doctoral thesis proofreading

Reference management. Clean and simple.

How to proofread your thesis

1. Review your institution's guidelines

2. take a break before you read anything, 3. determine how to proofread your thesis, 4. use online tools, 5. read your thesis in a different order, 6. read your thesis out loud, 7. reach out to your peers, frequently asked questions about proofreading your thesis, related articles.

Now that you've finished your thesis , it's time to proofread it. You'll need to do this several times to ensure that you submit a solid thesis that's free of grammatical mistakes and typos. We've put together a few tips that can help you optimize the proofreading stage of your thesis.

Your institution will likely have specific guidelines for formatting your thesis. Be sure to double-check the guidelines for layout and format issues, including:

• paper size and margins
• running head
• page numbering
• line spacing

Take time to read through the guidelines again and keep them handy as you proofread your thesis.

The proofreading stage is also a good time to check your citations or references . Whether you're using Harvard, APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association) or some other citation style, make sure that your citations are correct.

Give yourself some time off before you start proofreading your thesis. This allows you to return to your work with fresh eyes. Ideally, you should plan to take a break of several weeks before you begin proofreading; however, even a short break can help you refocus and catch more mistakes.

Some people like to proofread their thesis on screen, while others like to print it out and read it on paper. Whichever method you choose, be aware that you can't read it all at once. Rather, make a plan for how you want to approach proofreading and stick to it. You'll generally want to break up your process by chapter or section.

Consider breaking down your thesis proofreading process in one of these ways:

• by paragraph

Several online tools can help you with proofreading and some of them are even free. Use tools like Grammarly or Proofread Bot for proofreading or Readable.com or Slickwrite to critique your grammar and writing. A quick Google search will show you that there are dozens of tools out there that can help you with your thesis!

Week 1 : Read a chapter a day, watching out for major issues in argumentation, use of evidence, and organization.

Week 2 : Complete substantive revisions and check that all citations are correct. Use a reference manager like Paperpile to create accurate citations and bibliographies.

Week 3 : Re-read each chapter, checking for any additional surface errors. Double-check that your formatting aligns with your department’s thesis requirements.

Try reading your work backwards or in a random order. This approach often works better than reading your work from beginning to end.

By switching up your expectations, you will catch more errors. Plus, starting at the end allows you to keep your conclusions in mind as you read and helps you to verify that you've proven your thesis statement.

The best way to catch grammatical, stylistic, and organizational mistakes is to read your work aloud to yourself. Hearing your own words greatly increases your ability to find typos and errors.

Keep your eye out for the following common errors:

• subject-verb agreement
• faulty predication
• misplaced modifiers
• tense changes
• incorrect citations

If you have friends or peers who are also writing theses, or who have completed them, reach out for advice and help. For instance, blogger Pat Thomson suggests setting up a proofreading deal with a friend.

Also, you might find it useful to join or start a writing group. These groups build accountability and provide writers with support for all stages of the research and writing process.

The length of the proofreading process depends on the length of the thesis. Plus, you should plan to take a couple of weeks off before you start proofreading. It's also a good idea to break up longer projects by chapter or section.

Always double-check your institution's guidelines for the general layout, including:

If you know someone who is willing to proofread your thesis, then definitely ask! Friends and peers who are also working on theses, or who have recently finished, can provide you with useful insights about the grammar, style, and structure of your thesis.

As part of your proofreading plan, you should create a checklist of items that you want to watch out for while proofreading your thesis. Your checklist might include:

• Spelling and typos
• Verb tenses and subject-verb agreement
• Sentence structure
• Layout and formatting
• Citations and/or references
• Consistency of style
• Organization
• Overall flow

You should plan to proofread your thesis as many times as it takes to ensure that you submit a polished and professional work. Typically, however, most thesis writers proofread their work around three to four times.

PhD Thesis Proofreading and Editing Services

Prepare your thesis for publication with Scribbr’s world-class thesis proofreading and editing services.

• 4.6 Trustpilot score (based on 12,494 reviews)
• Starting at £0.013 per word
• Academic writing authority

Comprehensive proofread

Through direct changes and in-text comments, our thesis editors give feedback on:

• Punctuation
• Sentence structure
• Verb tenses
• And much more…

Using Word’s Track Changes feature, you stay in control and decide which changes to accept or reject.

Feedback on academic style

Besides avoiding language mistakes, your writing should also follow academic conventions. Our editors are specialised in academic texts. They will improve and give feedback on the use of:

• Informal or imprecise language
• Inflated and redundant phrases
• Inconsistencies in tense and voice

Personalised language tips

To help you become a better academic writer, your thesis editor will provide an overview of your most common mistakes in grammar, punctuation and style. With our in-depth guides, you’ll learn how to recognise and correct your own errors.

Popular thesis editing add-ons

Structure check.

To avoid structural issues, your thesis editor can review the organization of your thesis. With the Structure Check , you can rest assured that:

• Sections and chapters are ordered correctly
• No sections and elements are missing
• Headings are clear and consistent
• Transitions between paragraphs are smooth

Clarity Check

A fresh pair of eyes can spot issues with your logic or clarity. Through in-text comments and two checklists , the editor’s feedback will focus on:

• Logical argumentation and conclusions
• Clear presentation of concepts and theories
• Contradictory information and arguments

Experienced thesis editors

All Scribbr editors are carefully selected through a rigorous testing and selection process called the Scribbr Academy . Only 4% of applicants succeed in becoming qualified Scribbr editors. That’s how we ensure the highest quality thesis editing!

At Scribbr we try to assign your thesis to an editor who is knowledgeable and passionate about your topic. However, our thesis editors are language specialists, not academic experts in your field.

Customers rate our proofreading service excellent!

Seamless way to obtain citations

Obsessed <3

This is such a helpful tool! I would even say that it is an even better version of my old go-to tool that no longer exists. I am SO GRATEFUL that it is so easy to use and has the ability to find ~most~ of the resources I am trying to cite. One of the BEST features is having the ability to create different lists with their own titles--it has been so helpful for my ADHD needs while working through my Masters program! Thank you also for figuring out a way to choose font and size and making it actually paste into documents SO EASILY and ready to go!!! If I were to make two requests for improvement: First would be that it would just keep me logged in, especially since I have literally no private nor financial information attached. The site is, in my opinion, overcommitted to timing out an account user. Even in one writing session, I will return to the page with my next reference and it looks as though the page has a bug or an error. To fix this I have to take what I feel are unnecessary steps to refresh the page and go through the login process again even when I feel like I really was not gone for very long. The second request is that there be a way to autogenerate more obscure resources (I am admittedly biased, but prioritizing this being available in APA 7th ed. would be the best! haha). And I have also noticed that when there's a reference that the site cannot find, the manual option will ask for information that is not typically needed for APA, and the final resulting citation does not typically appear to maintain the chosen formatting style. So I suppose that is more like 2.5 requests since the last one isn't too bothersome. Anyway, I'm just overall ridiculously grateful I found Scribbr so early on in my graduate pursuits! I highly recommend it for anyone who needs to move efficiently through their research and delivery of information.

How easy it is compared to other…

How easy it is compared to other websites

It's easy to cite sources by inputting…

It's easy to cite sources by inputting their names and having them procured.

Amazing! Grade boost from an "C" to an 'A'

Amazing! This software could have saved many college students from dropping out 10 years ago. Also, I used to use this website before the copy and paste feature 2016 or so. The new update is outstanding! My Bibliographies in APA format are perfect!

Scribber Is Amazing!!!

Scribber Is Amazing! They helped me cite my sources in the correct format and saved me hours of work. Thank you soo very much Scribber!

The citations are on point and i love…

The citations are on point and i love the ease of use

Best Referencing Tool

User friendly and so much data for citation and referencing.

This cite is a life saver when needing…

This cite is a life saver when needing to cite my sources. It is easy to navigate and basically fool proof!

Life Made Easier

Scribbr makes my life so much easier when I have to cite the text that I use. Having the MLA citation generator is really helpful. And saves my time :)

A must-have tool!

I use Scribbr for its citation generator, which is a fantastic, time saving tool. As a student, composing research essays is time consuming enough...but it's even more so if you have to go back and type in all of the resources you drew your information from. I love that you can choose from a variety of known citation styles. Often you can copy/paste a link into the citation generator, and it will automatically format the layout of the source using the format you choose. Even when I have to go in and edit, I love how the citation parts are further broken down so that you understand what is required, recommended or optional to include in citing sources. Thank you so much for creating such a helpful tool for students and professionals!

Scribbr is a great tool

Scribbr is a great tool for creating and saving citations for my master's program.

Excellent work!

Traduction d'excellente qualité

Traduction d'excellente qualité, délai respecté, Bravo

It's easy to use.

It makes citation easy

Very easy to use and you get accurate…

Very easy to use and you get accurate APA references.

Ethylene Dynamics in Fresh Produce Packaging: A Comprehensive Modelling Approach

Hi Kristen, Apologies for the delay in responding. I have been away but I am back now and have reviewed the thesis corrections. Everything looks good to me. Thanks for your assistance. On another note, I am currently residing in Potsdam, very close to Berlin. I will be submitting this thesis to TU Berlin. Best regards, Akshay

Easy to use

Easy to use, reliable platform I can trust to properly and effectively cite my references as an adult online learner!

Goede tips. Erg fijn

Thesis proofreading in 3 simple steps

Upload and select pages

Upload your entire thesis and only select the pages that need proofreading and editing.

Select a deadline and services

Choose between a 12-hour, 24-hour, 3-day or 7-day deadline and select additional services.

Share your guidelines

Share your supervisor’s guidelines and feedback so the editor can take them into account.

What makes Scribbr stand out?

