Thesis Proof Reading

[costas]

hi all,

can someone please tell me where this has been discussed before?

i remember seeing it but my searches show nothing...

or any info on ranges of rates for such a task would be appreciated...

cheers

costas

[kenkannif]

I know this is a bit of a cop out answer but when teachers ask me how much to charge, I can't resist saying "how much are you worth?".

[Ajarn]

Maybe you can call this guy and ask him...

Proofreading/Editing

Date

03-14-2005

By

Email

[email protected]

City / Location

Chiang Mai

Phone

06 118 6512

Description

Proofreading/editing: Very experienced, professional, reasonable rate. Hourly/assignment basis. Call 06 118 6512

[PeaceBlondie]

Having no idea what to write, I'll write this:

It should depend upon the level of the paper: bachelor, masters, doctorate.

It depends upoon how technical the material is.

Is it just proofreading for spelling and punctuation? Or is it editing, which requires far more skill?

If the editor must have a master's or above in the applicable field, why should 1,000 baht an hour be too much? The trouble with hourly rates versus page rates is that either could be a poor measure.

Just sharing my obvious ignorance here; haven't done more than type a manuscript for someone since 1960.

[wilko]

hi all,

can someone please tell me where this has been discussed before?

i remember seeing it but my searches show nothing...

or any info on ranges of rates for such  a task would be appreciated...

cheers

costas

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The yardstick for your rates should be 100 baht per page. Do not charge by the hour, you're not a labourer, and anyway no-one will believe you, and do not undercharge, it does nobody any favours in the long run.

[Ajarn]

hi all,

can someone please tell me where this has been discussed before?

i remember seeing it but my searches show nothing...

or any info on ranges of rates for such  a task would be appreciated...

cheers

costas

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The yardstick for your rates should be 100 baht per page.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sir, with all due respect, you are nuts.

[jingjingna]

I agree with Wilko, 100 baht per page at the minimum, but I am in an area where the demand is high and supply is short!

[Ijustwannateach]

That kind of job can be torture, especially if you're editing in an area in which you have no expertise (some exotic forms of engineering, for example) and the vocabulary itself is unusual and technical. If you *do* have this kind of expertise, I'd say you should charge whatever going professional rates in your industry should be internationally. If not, or if you're *just* checking "normal" English with no specialized vocabulary, then I think 100B/page sounds just fine- as long as you really know what you're doing.

"Steven"

[Ajarn]

I still say yer' all bananas

Even two-paragraph abstracts paid almost twice that much 10 years ago at my university.

And 'editing' ANY Thai-produced thesis has always meant 'rewritng', in my experience. Most of what I received was really poor quality. My rate was 1,000 baht per page 10 years ago, and I always had takers..

Such skills are worth FAR more than a measly 100 baht per page... That's more befittng editing a BG's letter to her John, in my view

[Tarragona]

I still say yer' all bananas 

Such skills are worth FAR more than a measly 100 baht per page... That's more befittng editing a BG's letter to her John, in my view 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Spot on.

From what I've heard the 'going rate' is around 300 baht/page. If you can really do the job well then 600-700 baht a page is not too much.

[Ijustwannateach]

That's why I said NORMAL English with no specialized topic for 100B/page... if you have to know how to talk (correctly) about the stress/strain relationships in building foundations, obviously you should be charging more.

Sheesh.

"Steven"

[Ajarn]

then I think 100B/page sounds just fine- as long as you really know what you're doing

Steven, IF you know what you're doing, 100 baht per page for a thesis is still waay too cheap for this level, in this market, in my experience. But there are lots of people out there willing to do many things for peanuts, and if 100 baht per page is okay with you, then who am I to chide that... Though, of the quality editors I know in Thailand, none of them would ever consider doing it at your suggested price....

[costas]

That's why I said NORMAL English with no specialized topic for 100B/page... if you have to know how to talk (correctly) about the stress/strain relationships in building foundations, obviously you should be charging more.

