Frequently asked questions

After months with a manuscript, you read what you meant, not what’s on the page. A copyeditor catches what you can’t, so readers focus on your ideas. Read more.

Not always. Theses have no publisher. Journals expect polished submissions and may reject unclear ones before review. Book publishers do edit, but prefer manuscripts in good shape. If your publisher will edit, I’ll tell you if you don’t need me.

Structural: the whole manuscript. Copyediting: accuracy, consistency, clarity and flow. Proofreading: the final check. See the table.

Proofreading is $25 and copyediting $50 per 1,000 words (AUD). Structural editing is from $75 per 1,000 words, quoted after I see the manuscript; typesetting is by quote. See Pricing. Payment is 50% upfront (work begins once this is received) and 50% before the final files are returned.

Choose proofreading if your text is finished and only needs a final check for errors, typos and layout before submission or print. Choose copyediting if it still needs work on clarity, grammar, consistency and references, line by line. Not sure? Tick “Not sure, please advise” on the quote form and I’ll recommend one.

Yes. I’ll edit a sample of up to 500 words free of charge, so you can see my approach before you commit. Request it through the quote form by mentioning it under “About your project”, and I’ll reply with a secure way to send your sample.

I work with Chicago, SBL, Turabian, APA and Harvard. As part of copyediting, I check that your citations and references follow your required style consistently. Please name the style, and any journal or university guidelines, on the quote form. Reference checking without reference management software may cost more.

Yes. My specialist fields are Inter-Religious Relations, Religious Studies, Biblical Studies, Islamic Studies and Theology, and I also edit across the wider humanities. I have a PhD from Melbourne School of Theology, am an experienced PhD supervisor, and have copyedited and proofread academic journals and scholarly books.

Yes. If you write in English as an additional language, I help make your meaning clear, working on grammar, expression and flow while keeping your voice. For theses, the same IPEd limits apply as for any other author: copyediting and proofreading only, with content and structure left to you.

Yes. I work with clients anywhere in the world, and everything is done online, from your first enquiry to the return of your edited files. Start with the quote form, and I’ll reply within one business day. Rates are in Australian dollars (AUD). For a thesis, please check your own university’s editing policy, as the rules differ between institutions and countries.

No. I work only on long-form academic writing and non-fiction: theses, journal articles, chapters, conference papers and scholarly or serious non-fiction books. I don’t take on fiction or short commercial copy. If you’re unsure whether your project fits, send me a short message through the contact page.

I don’t put clients’ manuscripts into generative AI tools. My view on AI.

It depends on the length of your manuscript, the level of editing it needs, and my current workload. I'll give you a firm completion date in your quote before any work begins.

Yes. Copyediting is done in Track Changes with comments and a style sheet, so you can see every change and accept or reject each one. Structural editing of books and articles is delivered as a report with margin comments. Either way, you stay in control of the final text.

Yes. Documents you send are treated as confidential, used only for the agreed editing work and stored securely. I delete them within six months of the project’s completion unless you ask me to keep them. I don’t upload client manuscripts to generative AI services. See the privacy statement.

Send the quote form with the type of document, approximate word count, the service you need, your referencing style and any deadline. For theses, add your university and field. I reply within one business day, may ask for a short sample, and then give you a fixed quote and return date.

Yes, within limits. I edit theses in line with the IPEd Guidelines for editing theses (2025) and your university’s policy, which means copyediting and proofreading only. I flag issues of content or structure but don’t fix them, so the thesis remains your own work. Please get written approval from your principal supervisor before you book.

A thesis editor can’t rewrite your content, restructure your argument or add ideas. Under the IPEd Guidelines, content and structure are for you and your supervisors, so I don’t offer structural editing for theses. Where I notice a problem with content or structure, I flag it in a comment and leave the decision to you.

Yes. Before you book thesis editing, please get written approval from your principal supervisor. When you enquire, also tell me about any published chapters or whether it is a thesis by publication, and allow at least a month before your submission date. More on thesis editing.

Copyediting is $50 per 1,000 words (AUD), so an 80,000-word thesis is $4,000 and a 100,000-word thesis is $5,000. Proofreading only is $25 per 1,000 words, or $2,000 for 80,000 words. Rates are a guide: I confirm a fixed quote after seeing a sample. Payment is 50% upfront and 50% before the final files are returned.

Yes. Typesetting gives your non-fiction book a clean, readable interior, ready for the printer: page design and layout, notes, quotations, tables and figures, preliminary pages and running heads, delivered as a print-ready PDF (for example, for IngramSpark). Typesetting is priced by quote, and I can also proofread the typeset proofs.

Yes. I typeset paperback and hardcover print books for Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing), delivered as a print-ready interior PDF: page design and layout, notes, quotations, tables and figures, preliminary pages and running heads. I don’t produce ebooks, LaTeX files or cover designs. Typesetting is priced by quote, and I can also proofread the typeset pages.