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With smart technology and an expert team, we check the quality of editing to ensure every document meets our high standards.

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If you’re not completely happy with your editor’s work, we’ll offer you a free second check or a refund – whatever works for you.

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Want to contact us directly? No problem. We are always here for you.

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Frequently asked questions

Yes, if your document is longer than 20,000 words, you will get a sample of approximately 2,000 words. This sample edit gives you a first impression of the editor’s editing style and a chance to ask questions and give feedback.

How does the sample edit work?

You will receive the sample edit within 24 hours after placing your order. You then have 24 hours to let us know if you’re happy with the sample or if there’s something you would like the editor to do differently.

Read more about how the sample edit works

At Scribbr, we promise to make every customer 100% happy with the service we offer. Our philosophy: Your complaint is always justified – no denial, no doubts.

Our customer support team is here to find the solution that helps you the most, whether that’s a free new edit or a refund for the service.

Yes, in the order process you can indicate your preference for American, British, or Australian English .

If you don’t choose one, your editor will follow the style of English you currently use. If your editor has any questions about this, we will contact you.

Yes, you can upload your document in sections.

We try our best to ensure that the same editor checks all the different sections of your document. When you upload a new file, our system recognizes you as a returning customer, and we immediately contact the editor who helped you before.

However, we cannot guarantee that the same editor will be available. Your chances are higher if

• You send us your text as soon as possible and
• You can be flexible about the deadline.

Please note that the shorter your deadline is, the lower the chance that your previous editor is not available.

If your previous editor isn’t available, then we will inform you immediately and look for another qualified editor. Fear not! Every Scribbr editor follows the  Scribbr Improvement Model  and will deliver high-quality work.

Yes, our editors also work during the weekends and holidays.

Because we have many editors available, we can check your document 24 hours per day and 7 days per week, all year round.

If you choose a 72 hour deadline and upload your document on a Thursday evening, you’ll have your thesis back by Sunday evening!

When you place an order, you can specify your field of study and we’ll match you with an editor who has familiarity with this area.

However, our editors are language specialists, not academic experts in your field. Your editor’s job is not to comment on the content of your dissertation, but to improve your language and help you express your ideas as clearly and fluently as possible.

This means that your editor will understand your text well enough to give feedback on its clarity, logic and structure, but not on the accuracy or originality of its content.

Good academic writing should be understandable to a non-expert reader, and we believe that academic editing is a discipline in itself. The research, ideas and arguments are all yours – we’re here to make sure they shine!

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Editors and Proofreaders for Your PhD Theses and Dissertations

Do you need a professional proofreader for your doctoral degree papers?

Few documents require as much precision and careful editing as a PhD thesis or dissertation. As a student, you want this crucial part of your education to be accurate and flawless, but you don’t have to face this challenge alone. Hire a professional editor to help your PhD thesis reach its potential.

By investing in professional editing, you ensure your hard work pays off. ProofreadingServices.com provides superior editing for PhD theses as well as other academic documents , such as biochemistry papers , journal articles, and application documents. More than 10,000 clients have acknowledged that our work significantly improved their documents, elevating them to a new level of quality and impact. The “second set of eyes” that editors and proofreaders provide ensures that embarrassing grammatical errors, typos, or unclear sentences are identified and corrected.

Editing doctoral theses is not our only specialty. Our team has edited everything from children’s books to bibliographies. No matter what the document is, quality always comes first. Whether you want our edits returned to you in two days or a week , our editors devote equal attention and detail to each job. We perform every level of editing task—from a quick read-through for typos in your thesis to deeper editing of your PhD dissertation . So, no matter what you need, we are here to lift your writing to more powerful and effective heights.

[ Request an instant quote for academic editing. ]

Editing services to strengthen your PhD thesis

We’re sure our editors can enhance your writing, and we have thousands of clients who will agree. They reach out to us from around the world—from Oman , Hungary , Las Vegas , Daegu , and all points in between. Their writing spans a huge variety of topics and industries, and we are prepared to handle this diversity of editing tasks. Consider these examples:

• Our team copyedited a scientific journal article for Matthias, a university student in Winnipeg
• Our team proofread a PDF of a computer science article, written in LaTeX, for Quang, an Austrian university student
• Our team reviewed a customer newsletter PDF for Erin, who works for a New Zealand nutrition company

Urgent jobs are no problem. If you want us to proofread and edit your PhD thesis in 3 hours , we can do it (depending on length). If it’s long, you can send it in one chapter at a time if you like. We also accommodate turnaround times of greater length, such as 72 hours . All you have to do is send us your document (preferably as a Word document or PDF, although we accept most file formats). We will edit, proofread, and properly format your document, then return it promptly. Our editors can adhere to any style guide you choose— IEEE , Chicago Manual of Style , or any other guide, or conform to your custom style choices. Editors stay current with style guide updates, so you won’t have to worry about anything escaping their notice.

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Experienced editors with superior skills

In order to serve writers most effectively, we use a set of editing assessments to hire only the best editors with the widest range of educational backgrounds. Our standards are so high that only 1 per 300 applicants is invited to join our team. They speak English natively and are from the U.S. , United Kingdom , Canada , Ireland , Australia , New Zealand, and other English-speaking countries. As a writer in U.S. English, Australian English, or some other variation, you can be assured we have an editor who can take your work to a new level.

Our global clients will tell you that we have not only improved their writing, but helped them reach their deadlines, too. If you’re looking to have your ideas presented in an articulate way for maximum impact, contact ProofreadingServices.com.

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Thesis Editing & Proofreading Services

Our academic editors are true experts with unrivalled experience who will ensure your thesis is of the highest-possible quality and ready for submission.

Your research presented perfectly

Writing a dissertation or thesis is intensely demanding, so it stands to reason that you want only the best editors and proofreaders to touch your work. 

Capstone Editing understands the significant investment your thesis represents and how tremendously important it is to you and your academic and professional future. That is why our thesis editing service is tailored to help you in every way we can.

From the research proposal stage to publication, our professional Master’s, and PhD thesis editors and proofreaders will ensure your research is presented in the best possible light. We help ensure that your thesis meets international publication standards, following all relevant language, style, referencing and formatting guidelines.

We know that the last thing you want is for errors to affect how your thesis is received, and you certainly do not want to be required to complete minor or major corrections after examination, if this can be avoided. That is why our thesis editing service goes above and beyond, to provide you with the highest-quality and most comprehensive master’s and PhD thesis proofreading and editing service available.

Every student, regardless of the quality of his or her writing ability, stands to benefit from our thesis editing service. If you require more information, our  video  explains the advantages of thesis and dissertation editing.

Our thesis and dissertation editors and proofreaders provide service that is not only of the highest quality but it is also affordable and accessible to all students due to our partnership with Payright and Humm . The partnership allows us to offer interest-free repayment plans so financial constraints don’t impede your access to our invaluable dissertation and thesis editing and proofreading services. Just give us a call to find out more!

Our Reputation

We are proud of our reputation as the highest-quality thesis editing service available. Testimonials from our past clients and the examples of our editing we provide here demonstrate the quality of our work.

Editing examples

The following documents provide representative examples of our work for past clients.

• Applied Linguistics APA
• Biochemistry Vancouver
• Medicine Vancouver

Testimonials

I want to thank Capstone Editing for the invaluable assistance they provided in editing my PhD thesis (following the ‘Guidelines for Editing Research Theses’ as per University of Adelaide requirements). The final edited thesis was perfectly expressed and did not contain any typographical or grammatical errors. This was affirmed by my thesis being accepted without corrections, which I believe is rare. I am especially grateful for the care taken to avoid changing any of my ideas in what was a complex work. In reviewing the edits and comments, I felt at all times that my work had been treated with the greatest sensitivity and respect. Capstone Editing proved their editors to be highly skilled, professional and trustworthy. I highly recommend Capstone Editing to postgraduates and academics seeking a professional academic editor.

I would confidently recommend the editorial services of Capstone Editing. They are fast, capable and professional. My editor identified a number of places in which the expression and clarity in the grant were able to be improved. Her careful editing saved me valuable time and identified details I had missed in my own revisions. She was careful to ensure that any changes to the expression didn’t change the meaning, and clearly noted where there may have been ambiguity. In today’s competitive research environment, I honestly believe the services of Capstone Editing represent a very worthwhile investment, and I intend to utilise their services again with future grants.

A good editor may be the difference between a pass or fail, or more positively, a High Distinction or a Distinction. A good editor will not only attend to spelling, grammar, syntax and structure but will also read and understand the point of the assignment and thus recommend changes in accordance with the specific intentions of the work. A good editor is clear and precise. A good editor offers suggestions towards increasing clarity, that is, what you think you are saying may not be what you have said. This is all the job of a good editor. Capstone's editors are among the best. I have never received less than a High Distinction in any subject since using their services.

Dr Lisa Lines was recommended to me by a colleague as an expert editor in her field. It is my pleasure to assert that her editorial services were well worth the investment made. Not only am I grateful for the numerous corrections to errors that I had missed, but I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to learn from her expertise. While I hope to implement some of these skills in the future, I will certainly engage her services again. Her attention to detail, her professionalism and her courteous manner in dealing with my work were greatly appreciated. Dr Lines formatted my thesis in such a way that it is both easy to read and navigate. It was reassuring to have someone trustworthy to help me in the final stages of my PhD. I recommend Capstone Editing to students and academics alike.

Our simple order process provides easy access to professional academic editing. In some cases, your university will provide funding for thesis editing and we can invoice them directly.

