The sub-title of this post should be: “How to make the most cost-effective use of a professional author’s editor”.
I occasionally get queries from graduate students looking for editing assistance with their dissertations. My response is often as follows:
The cost of an editorial review is dependent on several factors: the level of editing necessary, the length of the manuscript, and the turnaround time required. I should also mention that I require written confirmation from your supervisor that they are aware of and agree with your use of editorial support for your thesis before I can even begin.
Generally, I will only proofread and copyedit theses. If your supervisor agrees, additional feedback can be provided, such as structural and logic commentary, but I do not offer rewriting services to thesis clients.
Regarding costs, most professional editors estimate based on word count not page count. Therefore, x# of pages (of 250 words/page) would cost around $$ to $$$ plus GST, depending on the hourly rate of the editor. Don’t be dissuaded by a specific hourly rate - often a more expensive editor will be faster and catch more errors than a less expensive (and often less experienced) editor. An alternative billing option is to set a fixed budget and we would work together to get the biggest improvement for your investment. I can give you a better estimate of costs if you provide me with some sample pages to determine the intensity of editing required.
A good proportion of the queries are spooked by either the cost and/or the fact that I require that their supervisor be informed about the process. Why do I require their supervisor’s consent? As a member of the Editors’ Association of Canada, I follow the standards of ethical conduct established for editing academic theses. Following these standards ensures that the student’s work remains largely their own.
According to surveys of editors across Canada, editorial services can range from $30 to $90 per hour. The range can be geographically dependent, but is often directly linked to the skill and knowledge of the service provider. Technical editing rates in specialized scientific fields can be even higher. Some editors offer discounts for academic clients, but the most effective things that students can do to control costs include:
1. Use your word processor’s spell checker and grammar checker – apply what makes sense and ignore what doesn’t. Microsoft’s grammar checker is notorious for missing grammatical mistakes or offering error-riddled suggestions.
2. Use your word processor’s find and replace functions to:
- remove all double spaces after periods;
- make sure that specialized terms are spelled correctly throughout the document and make a list of approved spellings of special terms (your own dictionary, which will make your life easier in the future); and
- get rid of contractions in formal documents (search for the apostrophes).
3. Read your document carefully. Use a few different techniques to slow yourself down and increase your rate of catching errors:
- Read out loud – to yourself or to someone else. If it sounds funny – it probably has some type of error.
- Read it backwards – go through the document line by line from the bottom to the top. This helps you pay attention to each sentence individually.
4. Cross check all your figures and tables with references in the document, including your table of contents and the figures themselves. After many iterations, errors tend to creep into drafts and what you may refer to in the body of the document as figure 4, has now become figure 6. Checking the legends of figures and tables is essential to make sure that the conclusions in the legend are complementary (not contradictory!!) to the narrative.
Taking these steps should smooth out the draft and make it easier for a professional author’s editor to catch the remaining problems still in the document.
