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Dissertation Editing Fees of 7 Academic Editors

By Hiten Vyas

If you’ve just completed a dissertation as a part of your Master’s degree, or a thesis as a part of your PhD program, well done.

You’re almost there!

Before submitting your dissertation or thesis for assessment, don’t forget to edit and proofread it properly.

By doing this, you develop a perception in the eyes of the assessors that they are about to read a high quality document.

Of course, the content needs to be top-notch. However, having a dissertation that is presented professionally will do wonders in encouraging the assessors to want to hold and read the culmination of your research.

If you’ve got a skill for editing and proofreading, then go ahead and do these on your dissertation.

However, there’s nothing like having a second pair of eyes, preferably the eyes of someone who doesn’t know you and your work, to look over it.

This is where professional academic editors can help.

Of course, such individuals are offering a service for which there will be a charge.

If you’re wondering about dissertation editing fees, then we’ve listed 7 freelance academic editors below and given an idea of how much they charge for editing theses and dissertations.

Do note these rates are indicative, and you will always get a proper quote after you’ve interacted with an editor, and provided him or her with more information about your dissertation and editing needs.

Remember, before you hire a dissertation editor, be sure to double check his or her credentials, and always request a small sample edit of your work before making any commitment. Also, find an editor that has experience in any style guidelines you’re using, and find someone you can connect with who will do the best job possible for your dissertation.

In addition, double check with your faculty or department on any guidance they have on hiring an external editor and whether you’re permitted to do so.

Let’s get onto the 7 academic editors and their rates.

1. Allison Van Deventer

Alison Van Denter has been editing for the past 15 years in various roles, including as an editor for elementary textbooks. An experienced writing instructor and coach, she’s been freelancing since 2015 and is a member of Editorial Freelancers Association . Allison holds a BA in English and French from Stanford University and an MA and PhD in Comparative Literature from UCLA. She has significant experience in working with graduate students on dissertations, theses, journal articles, grant applications, and applications for fellowships.

Based in Boston, Allison offers copyediting for correctness and consistency, stylistic editing for polishing the lines in documents, and developmental editing for the development of concepts and the structure of your work. Take a look at this page for more details on what is included in the three main types of editing Allison offers.

Allison’s dissertation editing rates

Before deciding whether to hire Allison, she can provide you with a sample edit (of 200 words), a quote and a free phone consultation to discuss your project. To give you an idea of her rates, her standard fee is $40 per hour and $35 per hour if you’re a fulltime student. Take a look at her ‘Rates’ page for more information.

2. Susan Murray

Susan Murray specializes in offering copyediting and development editing services to graduate students, academic staff and PhD students ensuring adherence to styles such as MLA, Chicago and APA. An editor of dissertations and theses in humanities, Susan has edited hundreds of academic pieces of work including books, and also transforming dissertations into books. She has an impressive client list including organizations such as Louisiana State University Press, University of Virginia Press, University Press of Kentucky, University Press of Florida, NYU Press, and Fordham University Press, among a number of others.

If you would like to get a free editing quote, you need to send in your dissertation as a Microsoft Word document, and describe the editing services you require, along with other important information such as required style guides (e.g. APA), any guides required by your university, and your deadlines. You also need to provide your name, email address and the University or college you are studying at. After receiving your dissertation and other required information, Susan will send you a quote that will factor in how much work is involved, the page count of your document and the type of editing services you requested. Take a look at this page for further information on the process involved and use this contact form to get a quote from Susan.

Susan’s dissertation editing rates

A holder of a Bachelor’s degree in German from the University of New Hampshire and a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of New Hampshire, Susan’s dissertation editing rates for copyediting are $48 per hour, whatever the editing requirements. In effect, if Susan was to copyedit your dissertation, the bill you receive would be based upon the number of hours she would work on your project. Her fees for development editing of dissertations is $72 per hour; this higher fee reflects the nature of such editing as it looks at the structure of your document and reorganizes it considerably more compared to copyediting.