Premium Copyediting Service

Our Premium Copyediting service, is suited to PhD students with standard editing requirements. Standard doesn’t mean superficial. Our thesis proofreaders and editors perform an extremely thorough edit of your honours, masters or PhD thesis. This includes:

• Correct grammar, syntax, spelling and punctuation (according to British/Australian or US English conventions)
• Correct use of formal academic English
• Improved logic, clarity and flow, including transitional phrasing
• Complete internal consistency
• Correct and consistent use of abbreviations
• Suggestions on organisation, structure and support of statements
• Querying of errors and inconsistencies in content
• Word count reduction (through eliminating redundancy and unnecessary repetition)
• Complete formatting
• Complete, consistent and accurate referencing.

The Most Comprehensive Thesis Editing Available

Our service includes absolutely everything that your university will allow a professional thesis editor to do for you. In addition to the extremely thorough language edit we have outlined above, your thesis proofreader and editor will also:

Completely format your thesis ready for printing and submission, following your university’s submission guidelines

Create all your preliminary pages (e.g., Title page, Table of Contents, List of Figures, List of Tables and List of Abbreviations), which will be automatic and easy to update

Edit and format your tables and figures for neatness and consistency

Edit and format your appendices for neatness and consistency

Crosscheck your in-text references with your reference list

Provide prompt, professional client support services throughout to cover every aspect of your thesis completion, from pre-booking enquiries to attentive after-care.

Additional thesis proofreading and editing services included in our packages:

• A detailed letter from your thesis editor that explains all the work completed, draws your attention to any important issues, and provides advice on areas of potential improvement for use in future writing
• A style sheet detailing all choices made in terms of hyphenation, capitalisation, spelling and so on, to help you maintain the consistency of your document should you make any further changes.

0% interest finance options available

Capstone Editing is proud to be the only editing service in Australia to offer an after-pay service to our clients. Access top-quality editing when you need it, and pay for it over time in manageable instalments.

Spread the cost

Pay for the course in equal monthly instalments over a period of 6, 12, 18 or 24 months.

Interest free

Always interest free, no early exit fees and no hidden fees and charges.

Easy application

Apply online for either instant approval or a decision within a few hours (depending on the provider you choose).

Don’t wait! Submit your document for editing now and pay later with a flexible payment plan that suits your individual needs.

Finance provided by Payright and Humm

Capstone Editing has chosen to partner with Payright (Devizo Pty Ltd ABN 24 605 753 535) and Humm (Certegy Ezi-Pay Pty Ltd ABN 28 129 228 986) because they are Australian businesses that practise responsible lending.

Platinum (Heavy) Copyediting Service

Our Platinum (Heavy) Copyediting service, also known as Heavy Copyediting, includes everything provided by our Premium Copyediting service but also allows your specialist thesis editor to spend double the amount of time improving and correcting your stye of dissertation writing. It’s best for students who need their thesis proofreaders and editors to go over their work with a magnifying glass and provide clearer and more detailed corrections and explanations.

It is invaluable if one or more of the following applies to your dissertation and thesis writing:

• Your thesis contains a higher than average number of errors
• English is your second language
• You would like additional assistance with complex referencing or formatting
• You require significant word reduction
• Your thesis requires extra work to ensure logic, clarity and flow, including transitional phrasing
• You need some assistance with rewording, organisation and structure (though not to the extent of Substantive Editing)
• You would like your editor to spend additional time on any aspect of the editing.

Dissertation and Thesis Editing Services

You’ve just completed a dissertation for your PhD or a thesis for your master’s—congratulations! But just as you finally let yourself relax and enjoy the fact that you’re done, you remember that you will need to edit this text before you submit it. It might even require multiple rounds of editing. You need to make sure your arguments are well structured and your conclusions are clear, that you’ve expressed yourself clearly and concisely, that there are no typos or spelling mistakes, and that the grammar is correct throughout your work. So, no rest for you; you have to get right back on that horse and keep working on your dissertation or thesis. After all, that’s the only thing you can do to ensure that small mistakes don’t bring down the quality of your work or negatively affect your degree. Or is it?

Actually, you don’t need to do all this yourself! You’ve done the hard part, so let someone else take care of the editing. At Capstone Editing, we offer thesis editing services and dissertation editing to a high standard for all academic disciplines and fields. We can ensure that the crowning glory of your degree is edited to an extremely high standard so that you can submit a thesis or dissertation you can be proud of.

The Benefits of Professional Dissertation Editing

You might think that editing and proofreading are just part of what goes into writing a thesis or dissertation and that you could do it just as well yourself. While it might be true that many students do go down this route, it’s far from the easiest or best one. There are many benefits to hiring a professional editor for your dissertation or thesis editing :

• Get a second pair of eyes - We all know that after a while, we become blind to the mistakes in our own text and will miss important typos or grammatical issues.
• Ensure your arguments are strong - An academic journal editor will be able to look over the structure of your arguments and your conclusions to ensure you’ve expressed yourself in the best and clearest way possible.
• Save time - Editing and proofreading is a time-consuming process, so handing it over to someone else will save you a lot of time and give you some well-deserved time off.
• Avoid stress and emotional fatigue - Academic life can be extremely stressful, so avoid burnout and the stress of submitting your dissertation or thesis on time; let someone else do the thesis editing and relax for a while.
• Employ expertise - Most of us don’t receive a lot of training on writing or editing during our degrees, which means many students are unprepared for the demands of academic writing, and an editor can bring useful expertise and help you ensure your thesis or dissertation is the best work it can be.

Choose Capstone Editing for Thesis & PHD Proofreading Services

If you’re looking for superior PHD proofreading and thesis proofreading services in Australia, Capstone Editing should be your number one choice. Our team of highly trained and experienced paper editors with academic backgrounds offers a range of editing and proofreading services , from substantive and heavy edits to English copy editing and proofreading. No matter what stage you’re at in the editing process or what academic field your dissertation or thesis is in, we can help you. We have an On-time Guarantee, and document formatting service is included in our editing services , which means yet another thing off your to-do list. Submit your document on the website or contact us for a quotation.

Have a question?

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Referral Program

Clients who recommend our services to others can take advantage of our Referral Program. It is our way of thanking you for sharing your experience with Capstone Editing.

After working with us, you are so happy that you recommend our service to others.

Your friend mentions your name when submitting his or her thesis for editing.

As a thank you, you receive A$50 into your bank account and your friend receives A$20.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the steps to write a thesis statement.

A thesis statement outlines your main argument. An effective thesis statement will be clear, specific, focused and concise. It will focus the reader’s attention on your topic and clearly outline your perspective. The steps to write a thesis statement include restating the research question in your own words, adopting a position (argument), listing the main reasons for adopting that position (which you will discuss in your essay) and combining all this information into a single sentence (or several sentences for a longer research paper with a more complex topic).

What does a thesis editor do?

A thesis editor improves the quality of a thesis by increasing the language quality to ensure that ideas and arguments are presented clearly, correcting any mistakes and ensuring adherence to all academic writing, formatting and referencing conventions. A thesis editor will ensure correct grammar, syntax, spelling and punctuation; correct use of formal academic English; complete internal consistency; correct and consistent use of abbreviations; and improving logic, clarity and flow, structure and organisation of ideas. Additionally, a thesis editor will completely format a thesis ready for printing and submission, following university submission guidelines; create all preliminary pages (e.g., Title page, Table of Contents, List of Figures, List of Tables and List of Abbreviations), which will be automatic and easy to update; edit and format tables and figures for neatness and consistency; edit and format appendices for neatness and consistency; and crosscheck in-text references with the reference list. A thesis editor will do everything they can, as permitted by university guidelines (which, in Australia, are the nationally endorsed ‘Guidelines for Editing Research Theses’), to ensure that a thesis is ready for submission and the research is presented in the best possible light. A thesis editor will not make substantial changes to structure and content.

How do you edit a thesis paper?

You edit a thesis paper by completing the first (and second and third) round of editing yourself before acquiring the services of a third-party editor, either a colleague or a professional editor. When you edit your own thesis paper, you must ensure that all the important information is included in the correct order, according to your thesis plan, and that there are no major errors or inconsistencies. You must also check that all formatting and referencing are consistent and correct. A professional editor will be useful because you will be very close to your own work, particularly in the final stages of preparing your thesis paper; therefore, you may miss errors in content and style. However, an academic editor will be able to read and edit your thesis paper with fresh eyes and, thus, catch any errors you may have missed.

How do I write a thesis statement?

To write a thesis statement for an essay, you must first state your topic in your own words, being as specific and concise as possible. Then, you must state your main idea or opinion about the topic and provide the key evidence you are drawing on to support your opinion. This must all be done within a single sentence (or several sentences for a longer essay with a more complex topic). An effective thesis statement outlines your main argument; is clear, specific, focused and concise; and focuses the reader’s attention on your topic by clearly outlining your perspective on the topic.

What should go in a thesis statement?

A clear statement of the topic, your main opinion regarding the topic and the key evidence you will put forward to support this opinion should go in a thesis statement. An effective thesis statement outlines your main argument; is clear, specific, focused and concise; and focuses the reader’s attention on your topic by clearly outlining your perspective on the topic. A thesis statement would normally contain all these things in one sentence, but it may require several sentences if you are writing a longer and more complex essay or thesis.

What is a thesis statement in an essay?

A thesis statement in an essay outlines your main argument and focuses the reader’s attention by clearly outlining your perspective on the topic. It will provide the topic and some general context for it, your main perspective or opinion on the topic and the key evidence you have gathered to support this opinion. Further, a thesis statement will provide an outline for the ideas presented in the rest of your essay. A strong thesis statement gives direction to the essay and provides supporting evidence to motivate your readers to continue reading. A thesis statement in an essay would normally do all these things in one sentence, but it may be several sentences if you are writing a longer and more complex essay or thesis.

