After several years of editing dissertations for students at local universities, I decided in early 2025 to launch my own dissertation editing business and focus on helping students achieve their academic goals. In the 365 days that passed after opening the doors to the Dissertation Editing Lab, I learned quite a bit about what it takes to run a business, how to work effectively with clients, why networking is so important, and how to remain steady during all the ups and downs.

Here are some of those lessons learned:

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: