You have written, proofread, and edited the majority of your undergraduate and graduate papers. It’s no issue. But now you’re working on the most important document of your academic career: your master’s thesis or doctorate dissertation.
When you realize that editing this flawlessly may be outside the realm of your past academic editing experience or abilities, you get concerned. You groan, holding your head, and ask, “What was I thinking?” The whole issue appears to be so confusing.
When writing a thesis, it’s critical to double-check that it fits the conventional structure and that there are no spelling, grammatical, or punctuation errors, among other things.
However, fleshing out your argument to effectively defend the thesis statement is a more vital aspect. It’s critical to ensure that your thesis is totally perfect and error-free while editing it.
This is where the significance of thesis editing comes into play. It is usually preferable to have someone else proofread your thesis rather than doing it yourself. Now comes the hard part: where do you send your thesis for editing?
To your overworked professor, or to a professional editing and proofreading service about which you’ve only heard reviews? Let’s make it easy for you.
1. Efficiency
Non-interference is a hallmark of excellent thesis editing. This implies that the individual assigned the work is capable of proofreading for mistakes and maintaining technical accuracy. Keep that term in mind. The role of an editor is to maintain (or improve) the quality of your thesis, not to modify it.
As a result, while deciding between a professional and your advisor, you’re also deciding between a person with technical knowledge of academic conventions vs. knowledge of the content area. Each option has its own set of benefits, and this does not imply that one is superior to the other.
Your professor is familiar with the topic you’re writing about and has been working with you and your project since the beginning. This has the obvious benefit of letting your lecturer know exactly what needs to be improved. Your advisor, on the other hand, is too close to the project.
While a professional editing service may not be as familiar with your subject as you are, they are well-versed in the standards and technical accuracy that your thesis requires. But what if the technical aspects of your thesis are influenced by how it is presented?
What happens if you’re paired with a poor editor who returns your paper in a worse state than you sent it? All of these questions will be answered once you’ve done your research on which editing and proofreading service you’ll give this task to.
2. Affordability
This is a much simpler option to make. Examine your financial situation. If you choose a professional service, be sure it fits into and is within your budget. Is it necessary for you to pay out of pocket or can you utilize your stipend?
Is the price quoted for the thesis editing service worth it? Or can you attain the same level of quality on your own/with the aid of others?
If you’re only comparing pricing, your professor is the clear winner. Will they, however, be as effective as a professional? Go through the top 10 online dissertation editing services of 2021 to know in details about the price and affordability of each.
3. Turnaround Period
If you’re a final-year student rapidly drafting a thesis “in partial fulfilment of” your upcoming degree, you’re likely exhausted.
You probably haven’t allotted enough time for yourself to settle down and work methodically, since this will take time.
If you don’t have much time between writing and submitting your thesis, you’ll be limited in who you can hire to edit it. You might send a panicked e-mail to your advisor for assistance, but that’s a risky alternative because your professor is likely preoccupied with assisting their other students.
You’ll be in a problem if you’re the student who put off revising until the last minute.
Thesis editing takes time, and it’s unreasonable to expect a 60,000-word thesis to be edited effectively in a day or two.
But you and your professor are the only ones left. For a professional editor, it’s a piece of cake. A professional will be able to accommodate a quick turnaround and will not charge you more for it. Other providers are more strict in their approach and may charge you more if you have a tight deadline.
If you hire a professional service to write your thesis, they are contractually obligated to provide your work to you within a certain time frame. While legalese is inconvenient, it will work to your advantage.
Conclusion
The days of writing to authors and asking a reprint of their research paper are long gone, since everything you need can be found with a simple Google search. However, this raises a new issue: how to locate credible and relevant information sources and properly incorporate them into your thesis.
It’s easy to get caught up in the trap of providing too much information, which makes the writing less focused. The importance of the thesis cannot be emphasized, since it is the culmination of several years of hard effort.
It is the standard by which examiners will evaluate your work, and it will serve as a lasting record of your accomplishments. Regardless of how helpful your supervisors are, the majority of them will not be involved in writing you.
This is when the assistance of a professional editor is required. When reviewing your work, they may be objective and impartial, assisting you with improving the layout, flow, and structure of your writing.
They’ll give you tips on how to improve the presentation of your work and point out any areas that require further work. They will also not be criticizing or grading your work, so you can be certain that any inconsistencies, errors, or omissions will be rectified well before the final submission.
Editorial services have been more available to the public as communication technology has advanced.
They are subject matter experts who have written and examined a wide range of academic publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, university assignments, dissertations, and PhD thesis. It’s worth looking at a few different services to see what works for you.
If you are still in doubt then you can check out the 10 reasons to hire a professional editor – it will give you clarity.
-Isabell S.