By- Dr. Steenkamp, Advaita Services

I know every postgraduate student faces this dilemma at one time or another during the grueling haul that is obtaining a degree. Making that crucial decision to employ a proofreader is not always an easy one. Sure, we all have spellchecker and Grammarly, and some of you may even have been blessed with excellent grammar, spelling and typing abilities, but the truth is that even the best of the best need some help now and then. So, the question you should be asking yourself is:

How important is my thesis?

Once you answered this question for yourself, you will know if you need to go the extra mile and have a professional proofreader double-check your work. I realize that this may place you between a rock and a hard place – sure you want to answer that your thesis means everything to you, but in reality, you are wondering if the extra expense of a proofreader is worth it. So, I am going to break it down for you as a PhD graduate who has written two lengthy theses and supervised plenty more during my career.

These are the five (very good) reasons you should have your thesis proofread.

  1. Thesis are (unfortunately) kind of permanent

Believe it or not, but writing a thesis is like writing a science fiction novel. In most cases, you are going to be revealing facts and data that is unknown to humanity. It involves loads of research and many sleepless nights contemplating the meaning of your work. Finally, after a specified, and sometimes unspecified allotment of time, you write it all down in a systematic way, you print it and bind it, seal it with a kiss and deposit it in some form of permanent storage like your bookshelf or a library. That’s it, after this point you are unable to make any more changes, and if spelling mistakes and grammatical errors have found their way into your final product, they will stay there until the end of time. It is thus always a good idea to make sure that permanent evidence of your existence and contribution to this world, is error-free.

  1. A thesis sets the stage for your career

For many of us, your thesis will be your first publication and in most cases are reviewed externally by your professional peers and superiors, and will set the stage for your professional career. The impression you create with this first work will to a great extent define who you are as a professional, not only to others but also to yourself. Doing things right the first time, is always easier than having to make loads of corrections, especially if these corrections are mundane and avoidable.

  1. Thesis chapters often translate to published articles

Yes, you read correctly. For the sciences that depend heavily on publications, a thesis is the starting point for your publication record. Thesis introductions become review articles and data chapters become research articles. If you make sure your thesis is error-free, you can not only gain a reputable piece of work but spare yourself embarrassing corrections when submitting work for publication.

  1. What you learn now…will save you later

If you are smart enough to make use of a professional editor proofreader, you will easily be able to pick up on your mistake trends. Everyone has them – those little glitches that follow you though you work, popping up around every corner. It may be a simple typing error or an old spelling or grammatical mistake that has stuck, and if you can identify them with professional help, you can actively try and avoid them in the future.

  1. Most people are blind to their own mistakes

I contemplated placing this fact in the first place, simply because it is such a fundamental truth. After writing, rewriting and re-reading your work for the hundredth time, your eyes will get lazy in recognizing mistakes. You will simply read over them because your eyes are so used to them. This is how errors creep in, even if you are a phenomenal writer, speller or grammar buff. You will need a fresh set of eyes to identify these errors, and a proofreader can do exactly that.

In conclusion, a proofreader will improve the overall quality of your work and is, therefore, worth every penny.

For your specific editing and proofreading needs, you can contact us over enquiry@advaitaservices.in