotte, Assistant Professor, Duke University
“For the past several years Elizabeth has been copy-editing and proofreading full issues of Subtropics, the literary journal that I edit here at the University of Florida. It’s been a great pleasure to work with her, both for me and the authors who have contributed stories and poems to the journal. As one of them recently wrote to me: ‘I’m very glad of Elizabeth Brogden’s attention…That was a lovely, light copy-editing process.’ I cannot recommend Elizabeth highly enough!”
—David Leavitt, Professor of English, University of Florida
“I was very thankful for Elizabeth’s perceptive and candid response to a working draft of my hybrid manuscript. We became friends when she lived in Berlin and our shared experiences of cultural vertigo made her an especially sensitive reader of my work. More largely, Elizabeth has an unerring flair for the right words in the right order, and I would happily entrust her with anything I write.”
—S. Gore, Poet and Writer (Germany)
“Elizabeth is the first developmental editor I ever worked with. Since then, she has edited several drafts of my in-progress articles. In writing, I often struggle to organize my thoughts, but Elizabeth's thorough editing and insightful comments helped me hone in on the main point and determine which sections need to be rearranged. I highly recommend Elizabeth's editing services!”
P., Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University
“I am a PhD candidate in art history and decided to ask Elizabeth to read through my dissertation manuscript. She has impressive academic credentials and is equally a beautiful and thoughtful writer for a general audience, so I decided to take the plunge and thought she would be an ideal first reader. It can be difficult to share written work with others after working so long on a single project and I am extremely grateful for such a generous and attentive reader in Elizabeth. Her copyediting and developmental editing suggestions were invaluable and gave me the confidence I needed to share my draft with my advisors. Her editing services were worth every penny and I look forward to working with her again in the future.”
—M. V., Doctoral Candidate, Harvard University (USA)
“Elizabeth played an essential role in developing my manuscript. She asked big questions and noted small thoughts that helped me grow my story and its characters. Without her, my novel would not be what it is today, and I would certainly not be ready to start querying agents. After she offered input on my query letter, I now feel comfortable submitting my debut novel for consideration.”
—Anna Olivia, Barnard College senior (Denmark)
“As a personal editor for the Effective Writing in Health Care program at Harvard Medical School, Elizabeth has provided excellent feedback to her students. Her insight is sharp, and her recommendations for revision are constructive and meaningful. Under her guidance, students become more confident, more effective writers.”
—Former Co-Director of EWHC, Harvard Medical School (USA)
“It has been a true pleasure to work with Elizabeth. She provides high quality work, assists you with detailed advice and in-depth feedback, and, also very importantly, she works punctually. In short, I would highly recommend Go Lightly!"
-Dr. Zoë G., University of Ghent (Belgium)
“I reached out to Elizabeth for help with trimming a journal article by about 2,000 words and for line edits. I am a PhD student, and new to the expectations of journal article submissions. Elizabeth was professional, kind, and supportive. She gave me clear guidance on the trajectory of my argument (and what could be cut) and her annotations helped to clarify my prose and highlight my claims. I highly recommend Elizabeth and I shall certainly be using her editing services again.”
—Rebecca, Ph.D. candidate, University of British Columbia (Canada)
“As a Ph.D. Candidate in history and education at Columbia University, I sought Elizabeth’s assistance with editing my dissertation. From our first meeting and sample edit, I could tell she was professional, attentive, and meticulous. She asked me about my needs and worked with me to provide the edits that I was looking for. Working with Elizabeth, it was clear that she carefully read my work before thoughtfully providing her copy edits. Whenever she had questions, she reached out for clarity and it was always a pleasure to communicate with her. I highly recommend Elizabeth’s services for anyone looking for a pleasant, thoughtful, and adept copy editor and I look forward to working with her on future projects.”
—Alexa, PhD candidate, Columbia University (USA)
“Elizabeth edited my journal article on short notice. She manages to balance efficiency and high quality in her work. Her rewriting of my ambiguous sentences substantially clarify my points of argument, and I am looking forward to working with her again in the future.”
—Rui Sun, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
“Elizabeth copy edited my book manuscript. She paid close attention to my grammar, word choice, punctuation, and citations. She was very efficient, responsive, and generous. Working with Elizabeth was a great pleasure! I highly recommend Elizabeth. And I look forward to working with her again!”
—Y. Tan, Assistant Professor (USA)
“After years of contemplating my project, I am underway, and with Elizabeth’s guidance and encouragement will reach completion. She reads each of my drafts with keen attention, and her comments and suggestions have opened my eyes to new ways of framing and organizing my story and invited me to broaden and deepen my reflection and my writing. Her fresh perspectives make honing and polishing my drafts a joy. Her love for compelling story-telling – regardless of subject matter – make her an ideal resource for any writer.”
—Susan B., Memoirist (USA)
“Elizabeth edited my recent Forbes series on municipal bond disclosure. Her edits helped clarify and focus, as well as highlight some lazy writing traps I tend to fall back on. Both the article and my writing were improved because of her edits.”
—Barnet Sherman, Writer and Investment Advisor (USA)
“As a literary scholar and non-native English speaker who only occasionally writes in this language, I very much appreciated the patience Elizabeth had with someone who knows precisely what she wants to say but does not entirely possess the means to do so. And, since I am one of those terrible people who never finish before the very day of the deadline, I am particularly grateful that she made it possible to work together in spite of that and proved to be absolutely reliable.”
—Sandra, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Oldenburg (Germany)
“I’m a PhD candidate in the social sciences at Harvard, and Go Lightly has been instrumental in helping me to win several competitive research grants. What makes Elizabeth such an effective editor is not just that she’s a brilliant writer, who finds the perfect wording for every idea; it’s also that she listens to what you are trying to say, and is able to help you put it on paper, elegantly and convincingly. I’d highly recommend Go Lightly for all editorial services, but especially (based on my experience) for any sort of application – whether to an academic program or for competitive funding opportunities.”
—M.S., PhD Candidate, Harvard University (USA)