Language and academic style
Grammar, syntax, clarity, concision and consistency, with attention to the candidate’s intended meaning and individual voice.
South African master’s and doctoral research
Academic editing for South African postgraduate research.
I work with master’s and doctoral candidates throughout South Africa on dissertations and theses that require anything from precise language editing to substantial assistance with structure, argument and coherence.
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.
Assistance suited to the manuscript
A local service does not mean a standardised service.
Postgraduate candidates approach an editor at very different stages. Some need a final language edit before submission. Others have received extensive feedback, are struggling to bring the chapters into alignment, or understand the research but cannot yet present its central proposition with sufficient clarity.
I first consider a representative sample and the relevant institutional requirements. I can then identify the appropriate level of intervention and provide a written quotation before any work begins.
Structure and coherence
Substantive assistance where the chapters, research questions, evidence, analysis and conclusions do not yet operate as a coherent whole.
Feedback and final preparation
Help interpreting supervisor or examiner comments, setting revision priorities, checking references and preparing the manuscript for submission.
South African postgraduate work
Experience with substantial research at master’s and doctoral level.
A substantial qualitative dissertation
Editorial support through proofreading, substantive editing, formatting, and feedback on structure and flow. The candidate’s final result was 80%, a distinction described by the department chair as an exceptional achievement.
Complex and sensitive psychological research
Extensive assistance with revision and editing, including the structure and coherence of the argument, conceptual presentation, academic language and APA referencing.
Practical arrangements
A quotation should make the scope clear before the work begins.
Please send a representative chapter, the approximate word count and deadline, the institutional requirements, and any relevant supervisor or examiner feedback. I will assess the material before proposing the work, timing, fee and deliverables.
Fees are quoted in rand and depend on the condition and complexity of the manuscript. Where an institution requires confirmation of professional editing, I can provide a statement describing the work actually undertaken.
See the indicative feesAcademic integrity
The research and final academic decisions remain the candidate’s.
I do not fabricate research or findings, write assessed work for submission as the candidate’s unaided work, or undertake work that conflicts with the institution’s rules.
Substantive interventions are made transparently through tracked changes, comments and discussion. The purpose is to help candidates present and organise their own work with greater clarity and rigour.
Confidential enquiries
Please tell me what the work is, its present stage and your deadline.
You do not need to know precisely what level of editing is required before contacting me. A representative chapter is usually the most useful place to begin.
Send an enquiry