3. Kathleen Kline

Kathleen Kline has developed specialist skills in academic editing, writing, and teaching over the past 30 years. Owner of Kathleen Kline & Associates, which she started in 1986 and through which she offers academic editing services, she is also Director of The Writing Center at the Wright Institute School of Professional Psychology, which is in Berkeley, California; this organization offers workshops and talks both live in the San Francisco Bay Area and through remote means.

Author of the book entitled Confessions of a Dissertation Editor: Practical Guidance and Real-Life Stories , her editing process starts by reviewing your document and doing a sample edit, spending 1-2 hours doing so. The fee for this sample edit is $150.00. If you decide to hire her for the editing of the whole of your dissertation, this cost would be subsumed within the total editing costs for your project. At this stage, you would also get an idea of Kathleen’s editing work and she would also gain a better idea of how long it would take to edit your whole document. Her fees are based mostly on minutes per page (mmp). After sending you back the sample edit, Kathleen then would send you a proposed contract to consider.

Kathleen’s dissertation editing costs

Her dissertation and thesis standard rates are at $85 per hour. She also has set dissertation fees for Argosy students; these rates are $650 for a dissertation 100 pages long that consists of ensuring your document adheres to APA and of proofreading, and $150 for a 100 page dissertation that requires a light review of a document that doesn’t need any further revisions. Do take a look at this page for more information on the special rates, for further details on Kathleen’s standard rates and also the editing process she uses.

4. Liz Hunter

Based just outside of Edinburgh, Liz Hunter specializes in editing and proofreading theses and academic books in the arts, humanities and social sciences fields. With a Bachelor’s Degree in English Language and Literature from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, she is also a member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders and follows the code of conduct of this organization. She has also been trained in copyediting, on-screen editing and proofreading. Liz is particularly experienced in working with students working on academic documents for whom English is a second language.

Liz’s thesis editing prices

Liz’s rates are usually £10 per thousand words, but the exact amount is dependent on the level of editing you need. The areas Liz can help you out with editing your thesis or dissertation, are checking for spelling, grammar, punctuation, typos and correct use of language. She can also make certain that your citations, footnotes and references have been arranged properly, highlight where you may want to recheck for consistency and also pick out areas of your document that are not clear, and share tips on making improvements. To get a proper estimate of the cost of your project, contact Liz with information on the length of your dissertation, its deadline and a sample from the document.

5. Alison Platt

Alison Platt is a freelance researcher and editor with over two decades worth of experience of conducting, managing and requesting social research and editing research reports and corporate documents. She is also experienced in editing dissertations and theses for students and journal articles for academics. When it comes to editing, Alison is able to offer light editing, which can consist of a small amount of restructuring and redrafting to help improve the clarity of your work and checking of facts and names. She can also do heavy editing which involves significant restructuring and redrafting.

Alison’s dissertation editing fees

Alison’s indicative fees for standard editing (mainly text that is continuous, written in non-technical language and is about a topic that isn’t specialist) are £12 per 1000 words for light editing, and £12 per 1000 words for heavy editing. If your dissertation doesn’t meet requirements for standard editing, then Alison will be able to give a custom quote based upon a sample you provide and the work that would be required to edit it. Do take a look at this page for further information, and contact details and a contact form can be found here .

6. Dr Lisa Lines

Dr Lisa Lines heads up Capstone Editing and in addition to being an author and historian, is a leading academic editor in Australia. With two PhDs (one in History and the other in Creative Writing), Dr Lines’s experience includes the editing of academic documents in their thousands, which also consists of editing in excess of 300 theses. She has an extensive academic background with experience of lecturing across all of the major universities in South Australia. At the University of South Australia she has trained students in Advanced Editing and Publishing and Advanced Technical Writing.

When it comes to editing theses, Dr Lines and her team at Capstone Editing can offer professional copyediting that meets standards for global publication and required guidelines for appropriate style, language and referencing.

