Journal papers and theses

Editing a complex journal article or a long thesis is a great challenge. If you’ve sent me an enquiry, I’ll have likely directed you to this page so that you can learn more and make an informed decision. I go into some detail so that you understand the process and costs, and we can work together with clear expectations.

Journal papers

It doesn’t matter what your subject is. I read and edit for sense, rather than with an in-depth knowledge of your field. Indeed, a generalist editor like me provides a fresh set of unbiased eyes to your writing.

As explained on the services page, there’s no simple answer to how much a project will cost. It’s a balance of complexity against word count. However, below are some fairly standard journal paper cost estimates (excluding GST). I can often turn short journal articles around fairly quickly (it all depends on my hard deadlines for the day or the week).

  • 4,000 words = around $400

  • 8,000 words = around $700

  • 12,000 words = around $900

My rates page goes into further detail.

Many thanks for your swift response and your great work and help on such short notice.

PhDs and theses

The unavoidable consideration with a thesis is that it’s long, and that means my work takes time. If your thesis is 70,000 words, a thorough copyedit will take a full week. And as above, there is no simple answer to how much a project will cost.

However, the first thing candidates ask for is a quote. Below are some fairly standard thesis cost estimates (excluding GST). Every piece of work is different, and I can only provide a firm quote on seeing your work.

  • 40,000 words = $1400 to $1800

  • 70,000 words = $2400 to $2800

  • 100,000 words = $3300 to $3800

My rates page goes into further detail.

The second thing candidates ask is when I can do the work. Depending on what else is booked, a likely turnaround is 12 to 15 working days (i.e. 2 to 3 weeks) from the time you hand your work to me. And a likely lead time is 4 to 5 weeks (i.e. it might be 4 weeks until I’m available). The more notice you provide, the better I can manage my calendar, so get in touch as soon as you can.

It’s not easy to edit a complex manuscript of 100,000 words while maintaining a high level of consistency throughout. Adam managed to do this, on budget and on time. I learnt a lot from Adam that can only stand me in good stead as an academic.

Copyediting and proofreading tasks

I have yet to work on a paper or thesis that hasn’t had many hundreds or thousands of minor details that need attention. If you’re wondering how that could be, read the Australian Government Style Manual. Many of these changes you might not even notice, except that your work suddenly looks better. Consistent content then creates trust for your readers, often subconsciously. It also lightens their cognitive load, and they can understand your work more easily. Tasks might include:

  • Line by line copyediting with tracked changes

  • Consistent capitalisation in headings, tables and terminology

  • Consistent treatment of numbers

  • List punctuation and parallel structure

  • Common grammar problems with difficult punctuation like semicolons and dashes

  • Consistent spelling and hyphenation according to an agreed dictionary

  • Advice on citations and references (more on those below)

  • Feedback on language and tone, with comments if there are problems

  • Comments on idiomatic style (i.e. style that might be characteristic of you but which could be edited)

  • Consistent formatting where required

  • Auto tables of contents for sections, lists, figures and tables where required

  • Comments on any problems

Guidelines for editing theses

As an accredited editor, I follow the Institute of Professional Editors guidelines for editing research theses. It’s useful reading for candidates.

Input on a thesis is conventionally restricted to copyediting and proofreading. That is, an editor shouldn’t make improvements to the substance and structure of your independent research. I can comment on potential problems, but fixing these (if needed) is always up to you. Students have final responsibility for the integrity of their thesis, including meeting all of their university’s requirements and guidelines.

It’s important that I work on your ‘final draft’ manuscript, and not chapter by chapter. It’s easier and safer to apply consistency to an entire document rather than piece by piece.

All non-trivial copyediting and proofing is done with tracked changes, and it’s up to the candidate to accept (or reject) any changes. This preserves the independence of your work. It also means that the copyediting process makes some review work for you – factor this into your time frames.

Working in tracked changes can hide mistakes (e.g. extra spaces or orphan letters that are hard to spot when a document is in review). These are often solved by a thorough spellcheck once all tracked changes have been removed. Again, candidates should add this task to their workflow.

Another task candidates should consider is a final proofread in print by a third party (perhaps a friend or relative). This is because we all process information in context, and once we’re familiar with text it’s harder to spot mistakes (even obvious mistakes). You’re already familiar with your work. After I’ve copyedited it, I’m also familiar with it. See also the disclaimer below. The best solution is to let an independent party look over the final submission.

Citations and references

Accurate citations and references are time-consuming but not difficult, in that all you need to do is follow a good guide in your required style (e.g. author–date, APA, Vancouver, documentary note). While I can do this, it’s not the best use of my expertise (and therefore your budget) – there are usually more difficult problems that I can help with. Find and follow a good referencing guide, and accept that the task takes time. As an example, if you have 200 reference entries and it takes 2 minutes to check all the citations and the entry for each, that’s 400 minutes or nearly 7 hours. The time quickly adds up.

Disclaimer

Despite best efforts, it’s impossible to guarantee that all errors are eliminated in a copyedit. Eliminating all errors is a different procedure – that of proofreading (and even then most publications still have a background error rate). It’s also worth pointing out that after several thousand changes have been made to your content, any remaining errors will stand out. This isn’t an indication that the copyedit has not been thorough, just an acknowledgement that the copyediting process is not foolproof. Getting to publication is a staged procedure.

Next steps

If you’ve read this page and you’re ready to take the next steps, I look forward to working with you. If you want to know more about what it’s like to work with me, read some feedback. There’s also useful information on my rates and terms pages.