Dissertation Editing Services: Everything You Need to Know

If you’re unsure about the quality of your dissertation writing, it’s best to get it reviewed by an expert editor. But you may have lots of questions about how this works. Do you need professional dissertation editing services? What process do they follow? What are the best dissertation proofreading services and how can you choose the right one for yourself?

In this article, we’ve answered all these questions and more. From checks to find out if a company is legit to your expected dissertation editing costs, we’ve covered it all. So without further ado, let’s get into it.  

What Are Dissertation Editing Services?

Dissertation editing services are professional services that help students refine their dissertations before submitting them. Companies that provide these services for students and researchers are also called “dissertation editing services”. Depending on the type of review, they check your thesis for coherence, clarity, syntax, grammar, and word choice.

While understanding professional editing services for dissertations, you may wonder how they work. These companies employ hundreds of academic editors from diverse fields. They use advanced software and a skilled team to assign each dissertation to an expert from the field. This way, you don’t have to waste your time hunting for a dissertation editor and you still get expert feedback.

But are dissertation proofreading and editing services really that important? Could you do without them?

Why Choose Dissertation Editing Services?

You should choose dissertation editing services because your dissertation is the most important academic text you’ll ever work on. It’s your responsibility to ensure that it’s written and formatted as perfectly as possible, and you will lose marks if there are errors in the document!

Plus, your dissertation is your original contribution to your field of study. It has to be the best reflection of your research, or it’ll undermine all your hard work. Due diligence in editing and proofreading your dissertation elevates its quality and conveys your sincerity to your work.

But why not edit your dissertation yourself? Well, there are several disadvantages of self-editing. There are even more advantages of dissertation editing services. So, what do dissertation editing services offer?

Dissertation editing services:

• Catch the most minute errors you’ll likely miss, even with several reviews.
• Improve the clarity and coherence of your writing.
• Ensure accuracy in research methods, argument logic, and use of technical terms.
• Offer expert feedback to improve your document further.
• Elevate the overall impact and quality of your dissertation, helping you score higher.

But how does this process work? A dissertation is a lengthy document, so dissertation proofreading services take a layered approach.

Dissertation Editing Process

The dissertation editing process moves from macro-level edits to micro-level edits. So, document-spanning issues such as coherence and argument clarity are considered first. More specific issues such as grammar and spelling mistakes are fixed at the end to avoid repeated work. 

Depending on the scope of the editing step and the issues looked at, there are four major types of editing. They’re undertaken in a specific order, but various services may offer them in different formats.

Types of Dissertation Editing

The four types of dissertation editing are substantive or developmental editing, line editing, copy editing, and proofreading. Does your dissertation need all four steps? Let’s take a look.

1. Substantive Editing

Substantive editing, also known as content editing or developmental editing, focuses on the content of your dissertation. It improves the structure and flow of the entire document, examining its clarity and coherence. 

A substantive editor:

• Examines the logical development of your argument.
• Ensures that your writing is clear and has a smooth flow.
• Checks the validity of your methodology and data points.
• Removes any ambiguous, redundant, or repetitive sections.
• Ensures that your dissertation aligns with your research objectives.

The substantive editor will leave comments on the document, highlighting problematic areas and suggesting improvements. Since you’re the writer, you decide which comments to work on and which ones to ignore, if any. 

2. Line Editing

Line editing is a line-by-line edit that improves the clarity, flow, and effectiveness of your academic sentences. This is a more stylistic review, focusing on meaning, tone, and word choice than grammar or punctuation. So if you want to ensure that your dissertation is engaging, coherent, and well-written, you need a line editor.

A line editor checks your dissertation for the following:

• Clear expression of the intended meaning
• Word choice and sentence structure
• Smooth flow between sentences and paragraphs
• Consistency in tone and style
• Pacing (sentence length, density of data, etc.)
• Overt language errors (not the main focus)

This step is crucial for ESL students and researchers as well as anyone who’s unsure of their writing abilities. However, providers of dissertation editing services often combine line editing with copy editing, since both these steps address overlapping concerns.

3. Copy Editing

Copy editing for a dissertation is a meticulous process that focuses on the mechanical aspects of writing such as grammar, spelling, and punctuation. In its pure form, copy editing doesn’t pay much attention to stylistic or technical aspects of your writing. So, a copy editor will fix the language errors in a sentence but not inconsistencies in writing style or pacing.

Just because dissertation copy editing is mechanical doesn’t mean it has a narrow scope, though. A copy editor checks not only writing but also graphic elements, formatting style, and referencing. A copy editor undertakes the following tasks:

• Correcting errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence construction.
• Ensuring proper sentence structure with subject-verb agreement.
• Making the text clear and readable.
• Checking the use of technical terms, abbreviations, and acronyms.
• Reviewing the labeling, formatting, relevance, and overall fitness of tables, figures, and images.
• Ensuring that the dissertation follows the prescribed style guidelines (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.).
• Reviewing in-text citations and entries on the reference list; cross-checking them for accuracy and missing details.
• Checking for overall consistency in the document (formatting, word choice, and style).
• Undertaking a basic review of the page layout.

As you can see, a copy editor plays a crucial role in removing several kinds of errors from your dissertation. Compared to this, a line editor’s review seems smaller in scope. So, most dissertation copy editing service providers combine it with line editing. They correct language errors and add comments for stylistic improvements.

4. Proofreading

Dissertation proofreading is the final review that highlights any errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting. It looks only for surface-level mistakes, such as typographical or language-related errors. So, it’s like copy editing in a sense but with a smaller scope.

Proofreading removes any lingering errors that may distract readers or undermine your hard work. It may seem like a minor step, but it’s an essential quality check and your last defense against any superficial errors. You should proofread your dissertation once all other editing steps are complete to avoid rework.

Proofreading highlights the following errors in your dissertation:

• Spelling mistakes and typos
• Punctuation errors
• Any obvious grammar errors
• Incorrect abbreviations and acronyms
• Errors in labeling or formatting tables and figures
• Referencing errors
• Problems with page formatting (such as improper margins and missing headers)

Since a dissertation proofreader has to catch such minute errors, proofreading is a painstaking and detail-oriented task. Dissertation proofreading services hire trained experts to undertake this step, saving you time and effort.

What Is Dissertation Referencing?

Dissertation referencing is the process of adding references to your dissertation. While researching, you’re bound to use information from a variety of sources, all of which you must credit in your thesis. Whether you follow the MLA style or APA format, you must add and correctly format your in-text citations and reference list entries.

Professional dissertation editors and proofreaders don’t usually undertake this step for you. They may fix one or two incorrect or missing citations, but they don’t write your reference list for you. If any APA dissertation editing services undertake this task, they may charge an additional price.

What Is Dissertation Formatting?

Dissertation formatting is the process of formatting your pages and text according to the style guidelines prescribed by your university. This is usually the MLA format for humanities students, APA format for STEM students, and Chicago style for students of business and history. Incorrect formatting in your dissertation may result in a lower score.

Like referencing, an editor does not undertake dissertation formatting for you unless as a separate task. Some companies do offer dissertation referencing and formatting services in addition to editing and proofreading.

Choosing an Editing Service: What to Look For

Now that you know what dissertation editing is, why it’s important, and how it works, it’s time to find out how to choose an editing service. There are several dissertation review services out there, old and new. Older firms have experience but are often more expensive, while newer companies are more affordable but aren’t well-known. So what signs should you look for?

1. Reviews and Recommendations

Personal recommendations from your peers or seniors are the best method when choosing an editing service. If a company has worked for them, it probably understands the requirements of your subject or university. Some universities also have tie-ups with doctoral dissertation editing services, so you should check if yours has one.

The next step is to check the company’s online reviews. Even a quick look at the reviews will give you a good idea of a company’s strengths and weaknesses. You can then make a more informed choice based on these testimonials.

Shortlist a few editing services from this initial check and refine that list as you find out more about them.

2. A Helpful but Realistic Support Team

All good editing firms have a support team that communicates your requirements to the editing team. The support staff also helps you place your order and guides you through the editing process. Ideally, the person communicating with you should be friendly, confident, and knowledgeable, but not pushy.

If you’re being rushed into placing an order or being offered dubious discounts, you should proceed with caution. So, make sure that the support team knows what they’re doing and can be relied upon. You should also remember to be very clear about your requirements and priorities in your document. This will help them target those issues in your dissertation and you won’t have to ask for any revisions.

3. Transparency and Confidentiality

Dissertation editing services must be transparent about their editing process and measures to ensure document confidentiality. At the end of your first call with the company, you should have clarity about the people who will work on your document and the process they’ll follow. If you can’t be sure of this, ask the support team for clarification. If you don’t get a satisfying answer, it’s probably best to avoid working with that particular service.

Another important aspect of dissertation editing is confidentiality. Almost all editing services have their editors sign NDAs at the time of joining, so you shouldn’t worry about that. One thing to look for, however, is the security measures the company undertakes to protect your document from outside threats. This includes 192-bit or 256-bit encryption methods, which are popularly used by dissertation editing companies.

4. Free Work Sample

Always ask for a sample edit. Editing companies don’t usually offer a sample edit unless you approach them with a major document. Since a dissertation qualifies as such, any firm worth its name should be good to offer you a one-page or 300-word free edit.

This sample edit will tell you a lot about a company’s work ethic, quality of edits, and professionalism. If you’ve shortlisted a few companies, the sample edit is probably the most reliable metric to base your final decision on. However, company policies keep changing and some established firms may have stopped offering sample edits. In this case, you’ll have to decide based on the three factors listed above.

5. A Good Offer

The final consideration is one for your pocket. Getting dissertation editing help can get expensive, and most companies understand the financial constraints on students. So, you’re likely to find big discounts during the dissertation season. If waiting that long isn’t an option for you, don’t hesitate to ask the support staff!