Dr Lines’s dissertation editing services fees

Capstone Editing has a useful price calculator available at its website. As of writing this post, using the calculator, the editing cost of a 20,000 words document with a turnaround time of 7 days was priced at $733.50; this price is in Australian Dollars. You can access the calculator here and enter the word count of your thesis to get a quote and further details about exactly what you get in the editing service.

7. Hugh Jackson

Based in Lewes, Hugh Jackson is a professional editor who has edited PhD theses, journal articles and around 200 books, along with other types of varied content of different sizes, ranging from blog posts to large academic books written by multiple academic books. An editor who can edit both in American and British English, Hugh works with clients across the world. His professional background and qualifications are in social science and law, and his academic editing experience has consisted mainly of working with students and academics on theses, research proposals, essays, and journal articles. He is able to work according to any style guidelines. A particular strength of Hugh’s is his ability to check that references and citations have been used correctly.

Hugh’s fees for editing theses and dissertations

Hugh’s approach to charging fees is to charge by the word, rather than charging by the hour and his current rates for copyediting for the first 2000 words is £25 per thousand words, and then £18 per thousand words for the next 3000 words, £15 per thousand words for the subsequent 5000 words, £12 per thousand for the next 20,000 words and then £6 per thousand words for the rest of the words in your document. Do take a look at his ‘Fees’ page for further information.

Are you an academic editor who edits dissertations and theses? Please introduce yourself in the comments box below!

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/hv1.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of Writing Tips Oasis .[/author_info] [/author]

Thesis Editing & Proofreading Services

Our academic editors are true experts with unrivalled experience who will ensure your thesis is of the highest-possible quality and ready for submission.

Your research presented perfectly

Writing a dissertation or thesis is intensely demanding, so it stands to reason that you want only the best editors and proofreaders to touch your work. 

Capstone Editing understands the significant investment your thesis represents and how tremendously important it is to you and your academic and professional future. That is why our thesis editing service is tailored to help you in every way we can.

From the research proposal stage to publication, our professional Master’s, and PhD thesis editors and proofreaders will ensure your research is presented in the best possible light. We help ensure that your thesis meets international publication standards, following all relevant language, style, referencing and formatting guidelines.

We know that the last thing you want is for errors to affect how your thesis is received, and you certainly do not want to be required to complete minor or major corrections after examination, if this can be avoided. That is why our thesis editing service goes above and beyond, to provide you with the highest-quality and most comprehensive master’s and PhD thesis proofreading and editing service available.

Every student, regardless of the quality of his or her writing ability, stands to benefit from our thesis editing service. If you require more information, our  video  explains the advantages of thesis and dissertation editing.

Our thesis and dissertation editors and proofreaders provide service that is not only of the highest quality but it is also affordable and accessible to all students due to our partnership with Payright and Humm . The partnership allows us to offer interest-free repayment plans so financial constraints don’t impede your access to our invaluable dissertation and thesis editing and proofreading services. Just give us a call to find out more!

Our Reputation

We are proud of our reputation as the highest-quality thesis editing service available. Testimonials from our past clients and the examples of our editing we provide here demonstrate the quality of our work.

Editing examples

The following documents provide representative examples of our work for past clients.

• Applied Linguistics APA
• Biochemistry Vancouver
• Medicine Vancouver

Testimonials

I want to thank Capstone Editing for the invaluable assistance they provided in editing my PhD thesis (following the ‘Guidelines for Editing Research Theses’ as per University of Adelaide requirements). The final edited thesis was perfectly expressed and did not contain any typographical or grammatical errors. This was affirmed by my thesis being accepted without corrections, which I believe is rare. I am especially grateful for the care taken to avoid changing any of my ideas in what was a complex work. In reviewing the edits and comments, I felt at all times that my work had been treated with the greatest sensitivity and respect. Capstone Editing proved their editors to be highly skilled, professional and trustworthy. I highly recommend Capstone Editing to postgraduates and academics seeking a professional academic editor.

