Doctoral Editing
Doctoral Editing
Scholarly writing deserves smart editing, and it involves a lot more than fixing typos. Thoughtful, ethical editing clarifies your ideas, strengthens your paper's structure, and helps ensure your work meets program requirements without compromising your authorial voice.
Why Editing Matters
An enduring myth among doctoral students is that only struggling writers need editors for their capstone work. In fact, all writers can benefit from editing. The question isn’t whether you need an editor but which editor and editing services are right for you.
Click to expand for more on the role of editing in doctoral scholarship.
Good editing is about refinement, clarity, and precision, ensuring your ideas are well-expressed and correctly supported. In doctoral work, where the stakes are high and the standards even higher, professional editing is a strategic investment in the quality of your academic output.
What No One Tells You About the Final Year
Writing expectations escalate sharply toward the end of many doctoral programs. Even if you excelled in earlier semesters, you may falter in your Integrative Seminar or Capstone courses because your writing must be polished to publishable standards to meet end-of-program requirements. A good editor can help you navigate this shift and confidently meet these rising expectations.
All Writers Need Editors
After spending days or weeks on lengthy, high-stakes assignments, your brain autocorrects what it sees on the page. This phenomenon, called text blindness, explains why you’re likely to miss typos, dropped citations, or formatting errors even after multiple rounds of self-editing. A skilled editor brings fresh eyes, objectivity, and focused attention to details that are easily overlooked when you’re too close to your own work.
AI Can’t Replace a Human Editor
AI tools like ChatGPT or Grammarly can catch grammar issues and make basic suggestions, but they’re no substitute for a human editor, especially at the doctoral level.
AI Doesn’t:
• Understand the theoretical nuances of your discipline.
• Catch subtle misuses of terminology.
• Evaluate the structure and flow of complex academic arguments.
• Identify inconsistencies across assignments or over time.
• Know the specific expectations of your program.
• Protect your academic voice or help you grow as a writer and scholar.
When used thoughtfully, AI can support your process, but it can’t replace the insight, relationship, and tailored feedback offered by a human editor.
Disciplinary Expertise Matters
Editors unfamiliar with your academic discipline may miss subtle but significant errors. For example, I’ve edited papers in which David Kolb was described as the developer of universal learning design*, Lev Vygotsky was credited with the ‘zone of approximate development,’** and Carl Rogers was said to have originated ‘unconditional attachment theory.’*** Another student suggested that quasi-experimental design is correlational and therefore non-experimental, because participants are not selected at random.**** Even seemingly minor errors – referring to Kimberlé Crenshaw as Kimberly, Audre Lorde as Audrey, or bell hooks as Bell Hooks – reflect a lack of attention to detail that might be perceived as disrespect for your subject.
A generalist editor would miss these errors entirely. An editor with subject-matter expertise will identify and correct them before your paper is submitted for grading. I only edit doctoral social work writing, because your work deserves an editor who understands the language, frameworks, and standards of the field.
*Kolb is associated with experiential learning theory; universal learning design was developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology, or CAST.
**Vygotsky conceptualized the zone of proximal development.
***Rogers is associated with humanistic psychotherapy and unconditional positive regard, while Bowlby and Ainsworth are credited with attachment theory.
****Quasi-experimental design is not necessarily correlational or non-experimental; it is a type of experimental design that lacks random assignment. Describing it as non-experimental is inaccurate.
Editing Services and Fees
Editing Services and Fees
I offer three distinct types of editing services, each designed to meet different student needs and writing stages. The details outline exactly what is included in each service, along with turnaround times and per-page fees.
Proofreading and Page Formatting
Proofreading and Page Formatting
$6 to $10 per page, based on turnaround time. This service focuses on correcting surface-level issues and ensuring APA 7th compliance in page formatting.
Click to expand for more detail.
Includes:
Spelling, grammar, punctuation, and typing corrections
Formatting of standard text pages in APA 7th style (margins, font, spacing, indentations, headings, and page numbers)
Cover page formatting (included at no charge)
Does not include:
Reference or citation formatting
Suggestions to improve the paper's structure, clarity, completeness, or alignment with the assignment requirements
Turnaround time and rates for papers under 21 text pages:
$6 per page: 48-hour return
$8 per page: 24-hour return
$10 per page: 12-hour return
Longer papers are charged at the same per-page rate with extended return windows.