Once you have a quote from a few companies, compare their pros and cons and you’ll be able to choose the best dissertation editing service for you.

Be sure to enquire about the company’s revision policy. If you’re unhappy with the edit, you should be able to receive a partial or full refund. Most editing services offer one or two free revisions, so make sure to use those and get the best version of your document!

Now that we know how to choose a dissertation editing service, what are some well-known firms that fit the bill? Let’s take a look.

The Top Dissertation Editing Services of 2024

Of the many premium dissertation editing services out there, some stand out as the best of the best. In this list, we’ve considered quality of services, pricing, turnaround time, and editorial team. So, here are the best dissertation editing services of 2024:

An established name in academic editing, Scribbr is particularly popular among college students due to its online tools and resources. Their expertise and experience don’t come cheap, but you can rest assured that your dissertation will be well-edited. The best thing is that you can ask them to focus on certain aspects of your document.

If you know that your writing isn’t clear or that your structure needs to be refined, you can opt for the relevant checks. These come with a hike in price but may be helpful for those who have received targeted feedback from professors before. After all, structure, cohesion, and clarity are important factors that affect your overall grade.

Scribbr can return your edited dissertation in 12 hours to 7 days. At around $835 for a 15,000-word dissertation, however, dissertation editing with Scribbr will cost you a pretty penny.

2. Cambridge Proofreading

Cambridge Proofreading has been offering dissertation editing services for over 11 years. They employ more than 300 academic editors, all of whom are native speakers from the US and UK. Their system deletes all documents after 15 days of closing an order, which helps keep your dissertation confidential.

Cambridge Proofreading has expertise in editing dissertations from diverse fields, from astrophysics to philosophy. Recently they’ve also launched a service where they humanize AI-generated text. This is an additional boost for many students, helping them get more work done in less time.

Their dissertation editing process is fairly straightforward, but they stand out in terms of pricing. They charge dissertation editing rates of $28.90 per 1,000 words for a 24-hour delivery and $25.90 per 1,000 words for a 48-hour delivery. In terms of both the cost and turnaround time, this is excellent!

3. Scribendi

Scribendi was established in 1997, making it one of the oldest top dissertation editing companies. They have a separate approach to ESL writers, paying more attention to those documents. With 287 editors working at the firm, they should be able to pair you with an expert from your field.

Sribendi has ISO certification and prioritizes customer satisfaction. They can deliver your document in as little time as four hours! This isn’t feasible for longer documents like dissertations, however. For example, they can deliver a 15,000-word dissertation in 48 hours to 7 days. Their price range for this is $558–$615, putting them on the slightly expensive side of things.

You can use their dissertation editing service to refine not only complete theses but also dissertation and thesis proposals.

4. TrueEditors

Although a relatively newer company, TrueEditors is a robust and affordable dissertation editing service. They have more than 155 academic experts onboard from a diverse range of academic disciplines. The best thing is that their edit also includes dissertation referencing, dissertation formatting, and a plagiarism check!

TrueEditors offers five prices depending on the time duration. They can deliver your edited dissertation in 48 hours, but the price will be higher. If you opt for a delivery time of ten days, however, the price will be much lower.

Aside from editing and proofreading a dissertation, TrueEditors also offers:

• Paraphrasing & Rewriting
• Content Writing
• Translation

These additional services are especially useful to ESL students, who may struggle to express their ideas as eloquently in English.

Enago employs highly qualified editors and proofreaders to work on your dissertation. They offer dissertation editing services in two packages: Thesis Essentials and Thesis Pro. The Thesis Essentials package is limited to grammar, punctuation, academic style,  and expert commentary. You can get thesis formatting, reference formatting, plagiarism check, and one revision with this package as add-ons.

The Thesis Pro package includes everything in Essentials but adds a clarity check, structure check, and advanced commentary. Reference formatting and one revision round are free with this package. If you’re not sure about editing with Enago, you can get their sample edit of 200 words. They only offer this if your dissertation is over 10,000 words.

This overview of the best dissertation editing services must have given you an idea about the process and pricing. But let’s take a closer look at the average dissertation proofreading cost.

How Much Does it Cost to Edit a Dissertation?

It can cost between $400–$850 to edit a dissertation of 15,000 words. However, the cost of dissertation editing varies based on document length, complexity, and your requirements. Undergraduate and master’s dissertations, for instance, will be about 8,000–15,000 words long. PhD dissertations, on the other hand, can reach about 80,000–100,000 words in length, which hikes up the price dramatically.

Similarly, a specialized structure and quality check is likely to add a few hundred dollars to the editing cost. If you want the editing service to handle referencing and formatting on top of that, the cost will increase. The cost of dissertation editing is directly proportional to the amount of work the editor undertakes.

It’s always best to edit and proofread your dissertation a few times yourself and get an initial review from your instructor. You can then look for PhD dissertation editing services based on their feedback. If you know exactly what you need an editor to do, you’ll have to pay only for the essentials.

How Can I Get a Dissertation Editing Quote?

You can get a dissertation editing quote by visiting a company’s website. Most online dissertation editing services have their pricing readily available on their web pages. You can simply type the word count of your dissertation and get a tentative figure. Some companies ask you to upload your dissertation before offering a quote.

If you’d like to know more about a company and their style of work, you can reach out to their support team. These days, most companies have chatbots on their website and you can use them to get in touch with the team. This is a better way to get a quote since you can tell them your requirements and obtain a much better offer.

Can I Get a Discount on Dissertation Editing Services?

Yes, you can definitely get a discount on dissertation editing services. Almost every editing company will offer you a 5% to 10% discount on your first order. Some also have student discounts of up to 15%. Plus, most companies have offers going on throughout the year, such as Black Friday, Holiday Season, and Easter discounts.

If you’ve been working on your dissertation in advance, you’re likely to have a document ready when one of the big offers comes around. If you’re in a time crunch, though, you’ll probably have to make do with a 10% discount.

How Long Does it Take to Proofread a Dissertation?

It may take anywhere from 12 hours to 7 days to proofread a dissertation. If you pay for a premium dissertation editing service, they may even deliver the proofread document in a few hours! But less turnaround time usually means more expensive services. So, the time it takes to proofread a dissertation largely depends on your editing budget!

Do Dissertation Editing Services Offer Error-Free Dissertations?

Yes, dissertation editing services offer error-free dissertations—that’s their purpose! This doesn’t mean that no error can bypass an editor; such a claim would be impossible to live up to. However, dissertation editing and proofreading services undertake several reviews to find and remove as many errors as they can. This, in turn, almost always leaves your document completely error-free!

Is it Safe to Send a Dissertation for Editing Services?

Yes, it’s completely safe to send a dissertation to editing services! It is not only academically ethical but expected that you get your dissertation professionally edited. Editing companies undertake several measures to protect your document, from encryption methods to NDAs. Rest assured, your dissertation is safe in your editors’ hands!

What Types of Documents Can You Use Dissertation Editing Services For?

You can use dissertation editing services for complete theses and dissertations as well as partial drafts. Some services also consider thesis and dissertation proposals under dissertation editing services.

Who Will Be Editing My Dissertation?

An editor with expertise in your subject who matches your editing requirements will edit your dissertation. Since dissertation editing services are legally obligated to protect the identities of their editors, you can’t interact with them firsthand. You can, however, request the support staff to pair you up with a specific type of editor.

-Isabell S.

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Thesis Editing Service

Expert Academic Proofreading

Don’t Let Typos Undermine Your Hard Work

You may have worked on your thesis for months or years. It may be the most important academic document you will ever write. So you need it to be perfect. And this means it should be easy to read, fully referenced, and error free.

To make sure this is the case for you, why not ask the professionals? Our thesis proofreading service will help you polish your document, eliminating errors and ensuring the work you put into your research shines through.

Expert Editor

We’re Thesis Editing Experts

Your spellchecker might help you find some errors, but can you trust it with your thesis? Unlike software, our human proofreaders have a passion for academic writing. And, as editing professionals, we have extensive experience of proofreading MA and PhD theses. As such, we’ve been able to help countless students improve their writing and achieve the results they deserve.

Make sure your writing is the best it can be with our expert English proofreading and editing

Thesis Proofreading

With our thesis proofreading service, we will assign your paper to an expert academic editor. When they have your document, they will:

• Correct any punctuation, spelling, and grammar errors
• Maintain an academic tone in word choice throughout
• Fix issues related to structure and readability
• Make sure your writing is clear, concise, and consistent
• Check that your references are clear and complete

And to help ensure you are always in control of the final draft, whenever possible, we will provide two copies of your edited thesis:

• A ‘Clean’ copy in the original file format
• An MS Word Track Changes  copy

This Track Changes copy will highlight any change we make to your document, so you can review and approve them at your leisure. And if your  chosen file format  doesn’t support Track Changes, we will adapt our process to match.

Lightening-Fast Delivery

You’ll never miss a deadline with our speedy services: our Next-Day Guarantee means we’ll return any document up to 10,000 words long within 24 hours

And if you need a faster turnaround, simply select your desired delivery speed when you submit your document. We have three options:

We can also meet custom deadlines! Just let us know what you need.

*For documents up to 8,000 words 

**For documents up to 3,000 words

How We Work With Academics

Lightning-fast delivery.

You’ll never miss a deadline with our speedy services: our Next-Day Guarantee means we’ll return any document up to 8,000 words long within 24 hours.

And if you need a faster turnaround, simply select your desired delivery speed when you submit your document. We have three options

We can also meet custom deadlines! Just let us know what you need. 

* For documents up to 8,000 words

** For documents up to 3,000 words

Great Pricing

Our pricing is affordable and transparent – the cost is based on the exact length of your document. Check out our pricing calculator for an instant quote, and rest assured that you’ll receive the highest quality proofreading and editing for the best value on the market.

