There are numerous services to be found on-line providing editorial services for students. These will generally be lower cost than the services of a qualified Australian editor, which can be very attractive to someone on a student’s budget. However, if you are a student at an Australian university, you should bear the following in mind when considering these services:
- You don’t know who the editor is, and may have little or no contact with them.
- The editor may not be Australian, and you may end up with a thesis in a variety of English other than Australian English.
- It is unlikely that the editor will work within the guidelines of ASEP.
- Some sites offer to add text to your thesis to modify and improve its structural coherence and the development of arguments and ideas. This is in violation of the requirement that your thesis is completely your own work, and if discovered could detrimentally affect your assessment.
- The low cost means that the editor is being paid a very small amount, and may not give your work the concentrated attention it deserves. You get what you pay for.
