Academic editing for master’s and doctoral research
I assist postgraduate candidates with theses and dissertations that require anything from precise language editing and technical consistency to substantial work on structure, argument and coherence. The form of assistance depends on the manuscript and may include interpreting and responding to detailed supervisor or examiner feedback.
My academic qualifications: a doctorate in law; a master’s degree awarded with distinction; and an MSc from the University of Oxford, with a distinction awarded for my research.
I accept a limited personal caseload so that I can work personally on each project.
Where difficulties tend to arise
Postgraduate work commonly becomes difficult not because the research is poor, but because the parts of the thesis no longer work together as they should. The questions, methodology, analysis and conclusion may begin to diverge; supervisor comments may address several different levels of the work at once; and a candidate writing in English as an additional language may struggle to express sophisticated ideas with the required precision.
This is the point at which I can usually be of most assistance.
I read both at sentence level and across the document as a whole. I consider what the argument is intended to establish, whether each chapter advances it, how the evidence is being used, and what the feedback in fact requires. The purpose is to help the candidate recover coherence without taking over authorship or obscuring his or her voice.
Services
A careful assessment for candidates who have become stuck, received extensive feedback, or are no longer sure whether the thesis works as a coherent whole.
Close engagement with the structure and reasoning of work that cannot be improved through sentence-level correction alone.
Careful editing of academic English, with attention to what the candidate intends to say and to preserving an individual voice.
The detailed technical work required to bring a long manuscript into a consistent and properly presented form.
Disciplines: I work principally in the humanities, social sciences, law, education, business, communication, psychology and related fields. I do not ordinarily accept highly technical STEM work unless the brief is concerned mainly with language, structure or argument rather than specialist technical content.
How the work is arranged
Please include a representative chapter, the word count and deadline, the institutional requirements, and any supervisor or examiner feedback.
I consider both the complexity of the manuscript and the nature of the intervention required, and then set out the proposed work, timing, fee and deliverables.
Material changes are made through tracked changes, comments and, where necessary, discussion. You can see and consider every substantive intervention.
You decide whether to accept each material intervention. The quoted scope ordinarily includes one focused round of questions after delivery.
Previous work
Michelle Thulkanam’s master’s dissertation in Communication Science was a substantial qualitative study drawing on content analysis, semi-structured interviews and a focus group.
The research, analysis, interpretation and conclusions were Michelle’s. My role was to provide editorial support through proofreading, substantive editing, formatting, and feedback on structure and flow to help ensure the work was presented as clearly and coherently as possible.
“Craig’s support went well beyond proofreading. He provided thoughtful and substantive editorial feedback on structure, flow, and presentation, helping me communicate my research more clearly and coherently. While the research, analysis, findings, and conclusions were entirely my own, his editorial guidance and meticulous attention to detail were invaluable in preparing the thesis for submission.”
Doctoral example
“Craig provided extensive assistance with the editing and revision of my UCT doctoral thesis in psychology. His work went well beyond proofreading: he helped strengthen the structure and coherence of the argument, refine its conceptual presentation and language, and bring the APA referencing into order.”
About Craig
I am an academically trained lawyer and experienced substantive editor. I hold a doctorate in law, a master’s degree in company law awarded with distinction, and an MSc from the University of Oxford, with a distinction awarded for my research. Both legal practice and academic work have required me to read long, complex documents closely, test the logic of an argument and distinguish what a writer intends to say from what the text actually says.
My particular strength is seeing both the detail and the architecture of a long work: the sentence that does not say what its author intends, the concept that has not been adequately distinguished, and the chapter that no longer serves the central argument.
editing hours ordinarily available each week
so that I can work personally on every project
Fees
Two documents of the same length may require very different levels of intervention. I therefore review a representative sample before quoting for any substantial project.
This includes review of up to 5,000 words and the relevant supervisor feedback, a written revision plan and a 45-minute consultation. A diagnosis of the thesis as a whole is quoted separately.
The per-word fee depends on the condition of the manuscript, the complexity of the discipline and the time available.
This work is quoted per word or, where an hourly approach is more appropriate, ordinarily from R1,250 per hour.
This is an hourly service for focused advice on supervisor feedback, revision priorities, structure or the next stage of a stalled thesis.
The minimum fee for a project is R2,500. Urgent work attracts a surcharge of 25–30%, subject to availability. A long dissertation or thesis may be divided into chapters or phases.
Academic integrity
Academic editing should help candidates present and organise their own work with greater clarity and rigour. I will not fabricate research or findings, write assessed work for submission as a candidate’s unaided work, or undertake work that is inconsistent with the institution’s rules.
Substantive suggestions are made transparently through tracked changes, comments and discussion. The candidate remains responsible for the research, factual accuracy, compliance with institutional requirements and all final intellectual decisions.
Common questions
Yes. Supervisor or examiner feedback may address language, structure, methodology and substance at the same time, which can make it difficult to know where to begin. I can distinguish the different issues, explain what appears to be required and put them into a workable order.
Yes. Many candidates understand their subject very well but need help expressing complex ideas in the form of academic English their institution expects. My purpose is to improve clarity and precision without flattening the candidate’s individual voice.
Yes. In many cases, a representative chapter is the most sensible place to begin. It allows both of us to establish the level of intervention required before either party commits to a larger project.
No. I can edit substantively, identify conceptual and structural problems, explain why a passage does not yet work and propose transparent revisions. The research, argument and final intellectual decisions must remain your own.
No. It would not be accurate or ethical for an editor to guarantee an examination result. I can, however, help ensure that sound research is not undermined by unclear language, weak structure, inconsistent reasoning or avoidable technical problems.
Confidential enquiries
You do not need to know precisely what level of editing is required before contacting me. Please include the degree and discipline, the present stage of the work, the approximate word count and deadline, and—if available—a representative chapter together with the relevant supervisor or examiner feedback.
Send an enquiry