I just thought I’d share some experiences to any students out there who are writing their theses, proposed theses or assignments and who want to make sure their work is of the highest standard possible.

I’ve been pleased to receive a number of inquiries from students at a couple of the local universities in Brisbane during recent months. These students are wise to approach a professional editor, someone who can review their work for proofreading changes they wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. Regardless of the nature of the inquiry, one thing has been a common denominator in the majority of instances: I haven’t been given enough notice to complete the job properly!

If you’re a student, passionate about your field of research, motivated to achieve great things in the field of knowledge, or perhaps simply wanting to do a task to the best of your ability, wouldn’t you want to make sure your editor can complete a thorough edit in time for your submission? Because there is one thing you should know about a professional edit: it takes time. A proofreader will look at every word on the page to see whether it is appropriate, whether spelling, grammar or punctuation needs any attention and whether the meaning is clear.

In one case, due to time constraints, I was only able to look at the priority chapters in a thesis proposal. The student was delighted with my work, but this was disappointing to me, to see only a portion of the work properly edited. In another case, financial constraint was a factor. But the same thing applies to money as it does to time. If you want a quality edit, it will cost time and money. Your research is worth it. And bear in mind that your university may be able to assist you in funding for a professional proofread.

Wishing you good luck with your research,

Richard