Editing Tips

Editing a PhD dissertation requires a lot of knowledge and skill. It also takes quite a bit of time and patience in order to achieve the standards expected by the university boards. Editors would do well to follow some of the below tips that can help them in their work.

Read up on the subject

Every dissertation is different and the subject matter needs to be edited in a different way. In order to prepare themselves for the task of editing, the editors should read up on the subject and make sure they are knowledgeable themselves before they go about checking other people’s work.

Follow the guidelines of the academic board

It is essential for the editors to make sure that they are well versed with the demands of the academic board and what kind of reports they are expecting. This knowledge helps the editors when they are checking the format, the language of the content and the style of writing. It will also lead to less chances of the academic board rejecting the project.

Take up orders with plenty of time

Editors should make it clear to their customers that they need plenty of time to edit a PhD manuscript. They need to go through the project with a fine toothcomb and this task cannot be completed in a rushed manner.

Always be in touch with students

Editors should constantly be in touch with students so that they can coordinate with them when it comes to re-writes or with any questions they need to ask. If entire chapters or sections need to be re-written then the students need to be told with enough time in hand.

It of course goes without saying that the editor needs to be up-to-date as far as his grammar is concerned and he also needs to be well versed with the various academic styles.