Referencing Expertise

Our team includes experts in various referencing styles and systems, including AMA, APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, Vancouver, and IEEE. No matter what style you’re using, though, we can check that your citations and references are correct and let you know if any information is missing. Visit our referencing page to learn more.

Subject-Matter Experts

Our team includes over 750 professional editors with backgrounds in a wide range of disciplines, so we’ll always match you with the best editor for your writing, whether you need help with a sociology dissertation, handouts for a music theory lecture, or a biology research paper.

24-Hour Support

Our support team is available around the clock to address any concerns or questions you have about your order. This means you’ll never be left in the dark, no matter where you are or what time it is.

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We can help you improve everything from journal articles to theses. Let us show you how!

Submit a fluent and error free thesis

Worried about the quality of your writing need some expert help, we’re the world’s most popular phd-dedicated proofreaders, and we’ll make your writing shine., proofreading by phd specialists, ethical and transparent, trusted by over 6,000 students, safe, secure and 100% confidential, free sample - try before you buy, we’re professional in everything we do.

You’re the expert in your field.

We’re the experts in proofreading.  .

Are you a non-native English speaker or do you struggle to write fluently? Are you worried about the quality of the writing in your PhD? 

That’s a problem, because a thesis with language and fluency issues will get sent back for costly and time consuming corrections.

We can help. We’re a member of the  Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading  (CIEP) and are bound by their Code of Practice . That means you can be assured of the highest levels of quality and professionalism in everything we do.

Because we offer the world’s most popular and comprehensive PhD writing check-up, your thesis couldn’t be in safer hands. It’s our job to correct your writing and make sure your thesis reads like a native speaker wrote it. With our help, you can submit with confidence and be one step closer to calling yourself ‘Doctor’.

If you need us to we can also check your references and bibliography, format your thesis, and comment on the overall readability and structure, for no extra cost to you.

We’ve helped over 6,000 students graduate, so no one is better qualified to make your writing shine.

“The PhD Proofreaders exceeded my expectations. The end result was a dissertation which was not only written in proper English but had much clearer content as well.”

Andrew – university of sydney., read more reviews ., the world’s most comprehensive phd writing check-up. .

Did you know it takes 40 hours to proofread an 80,000 word thesis? Or that your proofreader has to watch out for up to 100 common language, fluency and grammar problems?

You’ll certainly notice the difference when you open your thesis and you can’t believe your eyes.

You’ll notice it when long, hard-to-read paragraphs now flow seamlessly and that your ideas are presented with flawless, fluent writing.

When you get your proofread thesis back, you’ll think to yourself, “It reads like a native speaker wrote it”.

Our experienced proofreaders will comb your writing line-by-line. They check for anything that gets in the way of you presenting your research clearly and fluently. They can also format your thesis and comment on its structure and readability. 

So whether it’s grammar, syntax, repetition or spelling you struggle with, let us find the language flaws and correct them for you.

You’ll be one step closer to calling yourself Doctor

Proofreading specifically for PhD students

We check for and correct mistakes with grammar, spelling, word use, repetition and tone. We spend 40 hours combing line-by-line through an 80,000 word thesis, so you know that no mistakes will be left. Even your examiner won’t read your thesis that carefully.

We do everything we’re allowed to as proofreaders while preserving your integrity. We never disrupt or alter your ideas. Instead, we take what you’ve written and make it shine.

We understand deadlines

You’re up against tight deadlines and you feel under pressure to submit. That’s why we work quickly and efficiently when proofreading your thesis.

We typically take two working days for a 10,000 word chapter or seven for an entire 80,000 words thesis. We can work more quickly though if you need us to – just let us know (additional fees may apply).

Our turnaround times are guaranteed and we’ll clearly communicate them with when you order. We’ll never cause you to miss a deadline.

60 disciplines, 100 countries, 6,000 satisfied students

Our proofreaders are experienced in a wide range of academic areas. Our service is designed specifically for:

• Non-native speakers of English
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Tailored to your requirements

You need to know that the person proofreading your PhD can understand the technical terms of your discipline.

That’s why we assign it to an accredited proofreader with expertise in your discipline. All our proofreaders have at least a master’s degree, with most having PhDs themselves. In either case, they speak your language.

Because we only proofread PhDs, we know the process inside out. We know exactly what’s required and what standard you should be writing at. You can be sure we’ll treat your thesis with the respect it deserves and catch every writing mistake.

Safe, secure and 100% confidential.

You need to be 100% sure that you can trust the people working on your thesis. That’s why we treat your thesis safely, securely and confidentially. We treat it as if it were our own.

We have a robust Privacy Policy and we will gladly sign a non-disclosure agreement to give you complete peace of mind. We’re also bound by the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading’s Code of Practice,  so you can be sure of a professional, thorough service.

We will also work on a 500-word free sample, so you can assess the quality of our work, and we offer a 100% money-back guarantee if you aren’t happy with the finished product.

Free Optional Add-Ons To Elevate Your Writing…

Every phd is different, which is why we offer a range of add-on services alongside our core proofreading at no extra cost to you. you’ll be able to select which you need when you submit an inquiry below.  , reference checking & formatting.

If you need us to, we’ll format your in-text references and bibliography in line with any major style guide. We’ll also double check that your bibliography is complete, so you can be sure that all the references you mention in the text are accounted for, and vice versa. 

Thesis &Chapter Formatting

If the thought of formatting your thesis prior to submission fills you with dread, we can help. Following your university’s submission guidelines, we’ll make sure the entire thesis is formatted correctly. This includes fonts, margins, spacings, headings and so on. 

Readability & Structure Check

If you want a second opinion on the clarity of your argument and quality of your writing, we’ll help. If you want, our editors can provide feedback and advice on the overall readability and structure of the text and, where relevant, suggest areas for improvement. 

What other students say

Finishing a PhD is a difficult and nerve-racking endeavour   the final phases especially can be quite stressful. As I had re-read some of the chapters in my thesis over and over again, I felt that I could not really ‘see’ the words anymore, so I decided to look for a proofreader. I’m a perfectionist, so I figured that I’d save myself a lot of nerves by having someone look over it critically. While I’m not a native English-speaker, I’m a very confident writer, so I did not need any help with the language. Instead, I was looking for someone who could help spot typos as well as repetitions and general inconsistencies. I contacted a range of different proofreading services. The PhD Proofreaders stood out to me from the start. It felt very personal, and Max really took the time to listen to all of my enquiries. In addition to his expertise, he can empathise with the stress of handling the final stages of writing. Turnaround time was very quick, and the proofreading was generally quite thorough. The entire process was very smooth; we agreed on a timetable and he even managed to send comments back before the deadline we had agreed upon. Even after sending me his comments, he checked in regularly to see if I needed help with anything in the final weeks before submission. He is encouraging, always goes the extra mile, and super easy to communicate with; I was always able to get a hold of him when I needed something. All in all, it was well worth the money and I highly recommend his services!

PhD Researcher , University of Cambridge

“Without this personalised assistance, there is no way I would have felt comfortable paying a proofreader. The PhD Proofreaders couldn’t have done a better job. It was such a relief. The thesis they sent back read so beautifully and I was awarded no corrections.”

“You and your excellent professional skills can always cheer me up and bring me more confidence at the last stage of this long matharon.”

“Without The PhD Proofreaders, there is no chance I would have submitted my thesis on time. I wouldn’t have passed first time, either. My thesis was let down by poor English, so the money I spent was worth every penny. It was a great investment.”

“Your solidarity with developing countries’ PhD students who would never be able to afford other similar services, makes you standout not only high quality proofreading services provider but also an understanding and personal service supplier. This unique approach puts you at the helm of the pack.”

“After talking to Elizabeth [a PhD coach], I didn’t wake up in the middle of the night last night for the first time in months! Ahh to have this feeling over my destiny again is very nice”.  – Rachel, France.

Frequently asked questions...

What's included.

When we’re finished, your thesis will read like a native speaker wrote it. Included as standard:

1. Checking and correcting misspelling and incorrect punctuation.

2. Checking grammar and syntax. This can include rewording parts of a sentence or a whole sentence in order to clarify your English, which can be in US, UK or Australian spellings.

3. Leaving comments for you where the meaning of the text is unclear or confusing in order to help readability.

4. Identifying the incorrect use of words and suggesting alternatives or the need for you to investigate alternatives.

5. Ensuring consistency in terms of spelling,  punctuation, capitalisation and other aspects of style.

We always use track changes, so you can see every change that was made. Plus, we never guess your meaning – if anything isn’t clear we’ll ask for further clarification.

What isn't included?

There are strict rules governing what we are allowed to do. That means we can’t:

1. Write or create content for you. This includes things like table of contents, abstracts or bibliographies. 

2. Alter the structure of your text beyond what would be expected in the proofreading process (i.e. we can improve language fluency, but we can’t restructure chapters). 

3. Feedback on the structure, content, or argumentation, unless you specifically request us to. 

4. Make stylistic changes to make the work more ‘academic’ or ‘professional’.

5. Format the text, tables, reference list, or in-text citations, unless you specifically request us to.  

Who will proofread my work?

Your work will be proofread by two accredited proofreaders with subject-specialism. We always assign the most qualified proofreader, so nothing gets misunderstood.

We always use contractors, meaning we have the pick of some of the world’s best proofreaders (and we know where to find them).

How can I trust you?

We are a member of the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders and are bound by their Code of Practice . That governs the quality of our work and the way we interact with you, and shows our commitment to professionalism. 

We also offer a money back guarantee. That’s how confident we are in the quality of our work.

