For PhD Students & Academics
Are you looking for an editor to help improve your academic writing?
As editors, our job is to remove grammatical mistakes and language errors, and ensure your voice is conveyed through your writing, without being lost in translation.
To help us maintain the high quality of our services, two experienced, professional native English editors work on each document.
We offer the following three levels of editing to PhD students, academics, as well as bachelor’s and master’s students in the Netherlands and worldwide: proofreading, copy editing, and substantive editing. Scroll down to see our rates and more information on each level of editing.
We check, among others, dissertations, essays, journal article manuscripts, proposals, reports, and theses. If your document type is not listed here, please contact us to discuss your requirements.
How we edit
We use Microsoft Word’s track changes feature to edit your document, as well as the comments feature to make suggestions, clarify changes, and highlight areas of your text that need attention. Using track changes provides you with the chance to check each individual insertion or deletion, accept or reject them, and to make your own further revisions.
How it works
Step 1: Fill out the order form and upload your document(s) or send us an email with your document(s) to editors@thinkdippy.com.
Step 2: We will check your document(s) and send you a confirmation email along with your invoice.
Step 3: Once you have accepted and given us the green light, please pay according to the terms on your invoice.
Step 4: Now we have everything we need to start the editing process! We will keep you updated on our progress.
Step 5: You will receive two versions of your document(s) (one clean and one with track changes) on or before the agreed deadline. Scroll down this page for more details about what you will receive.
Step 6: Have a careful look through the documents we send to you; if you have any queries, contact us and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Turnaround time
- Documents of up to 10,000 words are returned within 7 working days, and those containing 10,000–20,000 words are returned within 12–14 working days. Please note that turnaround times may vary during busy periods.
- For documents containing more than 20,000 words, please get in touch for a more accurate turnaround time.
- We also have an express service, if you need to have your document returned sooner. Express turnaround is available at an extra fee per 1,000 words. Rates can be found on the order form.
- We must receive documents by 12 noon CE(S)T in order for that day to be included in the turnaround time (weekends excluded).
- Should you wish to submit multiple documents, a turnaround time will be calculated for each individual document as opposed to the overall word count.
Useful information
- Proofreading is suitable for final drafts or nearly submission-ready documents only. We reserve the right to refuse to proofread texts that we feel require heavier editing.
- Please note that we do not rewrite or paraphrase any text submitted to us for proofreading or editing.
- All documents we receive are kept confidential and are seen only by the editor(s) working on your document. We are also happy to sign NDAs (we have our own NDA template, so please request this upon ordering).
- We reserve the right not to issue an editing certificate for documents that require significant revision or contain plagiarism.
- All prices on this page are in euros and are VAT inclusive (21%).
Submission guidelines
Texts submitted to us should be in MS Word format, 1.5 or double spaced, and in 12 pt font size (preferably Arial or Times New Roman). We also accept PDF and LaTeX files, but will convert them to MS Word files.
Our Services
Proofreading
€24.90/1,000 words
Spelling
- Ensuring your document is spelling error-free
- Ensuring one type of English (i.e. British, American, Canadian or Australian) is selected and used consistently throughout (e.g. “summarised” vs “summarized”)
- We can also check your document for Oxford Spelling.
Punctuation
Correcting and inserting punctuation where necessary (commas, full stops, colons, semi-colons, quotation marks, dashes, etc.)
Grammar
Correcting grammatical errors (verb tenses, word order, articles, prepositions, etc.)
Word choice
Fixing incorrect word usage and providing suggestions for more appropriate alternatives.
Copy editing
€37.90/1,000 words
Spelling
- Ensuring your document is spelling error-free
- Ensuring one type of English (i.e. British, American, Canadian or Australian) is selected and used consistently throughout (e.g. “summarised” vs “summarized”)
- We can also check your document for Oxford Spelling.