Copy Editing
Copy Editing
$12 to $16 per page, based on turnaround time. This comprehensive service includes proofreading and formatting, and goes deeper to improve your paper's clarity, coherence, and structure.
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Includes:
Proofreading and page formatting
Sentence-level editing for clarity, fluency, and logical flow
Suggestions to strengthen paragraph structure or rephrase confusing content
Tracked changes in MS Word so you can see all modifications and suggestions
A detailed Work Completion Notes document that identifies strengths and suggests ways to more closely align the paper with the syllabus description
Does not include:
Reference or citation formatting
Turnaround time and rates for papers under 21 text pages:
$12 per page: 48-hour return
$14 per page: 24-hour return
$16 per page: 12-hour return
Longer papers are charged at the same per-page rate with extended return windows.
Reference and Citation Audit
Reference and Citation Audit
$3 to $5 per reference. This service ensures that your reference pages and all citations are fully APA compliant.
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Includes:
Thorough audit of all references and citations to identify and correct irregularities (absent, incorrect, or improperly included resources).
All reference pages are formatted in APA 7th style
All citations are formatted in APA 7th style
Fees
$3 per reference when all details are present
$5 per reference when the editor must find and add reference information (DOI, page numbers, etc.)
Editing Membership
This exclusive membership gives you guaranteed access to editing services during high-demand periods, with a built-in discount for every project. It’s ideal for students submitting multiple assignments over the semester who want peace of mind and predictable support.
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Includes:
Priority access to editing reservations (must make reservations in the first two weeks of the semester)
5% discount on all editing services (except 12- and 24-hour jobs)
Individualized support from a trusted editor who knows your writing and your program.
Does not include:
The cost of individual editing jobs (billed separately by page or reference)
Sample Cost:
25-page copyedited lit review: $300 (25 pages @ $12 per text page)
40 references @ $3 = $120
Subtotal: $420
Membership discount: $-21
Final cost: $399
If you're seeking occasional editing support without tutoring, the editing membership may be a good fit. For students who benefit from more in-depth guidance across the writing process, a tutoring package with editing access may be a better long-term investment.
🪶 Ready to Get Started? 🪶
Editing Membership slots usually fill during the early enrollment window for current students. It's common for the option to be unavailable on the public enrollment form by the time it goes live.
If you'd like to be notified early about future availability or to request a free Resource Pack in the meantime, you’re welcome to join the email support and interest list below.
Get early enrollment updates and free planning tools for Capstone writing.
Still want to check the enrollment form?
View Current Enrollment Options
You're welcome to join the waitlist if all memberships are full.
How to Request Editing
Editing is by reservation only. Students with Platinum, Gold, or Editing Membership packages receive exclusive access to the editing calendar during the first two weeks of the semester to reserve their preferred editing dates. Others may request editing on a first-come, first-served basis after the first two weeks of the semester; I accept these assignments as my schedule allows.
Click to expand for more detail.
If You Have Guaranteed Access (You are a Platinum, Gold, or Editing Member)
You may reserve your editing slots by:
Submitting the editing reservation form in the first two weeks of the semester, OR
Emailing me a list of proposed editing projects, including:
The assignment name (e.g., lit review, Capstone paper)
Reservation date (the day you'll send the draft by Noon EST)
Assignment due date to your professor
I'll confirm your slots and add them to my calendar. To keep priority access, all reservations must be submitted within the first two weeks of the semester. All editing jobs are due to me by Noon EST.
For First-Come, First-Served Requests
If you're not in a guaranteed-access package:
Please do not use the editing reservation form.
Email, text, or message me to check availability
If I can accept the job, I’ll review your draft, recommend services, and send a written invoice
Payment and Submission Details
• Full payment is due before editing begins
• Accepted payment methods: Zelle (preferred) or PayPal
• Submit your draft by noon Eastern on your reservation day
• Late submissions will lose their reserved slot and will be rescheduled only if space permits.
From Rough Draft to Refined:
Behind the Scenes of the Editing Process
Writing your way through a doctorate in social work requires dedication, passion, and intellectual vigor. As with any scholarly endeavor, the path to excellence is often paved with multiple revisions and dozens of edits on each page. And that’s completely okay! In fact, it’s a crucial part of the learning and refining process.
