When I was a student, a very long time ago, I had not heard of anyone working with an editor to complete their proposal, thesis, or dissertation. These days, however, it is almost standard practice! So one may ask oneself: What has changed, and why is there a need? In South Africa, at least, it seems that this change was precipitated by the ever-increasing numbers of postgraduate students whose first language is not English and who may not have been taught in English. These students’ research capabilities and scholarly contributions could be overshadowed by their struggles to communicate effectively in a second or even third language. In came language editing—this is what it was called when I was an academic a few years back. The goal of this intervention was to ensure only that the English was ‘done correctly’ to allow examiners to effectively assess the merit of the research itself and not be distracted by poor language use.
Currently, the editor’s role in finalising a thesis or dissertation often extends far beyond simply correcting the English and contributes to ensuring that the document is clear, professional, adheres to academic standards, and is of overall good quality. But the ethics of the practice needs to be carefully considered. The editor’s contribution to the finalised text should be limited to the extent that the thesis or dissertation remains the student’s original work, academic integrity is maintained, and there is a fair basis for evaluation. This preserves the educational purpose of the assignment, upholds ethical standards, and ensures that the student’s true capabilities and efforts are accurately represented and assessed. So what does that mean in practice: what should and shouldn’t editors do? South Africa’s Professional Editor’s Guild’s Copy-editing academic texts: Guidelines for students and authors[1] specifies that ‘academic copy editors may only copy-edit and proofread.’ Copy-editing is defined as interventions that ensure ‘consistency, accuracy, and completeness’, while proofreading involves ‘examining material after layout to correct obvious errors in textual and visual elements.’ What the editor may not do is a little more clearly defined: a copy-editor should not add corrections to the content, substance, or structure of the manuscript, check facts, reference others’ work, address plagiarism, shorten or rewrite the text, or conduct research on behalf of the student; they may, however, include comments to bring potential problems to the student’s attention. The ethics of editing examinable texts is a contentious issue and I have strong opinions, but that is a debate for another day.
Ethics aside, you, as a student must manage expectations when engaging the services of an editor for your proposal, thesis, or dissertation. Be clear on what you want the editor to do. Most students ask for their manuscript to be proofread when, in reality, it needs a copy-edit. Also, do you want the manuscript formatted, referencing and citation style checked, or correspondence between the reference list and the citations confirmed? Editors vary in which services they offer, and how they charge for them. Copy-editing and proofreading are considered basic services all editors offer, but some may be unwilling to format or work with references. Others may charge an extra fee for those services. By clearly communicating your needs, you can ensure that the editor’s work aligns with your expectations and that the quality of your final product is enhanced.
You also need to factor in the time taken to execute these services, a basic copy-edit can be done far more quickly than if formatting and reference checking is included. Time is always in short supply in the lead-up to submission, but being unrealistic and not giving your editor enough time to complete the edit will only diminish the quality of your final product. Having said that, a professional editor should tell you if they cannot provide the necessary standard of work within your stipulated timeframe. Be aware that some editors also charge a premium for ‘rush jobs’. Managing your time effectively and giving your editor enough time to work will ensure the best possible outcome for your manuscript.
Editing is an often unexpected (and sizeable) cost; if you go the route of engaging the services of an editor for your thesis, take the time to ensure that you are on the same page regarding what they are doing for you. Remember, the editor’s work is valuable and contributes significantly to the quality and readability of your manuscript.
[1] Released in August 2023.
