Your thesis is the culmination of years of hard work; all your blood, sweat, tears, and lost 
social life. Before you submit your thesis for examination make sure you have done all you can to make this piece of research showcase who you are as an academic. To assist you to find a great editor to help polish your work, below are 5 tips for engaging a great thesis editor.
- Make sure they are a professional member of the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd). This is the Australian industry association for editors (most countries have their own). To become a professional member you need to demonstrate editing experience and qualifications.
- Ensure they have experience editing in your chosen field. Editing a mathematics PhD is entirely different to editing one in humanities.
- Ask for referrals from your supervisors and colleagues. Most of my work comes from referrals, and if a colleague or friend has used an editor before and was happy their work this is a good indication they will do great work on your thesis.
- Get a few quotes. But don’t base your decision purely on cost. Look at the skills and experience of each editor and work out who you think you can work with best.
- Don’t leave it until the last minute to book your edit in. Most editors book out weeks in advance, so unless they have had a cancellation or student delay, a good editor needs plenty of notice to allocate time to edit your work.
Once you have sent your thesis for editing, try and relax. Catch-up on everything you missed while deep into the throes of writing.
Finally, congratulations for making it this far, you have almost finished your studies. This is a major accomplishment and you should feel proud.
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