We also follow the rules laid out by your university or, where these aren’t available, the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading Code of Practice.

We also offer a free, no-obligation sample so you can see for yourself the quality our work.

We always treat your work securely and confidentially. We have a strict Privacy Policy  governing how we manage your thesis and data, and will gladly sign a non-disclosure agreement, to give you complete peace of mind.

Avoid months of unnecessary corrections with a thesis that's right first time

When you first started your PhD you were fired by ambition and excited by the possibilities of your field.

Then reality struck. Writing 80,000 words of clear, error-free prose on a highly specialised subject is no easy task. If writing is not your forte, or English is not your first language, the challenge becomes even more daunting.

At The PhD Proofreaders, we understand the position you’re in.

Our mission is to make your life easier and less stressful than ours was when we were doing our PhDs. We saw people failing or facing months of corrections because of poor-quality written work, despite being experts in their field.

We’ve seen over and over again the value of a writing check-up. Language mistakes undermine all the hard work, time and money you’ve put into your thesis. They can harm your credibility and delay your graduation. Our writing check-up is a small price to pay to make sure your thesis is right first time.

PhD proofreading can transform the quality of your written work and allow you to submit a more competent thesis more quickly. 

Doctor. Sooner.

That’s what it’s all about.

We keep our prices as low as possible, so we can help as many people as possible. You’re guaranteed the very highest quality work, or we’ll refund you in full ( terms and conditions apply). We accept all major credit or debit cards, WeChat, Alipay, Klarna, or direct bank transfers.

Click here for a currency converter.

Turnaround Times

0-5,000 words.

One working day

5,001-10,000 words

Two working days

10,001-20,000 words

Three working days

20,001-40,000 words

Four working days

40,001-80,000 words

Five to seven working days

We guarantee these turnaround times, or your money back.

If you need your work back more quickly, let us know when you make an inquiry. We can meet even the tightest deadlines (additional fees may apply).

To get started tell us a little about your needs…

Once you send this form, one of our team will respond during working hours (typically 8am-10pm UK time). We typically reply within the hour. We’re friendly, here for you, and make the whole process pain-free.

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• Proofreading Tips

Proofreading Checklist: Thesis or Dissertation

• Jun 27, 2021
• Academic Editing
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Whether at master’s or PhD level, theses and dissertations are complex documents. This can make them difficult to proofread . With that in mind, though, we’ve prepared this handy proofreading checklist you can use when working on a thesis or dissertation.

Parts of the Thesis/Dissertation

Theses and dissertations typically comprise several parts, including:

• A strong title that clearly reflects the content of the document.
• A cover page with the title, author’s name, and any extra details required by the examining institution (e.g., name of school, date of submission).
• An acknowledgements page thanking people who helped the author.
• A clear, concise abstract that summarizes the full document.
• A table of contents, plus lists of charts, figures, and abbreviations where applicable.
• An introduction, the main body of the document, and a conclusion. For experimental work, this will usually follow the IMRAD format . In other cases, it should comprise a series of chapters, each covering part of the overall argument.
• A bibliography or reference list (as per your client’s chosen citation style).
• Any appendices or supplementary material required.

However, the details here can vary depending on the degree level and subject area. As such, you should check your client’s style guide for advice on what the thesis or dissertation should include, plus guidelines for each section (e.g., cover page details, abstract length).

Mechanical Issues

Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are the starting point of any proofreading job. When proofreading a thesis or dissertation, then, you will need to look for:

• Basic spelling errors, plus issues related to proper nouns, technical terms, neologisms and other words that the spellchecker might miss.
• Incorrect or unclear grammar and punctuation.
• Inconsistencies in punctuation style, capitalization, and terminology.
• Any additional mechanical requirements in your client’s style guide.

These should all be obvious points for an experienced proofreader. But it’s easy to overlook a few inconsistencies or typos in longer documents, so make sure to be thorough!

Academic Writing Style

Theses and dissertations typically focus on complex ideas or topics, with a dry, academic tone. However, good academic writing is also easy to read. When proofreading, then, you should help your client maintain a scholarly tone while making sure the document is clear.

In practice, this typically means looking out for the following:

• Correct use of technical terminology for the subject area (while also highlighting issues with excessive jargon or unnecessarily convoluted phrasing).
• A formal writing style throughout, with no colloquial or informal language.
• Unnecessary wordiness and repetition that makes text difficult to follow.
• Undefined or incorrectly introduced acronyms and abbreviations.
• Unnecessarily gendered or biased language.
• Inappropriate use of the first person or other subjective language.
• Over reliance on the passive voice where the active voice would be clearer.
• Awkward phrasing or transitions that detract from the flow of the text.

Keep in mind, too, that a thesis or dissertation is the culmination of years of study. Ensuring an academic tone is thus a very important aspect of proofreading.

Referencing Issues

As they are longer than standard essays and research papers, theses and dissertations will typically include a lot of references. When proofreading, then, you should:

• Make sure you are familiar with the referencing style your client is using.
• Check that all citations in the main text are clear and consistent.
• Look for issues with quotations and block quotes .
• Check that the reference list/bibliography is correctly formatted.
• Make sure all sources cited in the main text are present in the reference list, that all entries are correctly formatted for the source type, and that all entries are complete.
• Check that repeated author’s names and book titles are consistent and correct.

However, be careful about editing references directly. Minor corrections to inconsistencies or typos are fine, but making substantial changes could lead to accusations of plagiarism . On a purely practical level, moreover, it’s often difficult to be certain about any changes you make to references unless you have access to the same sources as your client.

As such, it is usually better to comment on referencing issues than correct them directly.

Images and Charts

Many theses and dissertations have images, tables, or charts. If this is true of the document you’re proofreading, you will need to check that:

• Images, tables, and charts all have captions with clear, error-free labels.
• All images, tables, and charts are listed (either together or separately, depending on how many of each type the document contains) after the table of contents.
• Captions are consistent between lists of figures and the main text.
• Visual elements of the same type are labelled consistently, typically with a sequential numbering system for ease of reference in the main text.
• The relationship between visual elements and the main text is clear (e.g., that mentions of images in the text are clearly labelled with “see figure X” or similar).
• All images from sources (e.g., an existing technical illustration) are cited correctly.

Make sure to check your client’s style guide for advice on presenting images and charts, too.

Dissertation and Thesis Formatting

The correct formatting for a dissertation or thesis will depend on the examining institution, so make sure to check your client’s style guide! However, you will usually need to ensure:

• Consistent uses of fonts, styles , and spacing options in different parts of the text.
• All headings and subheadings are formatted to appear in the table of contents .
• Captions are formatted so they’ll appear in lists of charts/figures .
• Correct use of indentations (e.g., block quotes).
• That the layout matches your client’s style guide (especially margin sizes).
• Correctly formatted page numbers (e.g., theses and dissertations often use roman numerals for introductory pages and arabic numerals for the main text).
• Use of section breaks between chapters (in line with your client’s style guide).
• Running headers match the chapter titles in each section.

Many theses and dissertations are bound when finished, so correct formatting can be very important (e.g., making sure the document has a gutter margin for binding).

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Editing and Proofreading

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After drafting and revising to make sure that we’ve communicated our ideas clearly and effectively, we can take time to make sure that our writing reflects that hard work that we’ve put into it. At the editing and proofreading stages of the writing process, we check our work to make sure that it’s consistent, clear, and error-free. This resource covers a few basic strategies for editing and proofreading our work.

Analyzing Sentence Structure

Writing can sound repetitive, and even unclear, if we do not vary our sentence structure enough. Typically, you should try to avoid series of very short or very long sentences; instead, try to make your sentences vary in length.

Exercise for Revision

Taking your paper, or a peer’s, highlight or underline every other sentence. After doing this for a paragraph, section, or page (whatever you have time for), look at the paper to get a visual sense of sentence length. If many of the sentences appear to be around the same length, try to shorten some or combine others to help vary the length.

Reading Aloud

Reading a piece of writing out loud is an excellent way to check for repetition, find typos, and get a general sense of the flow of your paper. Though reading out loud might feel uncomfortable, it is a strategy that can help you see your paper in a new light, thus helping you to improve it considerably.

Reading Aloud Exercise

Taking your paper, or a peer’s, read out loud a paragraph, section, or page (whatever you have time for). When you find typos, errors, or parts that might need to be revised for other reasons, simply make a mark on the page (do not stop to correct it). After you have finished a segment of the paper, go back and make changes to the paper (or call the author’s attention to the possible errors that you noted).

Another variation of this exercise is to read the paper backwards. You can read it backwards word by word or sentence by sentence to be able to focus on spelling issues and typos.

Keeping a Checklist

If you know that you tend to have specific issues with your writing, keeping an editing or proofreading checklist is a good way to ensure that you’ve addressed all these issues before submitting your work for class or publication. A sample checklist might look like this:

• Comma consistency
• Capitalization

Checklist Exercise

As you read through your paper, or a peer’s, look specifically for the issues on the checklist. If commas are known to be a problem, look specifically at all the commas in the paper, checking the usage of each. Or, if you are looking for capitalization issues, ask yourself as you go through each word or sentence: “Is everything that is capitalized in this sentence supposed to be capitalized? Are any words missing capitalization?” Continue like this for each issue individually.

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PhD Success – How To Write a Doctoral Thesis

Posted by Rene Tetzner | Oct 1, 2021 | PhD Success | 0 |

PhD Success is designed to assist doctoral students who are writing theses in the English language. Suitable for use in a wide range of academic and scientific disciplines and subject areas, it focuses on the writing process of a thesis, with its aim being to provide sound practices and principles for reporting and formatting in text the methods, results and discussion of even the most innovative and unique research in ways that are clear, correct, professional and persuasive.

