Q: What is your educational background?

A: I hold a Masters Honours degree from the University of St. Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland. I have taught undergraduate English courses and undergraduate and graduate Art History courses in the United States. I began editing work officially in 1996. I am married and have three children.

Q: What is your turnaround time? How soon can I expect my document to be edited?

A: I will ask you for a deadline and then let you know if I can make that deadline. The length of time depends on the complexity of the document and the amount of editing that needs to be done.

Q: Why do you charge by the hour and not by the page or number of words?

A: The number of pages and number of words do not necessarily correspond to the amount of text or the quality of the writing. A 100-page dissertation comprised of numerous tables, figures, and equations cannot be compared reasonably to a 100-page theology or philosophy dissertation, for example.

Q: How do I know that you are charging me only for the work that you do and the time that you spend on my paper?

A: You don’t. You are relying on me to charge you only for the time spent on your work. You are trusting me to be meticulous with time-keeping. You are depending on me to be conscientious and to work as efficiently as possible. You have my assurance that you can indeed rely and depend on my honesty and integrity.

Q: How do you know that I will pay you for the work that you do?

A: I don’t. I am relying on your honesty and integrity, also. If I do not have a reference for you, I may ask for a deposit before work commences.

Q: I simply do not have a lot of disposable income. How can I keep the editing cost down and minimize the time you need to spend on my paper?

A: Do the very best you can to have it in the best possible shape before you send it to me. Run grammar and spell checks, check for consistent usage of spacing, capitalization, etc. throughout your paper, and, if English is not your first language, ask an English-speaking friend or colleague to read through it for you. When you read your paper, pretend you are someone who does not know your subject well so that you can make it as clear, straightforward, and logical as you can.

A: Also, I try to keep your pocket-book in mind when I am editing and strive to be as efficient as possible. If something takes me longer than I think it should, I give you the benefit of the doubt and adjust the time accordingly.

Q: Will my document be ready for submission when you have finished the editing?

A: Not necessarily. The editing is for text only. You are responsible for following your institution’s guidelines for formatting, references, footnotes, indices, table of contents, etc. It is not to your advantage to pay an editor for this sort of time-consuming work.

Q: Can you provide me with references?

A: Gladly, although please understand that some of my clients may wish to remain anonymous.

Q: Is email correspondence confidential?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you write or prepare term papers, theses, dissertations or other academic papers? Do you conduct research for your clients’ papers?

A: No and no. The document to be edited is your own work, written by you. The content is your responsibility.

Q: Are you a clearinghouse for term papers, theses, dissertations or other academic papers?

A: No.

Q: Will my document be shared or used as a sample document?

A: No. I fully understand that the content of your manuscript is confidential until it is published.

Q: Do you subcontract editing work to other editors or proofreaders?

A: No. However, I have suggested a trusted colleague for a single special project that involved spreadsheet design and data entry.

Q: What information do you need from me?

A: First and last name; email address; mailing address; institution and department, or business. This information is confidential.

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