Outside editing of academic work

[themikado]

So here is a question from a friend of mine who runs her own editing business.

Comments

[chrissie_m]

You might check the policies posted on various university and college websites, to get a sense of what the official consensus might be. For instance, my university posts a policy on the Grad Studies website stating very clearly that no level of editing is considered acceptable when it comes to grad student work (that doesn't stop individual supervisors from sending their students to the Writing Centre to ask for free editing, however). They also include links to that policy in the FAQ advising students how to proceed with their theses/dissertations.

[nzraya]

I think such services should be limited to those preparing work for publication, honestly. Everyone needs an editor when preparing a book/article (and presses have cut back on editing staff to the point where you really do need to pay an outside person to get attentive work with your MS). But editing stuff for students should be totally off limits, with the possible exception of working with a PhD student to prepare the final (distribution) copy of the dissertation, after the rough draft has been approved.

[fullofpink]

My adviser has specifically requested his MA and PhD students seek professional editors for their thesis and dissertations - he's just not going to "deal" with it anymore. Ouch.

From my previous sessions with him, I think he'd be okay with any and all suggestions listed above.

[sensaes]

Editing is editing. If your friend is troubled by ethical concerns perhaps she should advertise the service as something else.

[new_kid16]

Yeah, I agree with this. I think it's up to students' professors to make clear what they do/don't consider acceptable for their students to get assistance with, and then it's on the students to decide what they want to do. If you're hiring an editor, you're hiring an editor. And what your friend calls substantive editing - I've been in situations where grad students have done that for each other (the non-paid work your friend refers to), and I worked as a (university-supported) writing tutor and offered such help to undergrads who used my services - why is it okay if a student gets someone to volunteer to do it, but not if they pay someone to do it?

There is also still a big difference between substantive editing and writing someone's work for them.

[biascut]

I swapped essays for comments with one of my friends during my MA, and it was one of the most educational things I ever did. When I read someone else's unfinished essay, all those comments i knew about the importance of structure and beginnings, middles and ends and the rote Faden made sense, and it improved my writing from low seventies at the end of my undergraduate degree to low eighties for my MA

[nzraya]

If your colleague regards herself as part of the education profession rather than as simply a hired editor, she could make it a part of her process that a student signs something to say that they believe that this does not violate their institutions academic misconduct policy. And of course it's absolutely reasonable to decline work if she feels that she is being asked to re-write something which doesn't actually make sense.

I agree with this, actually. It's not really your friend's job to make the call on whether or not a certain kind of editorial help is "cheating": that's the students' responsibility. And they should acknowledge that in writing.

That said, I think there is a palpable difference between editing and rewriting; if she fixes problems with grammar and mechanics (ideally, in something like "Track Changes" mode so they can see how the correct version is different, if they care) but only flags problems with the argument ("This isn't clear"; "what does this mean?"; "where is the evidence to support this assertion?")

[esmeraldus_neo]

My department has received email from Ph.D. students wanting to polish their dissertations, and in one case an education Ph.D. student requesting help with coursework essays.

The English department distributed the requests for help to the grad student listserv, which at least implies that it was okay to accept the freelance editing work.