For many students, the word “editing” can evoke apprehension. Perhaps you fear that your work is inadequate, or maybe you’re worried that too much of your content will be changed. But here’s the truth: Every piece of writing, no matter how raw or refined, has the potential to be sculpted into something extraordinary. Think of editing less as a critique and more as a collaborative dance between the writer and the editor, each aiming for clarity, precision, and impact in the text.
Some students have confided in me that they fear the editing process will erase their authorial voice or their sense of ownership over their work. For example, as the work’s author, you may want your editor to correct your writing mechanics (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and reference formatting) while leaving your content alone. Other student authors are comfortable with “deep editing” that keeps their ideas intact but may shift and alter sentences and paragraphs to improve the narrative flow.
You’ll get whatever service you want from a responsive, professional editor; just be sure to discuss your concerns and preferences before sharing your draft.
To get started, let’s look at a sample piece of text that might be submitted for editing.
There’s good information here, but the phrasing is awkward, and several technical errors are evident. For example, the student has included the word “Introduction” as a heading below the section heading of the paper. That’s unnecessary, according to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) 7th edition Publication Manual (you can find information about introductions on page 47 if you’re following along in the book).
The sample’s language is unnecessarily repetitive (“There are two theories that are social learning theories…”). Also, there are inconsistencies in the use of abbreviations. Instead of being written out once and abbreviated every time after that (APA, 2019, p. 173), “Universal Design for Learning” is written out twice before being abbreviated. Instructors with high writing standards would probably deduct a few points for that error.
All factual content in the sample is cited, which is appropriate and necessary in scholarly work. However, the parenthetical citation appears at the end of the first paragraph instead of after the first sentence (see page 269 of the APA manual for more information about the correct placement of in-text citations). The citation format is also incorrect because it uses the word “and” in the parenthetical citation instead of the ampersand (&) to link the authors’ names (APA, 2019, p. 266). Similarly, the Harson citation is incorrect; since three authors are included, it should read “(Harson et al., 2019).” You can learn more about formatting citations in chapter eight of the APA manual.
The second paragraph includes similar errors. The author began the paragraph with a narrative citation, emphasizing Tapia’s contribution rather than the main idea about the significance of sociocultural learning theory. In journalism, this is known as “burying the lede;” it hides the main point of the sentence instead of putting it right up front to hold readers’ attention.
During the editing process, I use the “track changes” feature in MS Word so clients can see what adjustments were made to their work. Here is the marked-up version of the sample.
This view demonstrates how the original content was modified to improve the sample’s clarity and correctness. The main ideas are intact, but skillful editing has tightened the writing and corrected the technical errors.
The APA formatting was also corrected. In one case, a page number was removed. Since the content it referenced did not include a direct quotation, no page number was needed in the citation (APA, 2019, p. 268).
After editing doctoral students’ work, I return two versions to them. One is a PDF mark-up view, similar to the image above, so that they can see what changes were made. The second is a clean copy in MS Word format with all tracked changes accepted. This version is ready for submission to the instructor for a grade. Here is a view of the sample with the tracked changes accepted. Because some sentences were condensed for clarity, you’ll note that the paragraphs are a bit shorter and a lot cleaner.
In this sample, the first-person pronoun was used when the author referred to their capstone project. According to the APA manual (2019, p. 120), this decision is correct. However, some instructors require students to write about themselves in the third person as “this author” or “this student.” Follow your instructor’s requirement, even if it contradicts APA guidance, to avoid point deductions on your graded work.
As a doctoral editor (and former doctoral student!), I deeply respect the dedication and passion you bring to your work. I understand the weight and significance of your research and the personal connection you feel to every word you write.
As we collaborate, please know that my primary goal is to amplify your voice, not alter it. I’m here to refine and clarify your concepts, ensuring your unique perspective shines brightly on each page. Our shared purpose is to present your groundbreaking work as professionally as possible so it garners the attention it deserves on the national stage.
Have Questions?
Feel free to email me. I'm happy to help and eager to collaborate. I also offer a a free 15-minute consult to help you figure out what kind of support would be most useful.
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