Hiring an Editor to Help You with Your Undergraduate Thesis

Once your undergraduate thesis is complete, it would be wise of you to have it edited by an English writing expert. Many of these individuals are found at writing companies, while some work privately for students on a project-measured, or hourly basis.

So where do you start if you decide to go this route? Where do you find a good editor? More importantly, how do you find one that is priced well, while still retaining an acceptable measure of quality?

Getting prepared

Before you contact an editor, you should get some pertinent information ready. These are questions editors are likely to ask, so keep the following details at hand so as to save time when conversing with one:

• How many words/pages do you need edited? Most editors will either work out an hourly rate according to this info, or they will give you a fixed rate to do everything. Make sure their fixed price includes revisions in case you are not satisfied with the final outcome.


• What type of editing work do you want done? Is it spelling, proofreading, format change, fact finding... or all of the above? Be clear about what you expect from the editor.


• Keep a budget in mind. You can communicate this budget to the editor so that a consensus can be quickly reached. If his or her figure is too high, don’t be too shy to negotiate them down to your estimate.

Where to start looking

There are many places you can find freelance editors or academic writing companies. The internet would be a good place to start. Just watch out for dodgy companies. Choose someone who has a visible reputation for being efficient. Check out companies on academic writing company forums before simply trusting them.

Private editors can also be found on freelance writing sites. Again, be sure you are picking someone who has experience in this field and isn’t just using you for practice.

Finding a good balance of monetary value

Again, keep a budget in mind. While you should be willing to compromise on your budget if you find a good editor or editing company, don’t go too over what you were willing to spend. Remember though that a budget that is too low may attract the wrong type of person. Try to be reasonable and find out on forums and from people you know what the going rate is for a decent editing service.