Why do I need an editor?
Even if you are proficient in English, when we write something we usually concentrate on the subject matter - the ideas we are writing about. This causes us to miss errors that would otherwise have been obvious. I myself have my written work checked before publishing it for that very reason. You need an objective eye to look over your work.
Above and beyond that, most universities require that dissertations be edited before they may be submitted.
Above and beyond that, most universities require that dissertations be edited before they may be submitted.
What does editing cost?
I have different fees for academic and commercial texts. I also adjust my fees for "rush jobs". Please contact me for a quote.
How does the process work?
Usually the whole process starts with a request from a client via email. Upon receipt of such an email, I will first check my calendar - my clients are booked on a "first come, first served" basis. I will provide the client with a quote and if the client accepts, I will book a slot in my calendar. The client must then pay a deposit to secure their booking.
The client must supply me with their document immediately or at least on the day agreed upon. For academic texts that include a reference check, the student should supply me with their department's reference guidelines.
I will inform the client once the edit has begun and usually also send an email one day before I expect the initial edit to be completed. The client must then make final payment for the document. NO documents will be returned without full payment.
I will have made comments and suggestions during my initial edit. The client must review these and provide answers to my questions. The client then returns the document to me. Once I receive it, I make changes according to the answers received, finalise the document and return it to the client.
The client must supply me with their document immediately or at least on the day agreed upon. For academic texts that include a reference check, the student should supply me with their department's reference guidelines.
I will inform the client once the edit has begun and usually also send an email one day before I expect the initial edit to be completed. The client must then make final payment for the document. NO documents will be returned without full payment.
I will have made comments and suggestions during my initial edit. The client must review these and provide answers to my questions. The client then returns the document to me. Once I receive it, I make changes according to the answers received, finalise the document and return it to the client.
How long does it take?
There are two main factors that affect the time it will take me to finish editing your work. The biggest factor is the quality of your work - text that requires heavy editing because of profuse errors will obviously take more time. It will also take me a little longer if I am helping other clients at that time. The initial edit will contain comments and suggestions from me to the client. Once the client responds, I usually need one to two days to finalise the document, if the client's additions don't give rise to more issues.
From time to time I do take on last-minute editing jobs that require me to work faster, in which case an extra fee will be applicable. When you request a quote from me, please specify the date of the edit and I should be able to give you an estimated time to completion. Please note that I do not operate over weekends.
From time to time I do take on last-minute editing jobs that require me to work faster, in which case an extra fee will be applicable. When you request a quote from me, please specify the date of the edit and I should be able to give you an estimated time to completion. Please note that I do not operate over weekends.
What does an editor actually do?
A lot of people are confused about editing. It is much more than a simple spell check of your document, though that is of course included.
Editors do primarily fix spelling and grammar as part of their edit. If you think your spell checker is good enough to do this for you, consider the following sentence which has no spelling errors, but does actually contain a BIG error:
"Are you going to vote during the pubic elections?"
A good editor will also check for logic flow and agreement in your document. If you start a section by listing 5 factors, but only end up giving a definition for 4 of them, your editor will spot this and let you know. If it's a more fictional work, your editor should check that your character doesn't start out with brown hair in chapter one and end up with red hair by chapter eleven, for instance.
I do like to check for style issues during my edit. For instance, does the format of your level 1 heading match up throughout the document? Do your level 1 and level 2 headings actually differ from each other? A lot of supervisors can tell you that it makes it easier to read a thesis when the headings are clearly marked and they can easily identify a new section. Remember that you want your markers in a good mood when they are grading your thesis!
As part of my services for academic texts, I can also help clients to include page numbers and different section headers / footers, as well as using MSWord to compile an automatic Table of Contents.
Editors do primarily fix spelling and grammar as part of their edit. If you think your spell checker is good enough to do this for you, consider the following sentence which has no spelling errors, but does actually contain a BIG error:
"Are you going to vote during the pubic elections?"
A good editor will also check for logic flow and agreement in your document. If you start a section by listing 5 factors, but only end up giving a definition for 4 of them, your editor will spot this and let you know. If it's a more fictional work, your editor should check that your character doesn't start out with brown hair in chapter one and end up with red hair by chapter eleven, for instance.
I do like to check for style issues during my edit. For instance, does the format of your level 1 heading match up throughout the document? Do your level 1 and level 2 headings actually differ from each other? A lot of supervisors can tell you that it makes it easier to read a thesis when the headings are clearly marked and they can easily identify a new section. Remember that you want your markers in a good mood when they are grading your thesis!
As part of my services for academic texts, I can also help clients to include page numbers and different section headers / footers, as well as using MSWord to compile an automatic Table of Contents.
Services I do not offer
I do not do plagiarism checks as part of my edit. The client accepts responsibility for the originality of their own work.
At present I also do not do translations of any kind and I do not edit text in any other language besides English.
Unfortunately I can also not edit any legal or medical documents.
At present I also do not do translations of any kind and I do not edit text in any other language besides English.
Unfortunately I can also not edit any legal or medical documents.