I would confidently recommend the editorial services of Capstone Editing. They are fast, capable and professional. My editor identified a number of places in which the expression and clarity in the grant were able to be improved. Her careful editing saved me valuable time and identified details I had missed in my own revisions. She was careful to ensure that any changes to the expression didn’t change the meaning, and clearly noted where there may have been ambiguity. In today’s competitive research environment, I honestly believe the services of Capstone Editing represent a very worthwhile investment, and I intend to utilise their services again with future grants.

A good editor may be the difference between a pass or fail, or more positively, a High Distinction or a Distinction. A good editor will not only attend to spelling, grammar, syntax and structure but will also read and understand the point of the assignment and thus recommend changes in accordance with the specific intentions of the work. A good editor is clear and precise. A good editor offers suggestions towards increasing clarity, that is, what you think you are saying may not be what you have said. This is all the job of a good editor. Capstone's editors are among the best. I have never received less than a High Distinction in any subject since using their services.

Dr Lisa Lines was recommended to me by a colleague as an expert editor in her field. It is my pleasure to assert that her editorial services were well worth the investment made. Not only am I grateful for the numerous corrections to errors that I had missed, but I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to learn from her expertise. While I hope to implement some of these skills in the future, I will certainly engage her services again. Her attention to detail, her professionalism and her courteous manner in dealing with my work were greatly appreciated. Dr Lines formatted my thesis in such a way that it is both easy to read and navigate. It was reassuring to have someone trustworthy to help me in the final stages of my PhD. I recommend Capstone Editing to students and academics alike.

Our simple order process provides easy access to professional academic editing. In some cases, your university will provide funding for thesis editing and we can invoice them directly.

Premium Copyediting Service

Our Premium Copyediting service, is suited to PhD students with standard editing requirements. Standard doesn’t mean superficial. Our thesis proofreaders and editors perform an extremely thorough edit of your honours, masters or PhD thesis. This includes:

• Correct grammar, syntax, spelling and punctuation (according to British/Australian or US English conventions)
• Correct use of formal academic English
• Improved logic, clarity and flow, including transitional phrasing
• Complete internal consistency
• Correct and consistent use of abbreviations
• Suggestions on organisation, structure and support of statements
• Querying of errors and inconsistencies in content
• Word count reduction (through eliminating redundancy and unnecessary repetition)
• Complete formatting
• Complete, consistent and accurate referencing.

The Most Comprehensive Thesis Editing Available

Our service includes absolutely everything that your university will allow a professional thesis editor to do for you. In addition to the extremely thorough language edit we have outlined above, your thesis proofreader and editor will also:

Completely format your thesis ready for printing and submission, following your university’s submission guidelines

Create all your preliminary pages (e.g., Title page, Table of Contents, List of Figures, List of Tables and List of Abbreviations), which will be automatic and easy to update

Edit and format your tables and figures for neatness and consistency

Edit and format your appendices for neatness and consistency

Crosscheck your in-text references with your reference list

Provide prompt, professional client support services throughout to cover every aspect of your thesis completion, from pre-booking enquiries to attentive after-care.

Additional thesis proofreading and editing services included in our packages:

• A detailed letter from your thesis editor that explains all the work completed, draws your attention to any important issues, and provides advice on areas of potential improvement for use in future writing
• A style sheet detailing all choices made in terms of hyphenation, capitalisation, spelling and so on, to help you maintain the consistency of your document should you make any further changes.

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Capstone Editing is proud to be the only editing service in Australia to offer an after-pay service to our clients. Access top-quality editing when you need it, and pay for it over time in manageable instalments.

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Pay for the course in equal monthly instalments over a period of 6, 12, 18 or 24 months.

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Don’t wait! Submit your document for editing now and pay later with a flexible payment plan that suits your individual needs.

