Research & Academic Services

Having been a professional academic for over twenty years, I know all too well the problems faced by researchers--whether they are undergraduates writing a term paper, graduate students struggling with theses or junior academic faculty desperate for publications and research funding. 

Despite the obvious differences, the main issue for all three, from the lowliest State or Community Colleges to the best research Universities in the world, is the same.  The writers have great ideas but often have difficulty communicating them effectively on the page.  Grammar, punctuation and spelling mistakes are also costly.  They can mean the difference between passing and failing, between acceptance or rejection and between funding or starting over from scratch.

Whatever your research or academic writing need, I have services to help you.

GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE TERM PAPERS
The start of a new term or semester is always exciting--that is until you get your research paper assignment.  If writing is not your strong suit, just seeing a term paper requirement in your course syllabus can be enough to make your palms sweat.  Maybe you have a lot of ideas but can't get them down in writing?  Perhaps you have no clue where to start and need help finding direction?  Is it impossible to pin down your professor for an appointment or even get them to look at your outline?

In a world where colleges and universities are increasingly relying on part-time adjunct faculty to cover their classes, it can be hard to get the help you need from your instructor.  Many of them don't have "office hours" (or even an office) so the only chance you have to see them is before, during and after class.  With all of your classmates vying for his/her attention at the same time, the chances of your paper getting more than a passing glance on the professor's way out the door are often slim to none.

This is where I can help.  Although I won't write the paper for you, I can assist you in several key areas of crafting a term paper:

Start It Right ($20.00 Flat Rate)

I can't count the number of times I've graded research papers where the student hasn't followed the directions or done what the assignment requires of them.  For example, one colleague assigns students to compare and contrast a specific popular film with a research documentary covering a related topic.  Yet, every semester, one or two papers have no discussion whatsoever of either the film or the documentary!  The obvious result is an "F" for not following the assignment.

 

Why risk failing the course over a misunderstanding?  With our Start It Right  service, we review the assignment and provide a brief write up of our suggestions for completing it to the specifications outlined by your professor.  Length of feedback will naturally vary with the complexity of the assigned task but our written guidance will provide you a road map for starting off your assignment right.

 

Developmental Guidance ($0.03 per word)

Have you gathered the resources and done the research but aren't quite sure how to put it all together?  Do you have lots of great quotes but can't figure out how to best organize and integrate them or put them into your own words?  We can help.

With our Developmental Guidance service, you provide us with your assignment and the information you've gathered.  I take your raw materials and organize them in a logical manner that flows.  I will identify gaps in what you've provided and suggest additional types of information to include.  I also give assistance in transforming those long quotes into different words that fit seamlessly into your paper.

 

Editing and Proofreading

Now that the paper is finished, all you want to do is turn it in and forget about it.  Not so fast!  One of the biggest mistakes students make is in not getting someone else to edit or proofread their work.  Sure, you can (and should) edit and proofread your own writing.  However, there is one major pitfall with relying solely on that:  you don't see the proverbial "forest for the trees."  

In terms of writing, we all know what we want to say to the reader.  However, we simply aren't the best arbiters of whether or not we have actually communicated what we mean to.  That's because we already have the ideas in our heads.  As a result, we tend to unconsciously "fill in the blanks" when reviewing what we've written.  We simply cannot see the typos, omitted words, sentence fragments or incomplete arguments in our own writing because we know what we are trying to say.

Unfortunately, your professor doesn't have the benefit of reading your mind.  S/he can only work from on what you've actually written on the page.  If you haven't communicated your ideas clearly and completely, it will be reflected in your final grade.

Why risk it?  With our Academic Editing and Proofreading services, you can select the level of assistance you need to be confident that your paper will be graded on its content rather than judged on your writing skills.

 

Substantive Editing ($0.024 per word): 

This is an in-depth editorial review which focuses on structure and content.  It is for authors who are new to writing or who are not comfortable doing so.  Language errors are identified and corrected.  Punctuation, capitalization, spelling and grammatical mistakes are also eliminated.  Coherency, flow and comprehensibility are also addressed, with extensive editorial suggestions for improvement provided.

Copy Editing ($0.015 per word): 

This is for authors who have some experience writing but lack confidence in their ability to communicate effectively in the written word.  This editorial service ensures proper sentence structure, word choice, grammar, punctuation, spelling and capitalization.  Comprehensibility is the main focus.

Proofreading ($0.008 per word): 

This is a basic proofread to catch and eliminate common grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes.  It is for more confident writers who only need a final check on their work.  It is not an editing service.