When you’re looking to hire a dissertation editor, there can be so much to consider. Does the editor have experience with APA 7 (or other style guides) and adhering to university/departmental dissertation guidelines? What is their rate? How many rounds of edits do they offer and can you ask follow-up questions after the final edits are delivered? What level of editing do they provide? What is their familiarity with your dissertation topic? Can they meet your deadline?

During a recent consultation call, a student asked me a number of the questions above before he told me,“I just want to make sure you’re the right fit.”I appreciated that statement, and I encourage anyone who is thinking about/or in the process of hiring a dissertation editor to take that same approach. Here are some things to consider to help you determine if a dissertation editor is going to be the right fit for you.

If you've ever tried to convince yourself (like I have) that it's not worth the time and effort to have your clients sign a contract before you start editing their work, please reconsider this approach.

The Dissertation Editing Lab shares some common APA 7 errors and how to correct them.

Sometimes it can take quite a bit of back and forth to determine if a writer or editor is the best fit for your project - and for the writer or editor to figure out if this project works for them. Here are 7 things to share with a writer or editor to get that process started: