Did you, or do you plan to hire a thesis/dissertation proofreader?

[artgirl]

I am in the beginning stages of writing and would like any thoughts on hiring someone to proofread my thesis. My school offers little help in proofreading other than committee members, but I am not sure if it is worth the cost of having a strager who is unfamiliar with my topic proof my work.

 

If you did or plan to, I would love to hear your experience, total cost and any recommendations.

 

 

Thank you!

[TakeruK]

For my BSc and MSc theses, I did not get any professional proofreading help. In both cases, my supervisor did read drafts of chapters as they came in and while they mostly focused on scientific issues, they did give a few comments on grammar and spelling as needed. Although I am not yet even near the stage of writing my PhD thesis, I know that my school offers a proof-reading service by professionals. It's free (the school pays for it, I mean) and although I think it's optional, it is strongly encouraged by the school so I plan on doing this. The only "cost" is that you need to submit your thesis to them a few weeks earlier than normal so they have time to read it. 

 

I don't think there will be any issues with a "stranger"/non-expert proof-reading my work. You don't have to understand the science to spot grammar or spelling mistakes. Of course, there would be some issues where scientists have "invented" a word or use a phrase in a jargony way that might not be understandable to an editing professional. But, this can be remedied if you find a professional in scientific editing, or if changes are marked so that you can review all of the edits. I believe that the editing professionals at my school will be used to reading scientific writing (it's a tech school so every thesis will be a scientific one).

 

However, I don't really think it's worth paying out of your own pocket to do so. In my field, I am pretty sure no one else will ever read my thesis other than my committee (and even they might not read all of it that carefully). Also, a lot of theses in my field are composed of a collection of first authored peer-reviewed papers by the student during their time as a graduate student, with some filler text in between to connect and introduce the papers. So, the majority of the content would have been read/reviewed by many other eyes (editors, referees, collaborators, supervisors) many times before it reaches the thesis.

 

So, since my school offers the service for free, I'll do it but otherwise, I don't think it is worth the money to do so because since very few people will read the completed thesis, it doesn't really matter if there are some mistakes in the writing!

[Guest Gnome Chomsky]

I don't know much about this since I'm still finishing up undergrad. I would imagine that since a dissertation is so long (50+ pages I would imagine) that it would be asking a HUGE favor for someone to just sit there and read the whole thing. If you were to compensate someone, I'd rather it be someone I know and trust. You can't find a friend in grad school who would be willing to spend a whole day looking over and making notes on your dissertation if you offered them say $100? Preferably, someone would do it as a favor but who knows. 

[dr. t]

I would imagine that since a dissertation is so long (50+ pages I would imagine)

 

Cute.

[fuzzylogician]

I would imagine that since a dissertation is so long (50+ pages I would imagine)

Um, each one of my chapters will be about that long, for a total estimated length of ~200 pages (with a generous SD).

 

For me, it's sufficient that my professors and friends read my drafts (and I return the favor for my friends). I get good comments and I think it's enough. OP - if you think the comments you are getting are not enough, is there a colleague who would be willing to help? A professional service is expensive, and if your advisor is not paying it could pile up. Perhaps there is a writing center at your school you could consult? I'd say you could get a non-specialist to read large portions of the work, though expect that they will not understand some nuances and may make some inappropriate edits as a consequence. This obviously also depends on the field. Whenever I edit work outside my field I always remark on things I am not sure about and point out things that are conventions in my field that the author should check regarding their own field.

[artgirl]

Thank you for your feedback all! We do have a writing center I plan to use, however they are always backed up and must be booked weeks in advance so this will hinder last minute changes and edits. I really like the idea of trading off with a colleague or asking a non-committee member to read portions.

 

Thanks again!!

[St Andrews Lynx]

Ask your group mates to proofread a chapter or segment each, definitely.  

[spunky]

i did hire someone for my master's thesis. i found it to be the BEST.DECISION.EVER. my APA style sucks and i have very little patience to go over it.

 

i did ask my friends/colleagues but they have their own TAing duties, theses, research etc. so most of them were polite and honest enough to say they wouldn't be able to put in the necessary effort to catch all of my mistakes. i thought (oh foolish me) that as long as i spent maybe a day or two in between proof-reads i should be able to catch my own mistakes. when my adviser returned my first full draft all covered in red, i knew i needed some more professional help. 

[Guest |||]

No, and I have no interest in using such services.

[TakeruK]

Ask your group mates to proofread a chapter or segment each, definitely.  

 

I agree that if you don't have access to a free professional proofreader, this is what should happen! Grad programs work best when we all support one another Just to clarify that my first comment above was really referring to professional, for-fee copyediting services. Getting friends to do it won't be as professional but like I said above, it's not really necessary! In my opinion, if it is critical that something be done exactly the way you need it specified, I would never ever hire/pay someone I care about to do the work. I need the professional distance in order to hold the person I'm hiring accountable for their work--I wouldn't be able to do it to a family member or a friend. But I don't think a thesis necessarily warrants this level of perfection.

[juilletmercredi]

Nope, I do not intend to.  One of my classmates did, though.

 

The way I see it...I don't hire professional proofreaders to edit my publishable research papers, and I don't know anyone who does.  So why would I hire someone to proofread my dissertation?

[rising_star]

I had friends, both in and out of my field, read my MA chapters. For dissertation chapters, I worked for a while with someone in the writing center (they have a separate writing center for grad students designed to help with long-term projects) and found that to be really, really helpful.

[Sœur d'une Étoile]

I hired an editor for my Honors Thesis which was about 100 pages with the appendices included. I asked my thesis supervisor if she used and editor as she had written a lot of articles. She did and offered to contact her to see if she would edit my thesis. Best decision I ever made! Many editors charge by the page or the hour. I was amazed at how reasonable it was. I paid about $40. I think the cost can depend on what you are looking for. Do you want someone to correct just the typos and grammatical errors? Are you concerned about making sure the APA is correct, structure and flow? In my case, my supervisor and I had been making corrections and adjustments throughout the whole process and so I just wanted someone to make sure there were no grammatical errors that we missed and that it had a good flow to it. Often and editor can provide a free depending on your preference as it will give them an idea of how much time to put into it. I'd say ask some Profs who do research at your school and I am sure you will find someone who uses an editor. Alternatively, the library staff at your school may provide a proof-reading service. Good luck!

Edited January 25, 2014 by 2014 Appy

[Kirialax]

I have not made any use of professional editing service. My supervisor is a Brit with a firm grasp of the King's English, and so he tends to refine my writing. If I wanted a proofreader, though, I'd probably just exchange chapters without someone in my program, ie: I'll proofread their chapter and they proofread mine. Saves money, and you might just help out one of your colleagues along the way.