Individual chapters address reflective and critical writing early in the thesis process; working successfully with thesis supervisors and benefitting from commentary and criticism; drafting and revising effective thesis chapters and developing an academic or scientific argument; writing and formatting a thesis in clear and correct scholarly English; citing, quoting and documenting sources thoroughly and accurately; and preparing for and excelling in thesis meetings and examinations.

The assumption of the book is that the doctoral candidate reading it is both eager to write and more than capable of doing so, but nonetheless requires information and guidance on exactly what he or she should be writing and how best to approach the task. The basic components of a doctoral thesis are outlined and described, as are the elements of complete and accurate scholarly references, and detailed descriptions of writing practices are clarified through the use of numerous examples.

PhD Success provides guidance for students familiar with English and the procedures of English universities, but it also acknowledges that many theses in the English language are now written by candidates whose first language is not English, so it carefully explains the scholarly styles, conventions and standards expected of a successful doctoral thesis in the English language.

Table of Contents – PhD Success

Chapter 1: the essential components and requirements of a doctoral thesis.

1.1. Preliminary Matter

1.1.1 Title 1.1.2 Abstract 1.1.3 Keywords 1.1.4 Dedication 1.1.5 Table of Contents 1.1.6 Acknowledgements 1.1.7 List of Abbreviations 1.1.8 List of Figures or Illustrations 1.1.9 List of Tables

1.2 The Main Body of the Thesis

1.2.1 Introduction 1.2.2 Literature Review 1.2.3 Methodology Chapter(s) 1.2.4 Results Chapter(s) 1.2.5 Discussion and Conclusion Chapter(s)

1.2.6 In-Text References, Footnotes and/or Endnotes

1.3 Tables and Figures

1.3.1 Tables

1.3.2 Figures

1.4 Final and Supplementary Matter

1.4.1 Appendices

1.4.2 Endnotes

1.4.3 List of References, List of Works Cited or Bibliography

Chapter 2: Progressive Writing from the Start

2.1 Writing to Record, Remember, Think and Reuse

2.1.1 Jotting Down and Developing Ideas

2.1.2 Taking Accurate, Critical and Reflective Notes while Reading Sources

2.1.3 Reviewing the Relevant Literature in a Preliminary Way

2.1.4 Recording the Results of Trials, Experiments, Surveys and Interviews

2.2 Writing and Revising for Your Supervisor: The First Piece(s) of Formal Text

Chapter 3: Writing and Revising the Proposal Chapters

3.1 Writing the Introduction for the Proposal

3.2 Writing the Literature Review for the Proposal

3.3 Writing the Methodology Chapter(s) for the Proposal

3.4 Using Footnotes or Endnotes for Supplementary Material

3.5 Constructing the Title, Table of Contents, Timeline and List of References

3.5.1 The Title

3.5.2 The Table of Contents

3.5.3 The Timeline

3.5.4 The List of References

3.6 Revising the Proposal Draft

3.7 Writing the Proposal Presentation and Anticipating Questions

3.8 Taking Notes and Resolving Problems before Moving On

Chapter 4: Drafting and Completing the Thesis

4.1 Preparing an Outline or Thesis Plan: The Working Table of Contents

4.2 Title, Abstract and Keywords: Setting the Stage

4.3 Revising the Introduction, Literature Review and Methodology Chapter(s)

4.4 Writing the Data Analysis Chapter(s): Results and Evidence

4.4.1 Designing Tables and Figures: The Visual Presentation of Information

4.5 The Final Chapter(s): Discussion, Conclusion, Limitations and Implications

4.6 Appendices, References, Acknowledgements and Other Final Things

4.6.1 Appendices

4.6.2 Other Final Things

4.7 Revising, Proofreading and Polishing the Thesis Draft: How Many Times?

4.8 Writing and Revising before and after the Thesis Examination

4.8.1 Preparing for and Surviving the Examination

4.8.2 Final Corrections and Revisions: Minor or Major?

Chapter 5: Finding Your Scholarly Voice in Correct and Consistent Written English

5.1 British versus American Spelling

5.2 The Perils of Hyphenation

5.3 Specialised Terminology and Jargon

5.4 Word Use, Syntax and Sentence Structure

5.4.1 Using Words in a Scholarly Fashion without Bias

5.4.2 The Precise and Appropriate Use of Pronouns

5.4.3 Nouns and Agreement

5.4.4 Both, Either, Neither, Nor and Only

5.4.5 Beginning Sentences Correctly and Avoiding Dangling Participles

5.4.6 Adjectives, Adverbs and Split Infinitives

5.4.7 Verbs: Tense, Voice and Contractions

5.4.8 Consistency and Variation in Word Use

5.5 Paragraphs and Lists: Effective Separation and Transition

5.5.1 Structured and Fully Developed Paragraphs

5.5.2 Using Lists Effectively

5.6 Punctuating Correctly and Consistently: Errors and Preferences

5.6.1 Commas

5.6.1 Semicolons and Colons

5.6.2 Stops, Question Marks and Exclamation Marks

5.6.3 Apostrophes and Quotation Marks

5.6.4 En Rules and Em Rules

5.6.5 Brackets and Slashes

Chapter 6: Formatting Matters: Presenting Your Writing Effectively and Consistently

6.1 Titles, Headings and Subheadings: Not Just Fancy Words

6.1.1 Using Word’s Heading Styles and Constructing an Active Table of Contents

6.2 Capitalisation and Special Fonts: Order or Chaos?

6.2.1 Capitalisation for Names, Titles and Other Elements

6.2.2 Special Fonts for Emphasis: Italic and Bold

6.3 Understanding Abbreviations

6.3.1 Lowercase or Uppercase Letters in Abbreviations

6.3.2 Full Stops with Abbreviations

6.3.3 Punctuation after Abbreviations

6.3.4 Using ‘a’ or ‘an’ before Abbreviations

6.3.5 Spacing Associated with Abbreviations

6.3.6 Plurals and Possessives of Abbreviations

6.3.7 Adding Italic Font to Abbreviations

6.3.8 Abbreviations at the Beginning of a Sentence

6.3.9 The Ampersand

6.3.10 Common English Abbreviations Used in References

6.3.11 Latin Abbreviations

6.4 Using and Formatting Numbers Appropriately

6.4.1 Words or Numerals?

6.4.2 Arabic Numerals

6.4.3 Roman Numerals

6.4.4 Dates, Decades, Centuries and Eras

6.4.6 Currency

6.4.7 Number Ranges

Chapter 7: References: Using and Documenting Sources Effectively and Accurately

7.1 Why, When and Where References Should Be Provided

7.2 The Three Main Systems of In-Text Citation

7.2.1 Author–Date and Other References Based on Author Surnames

7.2.2 Numerical References

7.2.3 Footnote and Endnote References

7.3 The Basic Components of Complete Bibliographical References

7.3.1 Author’s Name

7.3.2 Editor’s Name

7.3.3 Translator’s Name

7.3.4 Title of the Source

7.3.5 Edition

7.3.6 Volume Number

7.3.7 Book in Which the Source is Contained

7.3.8 Journal in Which the Source is Contained

7.3.9 Page Numbers

7.3.10 Date of Publication

7.3.11 Publisher and Place of Publication

7.3.12 Type of Source

7.3.13 Conference Paper

7.3.14 Thesis or Dissertation

7.3.15 Audiovisual Sources

7.3.16 Web Site, Web Page or Online Document

Chapter 8: Direct Quotations: Presentation, Integration and Accuracyctively and Accurately

8.1 Formatting and Acknowledging Quotations

8.2 Integrating Quotations: Punctuation, Sentence Structure and Argument

8.3 Accuracy and Alterations in Quoted Material

8.4 Quoting and Translating Languages Other than English

Why PhD Success?

To Graduate Successfully

This article is part of a book called "PhD Success" which focuses on the writing process of a phd thesis, with its aim being to provide sound practices and principles for reporting and formatting in text the methods, results and discussion of even the most innovative and unique research in ways that are clear, correct, professional and persuasive.

The basic components of a doctoral thesis are outlined and described, as are the elements of complete and accurate scholarly references, and detailed descriptions of writing practices are clarified through the use of numerous examples. PhD Success provides guidance for students familiar with English and the procedures of English universities, but it also acknowledges that many theses in the English language are now written by candidates whose first language is not English, so it carefully explains the scholarly styles, conventions and standards expected of a successful doctoral thesis in the English language.

Individual chapters of this book address reflective and critical writing early in the thesis process; working successfully with thesis supervisors and benefiting from commentary and criticism; drafting and revising effective thesis chapters and developing an academic or scientific argument; writing and formatting a thesis in clear and correct scholarly English; citing, quoting and documenting sources thoroughly and accurately; and preparing for and excelling in thesis meetings and examinations. 

Completing a doctoral thesis successfully requires long and penetrating thought, intellectual rigour and creativity, original research and sound methods (whether established or innovative), precision in recording detail and a wide-ranging thoroughness, as much perseverance and mental toughness as insight and brilliance, and, no matter how many helpful writing guides are consulted, a great deal of hard work over a significant period of time. Writing a thesis can be an enjoyable as well as a challenging experience, however, and even if it is not always so, the personal and professional rewards of achieving such an enormous goal are considerable, as all doctoral candidates no doubt realise, and will last a great deal longer than any problems that may be encountered during the process.

Interested in Proofreading your PhD Thesis? Get in Touch with us

If you are interested in proofreading your PhD thesis or dissertation, please explore our expert dissertation proofreading services.

Rene Tetzner

Rene Tetzner's blog posts dedicated to academic writing. Although the focus is on How To Write a Doctoral Thesis, many other important aspects of research-based writing, editing and publishing are addressed in helpful detail.

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