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Capstone Editing has chosen to partner with Payright (Devizo Pty Ltd ABN 24 605 753 535) and Humm (Certegy Ezi-Pay Pty Ltd ABN 28 129 228 986) because they are Australian businesses that practise responsible lending.

Platinum (Heavy) Copyediting Service

Our Platinum (Heavy) Copyediting service, also known as Heavy Copyediting, includes everything provided by our Premium Copyediting service but also allows your specialist thesis editor to spend double the amount of time improving and correcting your stye of dissertation writing. It’s best for students who need their thesis proofreaders and editors to go over their work with a magnifying glass and provide clearer and more detailed corrections and explanations.

It is invaluable if one or more of the following applies to your dissertation and thesis writing:

• Your thesis contains a higher than average number of errors
• English is your second language
• You would like additional assistance with complex referencing or formatting
• You require significant word reduction
• Your thesis requires extra work to ensure logic, clarity and flow, including transitional phrasing
• You need some assistance with rewording, organisation and structure (though not to the extent of Substantive Editing)
• You would like your editor to spend additional time on any aspect of the editing.

Dissertation and Thesis Editing Services

You’ve just completed a dissertation for your PhD or a thesis for your master’s—congratulations! But just as you finally let yourself relax and enjoy the fact that you’re done, you remember that you will need to edit this text before you submit it. It might even require multiple rounds of editing. You need to make sure your arguments are well structured and your conclusions are clear, that you’ve expressed yourself clearly and concisely, that there are no typos or spelling mistakes, and that the grammar is correct throughout your work. So, no rest for you; you have to get right back on that horse and keep working on your dissertation or thesis. After all, that’s the only thing you can do to ensure that small mistakes don’t bring down the quality of your work or negatively affect your degree. Or is it?

Actually, you don’t need to do all this yourself! You’ve done the hard part, so let someone else take care of the editing. At Capstone Editing, we offer thesis editing services and dissertation editing to a high standard for all academic disciplines and fields. We can ensure that the crowning glory of your degree is edited to an extremely high standard so that you can submit a thesis or dissertation you can be proud of.

The Benefits of Professional Dissertation Editing

You might think that editing and proofreading are just part of what goes into writing a thesis or dissertation and that you could do it just as well yourself. While it might be true that many students do go down this route, it’s far from the easiest or best one. There are many benefits to hiring a professional editor for your dissertation or thesis editing :

• Get a second pair of eyes - We all know that after a while, we become blind to the mistakes in our own text and will miss important typos or grammatical issues.
• Ensure your arguments are strong - An academic journal editor will be able to look over the structure of your arguments and your conclusions to ensure you’ve expressed yourself in the best and clearest way possible.
• Save time - Editing and proofreading is a time-consuming process, so handing it over to someone else will save you a lot of time and give you some well-deserved time off.
• Avoid stress and emotional fatigue - Academic life can be extremely stressful, so avoid burnout and the stress of submitting your dissertation or thesis on time; let someone else do the thesis editing and relax for a while.
• Employ expertise - Most of us don’t receive a lot of training on writing or editing during our degrees, which means many students are unprepared for the demands of academic writing, and an editor can bring useful expertise and help you ensure your thesis or dissertation is the best work it can be.

Choose Capstone Editing for Thesis & PHD Proofreading Services

If you’re looking for superior PHD proofreading and thesis proofreading services in Australia, Capstone Editing should be your number one choice. Our team of highly trained and experienced paper editors with academic backgrounds offers a range of editing and proofreading services , from substantive and heavy edits to English copy editing and proofreading. No matter what stage you’re at in the editing process or what academic field your dissertation or thesis is in, we can help you. We have an On-time Guarantee, and document formatting service is included in our editing services , which means yet another thing off your to-do list. Submit your document on the website or contact us for a quotation.

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Clients who recommend our services to others can take advantage of our Referral Program. It is our way of thanking you for sharing your experience with Capstone Editing.

After working with us, you are so happy that you recommend our service to others.

Your friend mentions your name when submitting his or her thesis for editing.

