Theses and dissertations
Writing an academic paper in the humanities or social sciences and would like a second look?
I offer proofreading of theses and dissertations, as well as of academic papers for submission. This service includes checks of the following:
- Spelling
- Grammar
- Punctuation
- Unclear word choice
- Consistency
- Querying overly long sentences
You will require a confirmation email from your supervisor that proofreading is allowed, and it is your responsibility to provide me with the full university guidelines and writing and citation styles expected by your department.
Document formatting and reference formatting can also be included as additional services to thesis proofreading. They are charged separately, as they require a different type of attention.
Document formatting is a global task and can include the application of styles, fonts, line spacing, and any other text formatting features that may be requested by your university’s style guide.
Reference formatting is about ensuring that your reference list conforms to the reference style guide you are meant to follow. This could be APA, Chicago, MLA, Harvard, or another established or university-created guide. While a published book may be flexible in its formatting style, graded university work can be quite strict in its expectations.
When it comes to proofreading dissertations, there are also certain restrictions. The proofreader:
- Cannot fact-check. This is your responsibility as the student.
- Cannot comment on your arguments or restructure them.
- Cannot rephrase your ideas.
- Will not check for plagiarism (but may highlight it if spotted).
Generally, a PhD thesis will take 3–4 weeks to be proofread. Shorter papers will vary according to exact length and complexity of the text.
It is important to keep in mind that quotes for theses and dissertations are issued based on the word count and the complexity of the text. If you submit a non-representative sample for the formation of the quote, the final quote and schedule might change.