You and Your Doctoral or Thesis Writing Team: Part 20

Expectations


I think often students are hoping for a content edit when they are paying for a copy edit. Often a student needs a content edit, but only wants a copy edit. So even if you are not writing under ideal circumstances, know yourself and know the process. Know what you should be doing, know who is in the chain of faculty help, know what kind of help you need from an editor, and be prepared to pay for good editing.

What could be less than perfect circumstances?

  1. When one chooses a topic, one would expect the process of discovery to be simple. Not so. This is normal, but if in any way you find it problematic, get help.
  2. One chooses your academic advisors expecting perfect help. Unlikely.
  3. If you are not a great writer, acknowledge that, and find and pay for a good academic editor.


Don’t confuse the two types of editing and don’t expect to get a content edit if paying for a copy edit. But if you are a knowledgeable student who does your share of the work, this is unlikely to happen. And if you need a content edit for part or all of your work, be wise enough to know that and get help. Faculty would be your first option and if that is not available, find a good content editor fast.