Punctuation
Correcting and inserting punctuation where necessary (commas, full stops, colons, semi-colons, quotation marks, dashes, etc.)
Grammar
Correcting grammatical errors (verb tenses, word order, articles, prepositions, etc.)
Word choice
Fixing incorrect word usage and providing suggestions for more appropriate alternatives.
Style & tone
- Ensuring an appropriate tone is employed (e.g. formal/informal)
- Using gender neutral and non-offensive terms
- Removing wordy phrases
- Applying the correct register (e.g. subjective/objective, positive/negative, direct/indirect)
- Checking that style and tone are consistent in documents with multiple authors
Clarity & consistency
- Flagging parts that are unclear to ensure intended meaning is conveyed
- Ensuring key terms and abbreviations are used correctly and consistently
- Checking cross-references to tables and figures are accurate
Language & readability
- Removing repetition and translation errors
- Checking and correcting use of idioms and collocations
- Ensuring points are organised in a readable manner
Substantive editing
€48.90/1,000 words
Spelling
- Ensuring your document is spelling error-free
- Ensuring one type of English (i.e. British, American, Canadian or Australian) is selected and used consistently throughout (e.g. “summarised” vs “summarized”)
- We can also check your document for Oxford Spelling.
Punctuation
Correcting and inserting punctuation where necessary (commas, full stops, colons, semi-colons, quotation marks, dashes, etc.)
Grammar
Correcting grammatical errors (verb tenses, word order, articles, prepositions, etc.)
Word choice
Fixing incorrect word usage and providing suggestions for more appropriate alternatives.
Style & tone
- Ensuring an appropriate tone is employed (e.g. formal/informal)
- Using gender neutral and non-offensive terms
- Removing wordy phrases
- Applying the correct register (e.g. subjective/objective, positive/negative, direct/indirect)
- Checking that style and tone are consistent in documents with multiple authors
Clarity & consistency
- Flagging parts that are unclear and suggesting changes to ensure intended meaning is conveyed
- Ensuring key terms and abbreviations are used correctly and consistently
- Checking cross-references to tables and figures are accurate
Language & readability
- Removing repetition and translation errors
- Checking and correcting use of idioms and collocations
- Ensuring points are organised in a readable manner
Transition & flow
- Ensuring the sentences and paragraphs are in a logical order
- Highlighting areas where better connections are needed
- Improving signposting (firstly, secondly, however, moreover, while, therefore, etc.)
Paragraph construction
- Ensuring topic, supporting, and transition/concluding sentences are included
- Checking paragraph length and variation
What you receive
Track changes version
This version of your document will include all the insertions and deletions made by the editors using the track changes function in Microsoft Word.
Clean version
In this version of your document, track changes will have been accepted, so you will only see the comments made by the editors.
Certificate
Upon request, we are happy to provide a certificate that confirms a document has been proofread or edited by one or more of our editors.
Report
You will receive a report that outlines our changes, comments, suggestions, and any global issues we identified in your document.
Free revision
You can return your document to us for a free final check, during which we will proofread changes you make based on our comments and suggestions.
Other Services
Citation Style Formatting
Would you like to save time and focus on the content of your text? Then check out our citation style formatting service.
Express Turnaround
Do you need your work returned sooner? Then check out our express turnaround times and rates when you order.
Questions?
If you have any questions or are unsure about which service to choose, get in touch and we will be happy to help you.
Client Reviews
“Loved the service! It was delivered on time and affordable too. Certainly will use it again next time and recommend the service to my friends and colleagues!”
Erna, PhD student, University of Groningen
“I am so impressed at the in depth analysis of my work. Each time I have only actioned a selection of the comments and still got very high marks. Very professional and knowledgeable service.”
Rosie, BA student, Open University (UK)
“I appreciate that you commented not only on grammar or flow but logic as well at a reasonable price. I should have used your service for my previous papers (resulting in poor quality at higher prices).”
PhD student, University of Groningen (client survey response)