As a thank you, you receive A$50 into your bank account and your friend receives A$20.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the steps to write a thesis statement.

A thesis statement outlines your main argument. An effective thesis statement will be clear, specific, focused and concise. It will focus the reader’s attention on your topic and clearly outline your perspective. The steps to write a thesis statement include restating the research question in your own words, adopting a position (argument), listing the main reasons for adopting that position (which you will discuss in your essay) and combining all this information into a single sentence (or several sentences for a longer research paper with a more complex topic).

What does a thesis editor do?

A thesis editor improves the quality of a thesis by increasing the language quality to ensure that ideas and arguments are presented clearly, correcting any mistakes and ensuring adherence to all academic writing, formatting and referencing conventions. A thesis editor will ensure correct grammar, syntax, spelling and punctuation; correct use of formal academic English; complete internal consistency; correct and consistent use of abbreviations; and improving logic, clarity and flow, structure and organisation of ideas. Additionally, a thesis editor will completely format a thesis ready for printing and submission, following university submission guidelines; create all preliminary pages (e.g., Title page, Table of Contents, List of Figures, List of Tables and List of Abbreviations), which will be automatic and easy to update; edit and format tables and figures for neatness and consistency; edit and format appendices for neatness and consistency; and crosscheck in-text references with the reference list. A thesis editor will do everything they can, as permitted by university guidelines (which, in Australia, are the nationally endorsed ‘Guidelines for Editing Research Theses’), to ensure that a thesis is ready for submission and the research is presented in the best possible light. A thesis editor will not make substantial changes to structure and content.

How do you edit a thesis paper?

You edit a thesis paper by completing the first (and second and third) round of editing yourself before acquiring the services of a third-party editor, either a colleague or a professional editor. When you edit your own thesis paper, you must ensure that all the important information is included in the correct order, according to your thesis plan, and that there are no major errors or inconsistencies. You must also check that all formatting and referencing are consistent and correct. A professional editor will be useful because you will be very close to your own work, particularly in the final stages of preparing your thesis paper; therefore, you may miss errors in content and style. However, an academic editor will be able to read and edit your thesis paper with fresh eyes and, thus, catch any errors you may have missed.

How do I write a thesis statement?

To write a thesis statement for an essay, you must first state your topic in your own words, being as specific and concise as possible. Then, you must state your main idea or opinion about the topic and provide the key evidence you are drawing on to support your opinion. This must all be done within a single sentence (or several sentences for a longer essay with a more complex topic). An effective thesis statement outlines your main argument; is clear, specific, focused and concise; and focuses the reader’s attention on your topic by clearly outlining your perspective on the topic.

What should go in a thesis statement?

A clear statement of the topic, your main opinion regarding the topic and the key evidence you will put forward to support this opinion should go in a thesis statement. An effective thesis statement outlines your main argument; is clear, specific, focused and concise; and focuses the reader’s attention on your topic by clearly outlining your perspective on the topic. A thesis statement would normally contain all these things in one sentence, but it may require several sentences if you are writing a longer and more complex essay or thesis.

What is a thesis statement in an essay?

A thesis statement in an essay outlines your main argument and focuses the reader’s attention by clearly outlining your perspective on the topic. It will provide the topic and some general context for it, your main perspective or opinion on the topic and the key evidence you have gathered to support this opinion. Further, a thesis statement will provide an outline for the ideas presented in the rest of your essay. A strong thesis statement gives direction to the essay and provides supporting evidence to motivate your readers to continue reading. A thesis statement in an essay would normally do all these things in one sentence, but it may be several sentences if you are writing a longer and more complex essay or thesis.

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While we’re able to provide classic proofreading, copy editing, line editing, and developmental editing, we like to assess your content during the pilot and design a tailored service based on your style guide and exact editing needs.

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We also offer formatting and a range of other editorial services and can work in third-party applications and content management systems. We pride ourselves on being nimble, so don’t hesitate to ask if there’s something you think we can help with.

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We’ve also established our own AI content editing guidelines, spearheaded conversations about how to ensure SEO best practice and ethical standards, and partnered with Hypotenuse.ai to offer seamless AI content generation and human editing – helping our customers rapidly scale their content creation.

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Schedule a call with us today, and a member of our friendly team will be happy to answer your questions and discuss your unique editing needs. You can also drop us an email at [email protected] .

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• Development , information design and interaction
• Copyright advice

Prices are in Australian dollars and are GST exclusive. Prices are a guide only, not a formal quote. Pricing will also depend on the quality and complexity of the original manuscript. Minimum fee for editorial services is $150.

Number of words:

Editorial service:

Proofreading Copy editing Structural editing

• Branding and identity
• Marketing materials
• Press advertisements
• Technical specifications  

• Student books
• Homework programs
• Teacher companions
• Student resources
• Online learning systems
• Training manuals  

• Annual reports
• Prospectuses
• Bidder’s statements
• Memorandums
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Disclosure statements

• Research reports
• Text-heavy publications
• Branded collateral
• Policy documents
• Information graphics
• Mathematics

• Pocket guides
• Publication series
• LaTeX and MathJax
• Technical illustrations
• Digital assets

• Autobiographies
• Historical books
• Fiction/non-fiction
• Coffee-table books

Editing services

Consultation.

Project briefing and handover

File management

Structure, organisation and archiving

Quality guarantee

Our goal is to set correct, first time, every time

Presentation

Visual representation for conceptual development

Forming direction and making effective choices

We like it, you’ll love it

Contact us for a formal quotation.

Manuscript review

Assessment of your manuscript before editing.

Price on arrangement

Permissions lists

Preparing a permissions grid for creative artwork, technical illustration and photographs.

Cast-off report

Estimating the number of pages for final publication.

Glossary terms

Writing definitions and terminology for the required syllabus.

Generating a list of terms with page references.

Editorial style sheets

Editorial style sheet for writing and content development.

Prices are in Australian dollars and are GST exclusive. Prices are a guide only, not a formal quote.

Born with an eye for detail.

Specialising in text-heavy documents.

• Technical publications

With Nikki M Group you’ll get great value and terrific service

• based in Melbourne, Australia
• over two decades of industry experience
• a quality team and a professional network
• latest industry standards
• flexible approach to project management

If you have a project you’d like to talk about, we’re here to listen.

Special offer June 2021

To support local Victorian businesses affected by COVID-19, we are giving away Pfeiffer wine to all new customers.

Start your project today.

Must be over 18 years of age. Minimum spend $385. Australian customers only. Offer ends 30 June 2021.

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Scope of Practice

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PDF Proofreading Marks

Digital editorial mark-up

Editing Fees

• Our editing fees are based on the word count of your document and how soon you would like it returned.
• Prices are provided in Australian dollars. 
• The fee must be paid at or before time of submission. We accept Mastercard, Visa, PayPal and bank transfer.
• If the university has agreed to pay the fee we will issue a 30-day invoice.

FEE CALCULATOR:

• Please enter your word count in the Fee Calculator to receive an exact price.
• We will email you an instant quote for documents larger than 50,000 words.
• Extra-Urgent job prices are indicative and are subject to an editor being available who can complete the job in the required time.
• If you would like to use the Extra-Urgent service please contact us at [email protected].
• Enter the Word Count of your document… * If you would like us to edit your reference list or appendices please include them in your word count.

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HELP: FORMATTING

• Choose 'leave formatting as it is' if you would like us to maintain the current formatting in your document. We will make sure it is neat and consistent.
• Choose 'I will upload the formatting guidelines' if you have specific instructions about formatting that need to be followed, for example, if you are submitting a thesis for editing and your university has specific thesis-formatting guidelines. Then, upload these guidelines when you upload your document for editing.
• Choose 'Elite Editing House Style' if you would like us to format your document according to our own guidelines, which have been specially designed to meet general university requirements.
• Choose 'APA 6th edition' if you want your document to be formatted according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) 6th edition. APA formatting is designed specifically for draft manuscripts of journal articles and certain aspects are not appropriate for a thesis that is divided into chapters and is in its final form. If you are submitting a thesis we will modify APA style according to the preferred thesis style of most universities.

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• The cost of editing and proofreading

by Denise Holden | Working with editors

How much does editing (or proofreading) cost?

There’s no simple answer to this question – just as there’s no simple answer to questions like:

• How much does it cost to build a house?
• How much does market research cost?
• How much does auditing cost?
• How much does graphic design cost ?

The answer in each case is ‘it depends’.  The cost depends on the scope of the task and the characteristics of the situation.

In the house building example the cost depends on factors such as:

• the size of the house (number of rooms, single or multi-storey)
• the construction material (frame, exterior, roof, interior)
• the characteristics of the site (level or slope, ease of access).

For editing and proofreading the cost is also dependent on factors related to size, construction and characteristics.

Factors affecting the cost of editing

The factors an editor considers when estimating the fee for a project include:

• the size of the document (word and page count)
• the content of the document (text, images, tables, graphs, references)
• the deadline for completion (turnaround time)
• the characteristics of the text (eg, single/several authors, formality of language)
• the intervention required (eg, consistent authorial voice, plain English)
• the service required (proofreading, structural or copy edit).

Most editors will want to review the document so they can assess the work required before they provide a quote – just as a builder will want to see the plans and specifications for a house before quoting. 

Editing pace (speed)

As part of this review it’s common for an editor to conduct a sample edit (or proofread) of a representative section of the text so they can gauge their ‘pace’ (average words/pages per hour) for editing (or proofreading) this particular document. The pace for copyediting can range from 500 to 2,000 words an hour, depending on the characteristics of the document and the client requirements.

Hourly rates for editing

There is no standard hourly rate for editors in Australia and charges vary considerably. Those who are new to the profession or lacking formal qualifications (hobby editors) will generally be ‘cheaper’ than tertiary qualified, Accredited Editors who have spent decades building their knowledge and honing their skills.

The  hourly pay rates for editors in Australia recommended by the Institute of Professional Editors ( IPEd ) range from $90 per hour for professional, established editors to $130+ per hour for editors with extensive or specialised experience.

The suggested rate for freelance book editors published by the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance ( MEAA ) in November 2022 is $1,070 per day (which equates to $133.75 an hour for an 8-hour day). 

Comparing editing quotes

Simply comparing hourly rates when evaluating editors for a project can be misleading. An experienced editor with relevant qualifications and accreditation will generally complete a project in less time and to a higher standard than someone with limited experience and training. In Australia, IPEd conducts rigorous examinations (80% required to pass) to assess the knowledge and competence of editors before awarding the qualification of Accredited Editor .

A more accurate gauge of cost relative to service is to compare quotes for the total project, making sure that you are comparing ‘apples with apples’. (See Tips for choosing an editor .) Evaluate the services outlined in the quotes and ensure they include everything you need. Seek clarification if anything is unclear. Consider the expertise and experience of the editor and how this might benefit your project. 

Central Editing prices

Central Editing works mainly with the business, government, academic and technical sectors and with non-fiction authors. Our  quotes for client projects are typically in the range of:

• $60 to $80 per 1,000 words for proofreading
• $70 to $120 per 1,000 words for copyediting
• $95 to $135 per 1,000 words for structural editing/rewriting.

For projects with short deadlines that require work on evenings or weekends we may charge an additional fee.

Note: Costs quoted above are Australian dollars and do not include GST.

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Read more about engaging an editor

• Difference between editing and proofreading
• How to choose an editor  
• How to brief an editor  
• Editor accreditation (IPEd)

Denise seems to work magic on anything we give her, turning a jumble of documents into a pleasure to read.

Project Manager , APNA (Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association

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