Sheesh.

"Steven"

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

excellent, i went the undercharging way then........

40 pages of a phd thesis doing just the spellcheck and no editing (not my field)

for 2000 baht....

i should have waited really should n't I?

thanks all,

i have made one Thai candidate doctor a very happy man indeed....

costas

[Ijustwannateach]

All right, fine- anyone asks me to edit a thesis, I'll price up accordingly!

[PeaceBlondie]

Another factor - if it's already on a computerized disc, using the right word processing program, etc., and all you have to edit is the spelling errors and grossest grammatical errors - you might do a page every couple of minutes, and you're okay. But old style handwritten, or you have to type it in yourself - no way.

Ajarn, thanks for your expert experience. It's like me figuring out how much to charge Americans for income tax advice here, when the equivalent back home would be $90 per hour. Who's going to pay over 4,000 baht per hour?

[Ajarn]

Another factor - if it's already on a computerized disc, using the right word processing program, etc., and all you have to edit is the spelling errors and grossest grammatical errors - you might do a page every couple of minutes, and you're okay.  But old style handwritten, or you have to type it in yourself - no way.

Ajarn, thanks for your expert experience.  It's like me figuring out how much to charge Americans for income tax advice here, when the equivalent back home would be $90 per hour.  Who's going to pay over 4,000 baht per hour?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

PB, good point about the 'old style'... correcting basic spelling and grammar mistakes is one thing, but Academic Writing, with it's very specialized writing formats, along with trying to understand what someone wants to say from what they've written, isn't always easy. These are some of the reasons why it ended up with me pretty much writing their thesis for them based on their 'notes'. I never enjoyed this work, but I did enjoy the monetary benefits at the time. Now, if asked, I would figure it would never be worth the hassle, monetarily. It really is a headache-generating kind of job.

Your 4,000 baht per hour might still be more cost-effective for the client than the local guy doing their taxes at 1/10th of that...

[aoc1234]

excellent, i went the undercharging way then........

40 pages of a phd thesis doing just the spellcheck and no editing (not my field)

for 2000 baht....

i should have waited really should n't I?

thanks all,

i have made one Thai candidate doctor a very happy man indeed....

costas

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So how long did it take you to do the work? Would you like more work at that rate or do you feel it wasn't worth your time? You didn't say whether you were running an on-line spell checker for the guy or reading handwritten manuscripts or typewritten hardcopy.

I did a little of this while in grad school (for free!) for friends who were international students and I can attest to the 'end up rewriting it' statement. It took more work than I figured and they were less happy when we were done than they should have been (due to discovering that they weren't clear in their thinking let alone their writing)

[wilko]

hi all,

can someone please tell me where this has been discussed before?

i remember seeing it but my searches show nothing...

or any info on ranges of rates for such  a task would be appreciated...

cheers

costas

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The yardstick for your rates should be 100 baht per page.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sir, with all due respect, you are nuts.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nuts? Well I've just proof read a presentation as part of a masters degree, it was 64 pages and took an afternoon; there is no way the student could afford a 1000 baht a page! 6000 for a quickie is fine by me. I agree that if you end up re-writing it you should charge more but frankly a cursory glance at any document and you should be able to tell what you're letting yourself in for. If it looks like hard work, don't do it!

I find proof reading (I don't edit!) a good source of extra income from time to time and it can be done over the net from home too.

PS - I haven't proof read this!

[PeaceBlondie]

Now there's great advice: you should be able to tell what you're letting yourself in for." Ask to see the material. Ask ten more questions than you intended to ask. WRITE DOWN - for yourself and the customer - what you're agreeing to, even if it can't hold up in court. Confirm, clarify, restate. Chances are, it's twice the job you thought it was at first, and the customer doesn't appreciate your work. But I'm cynical lately.

I was one of several who proofread a long thesis that was a piece of junk. The author supposedly had two master's degrees already, in Thailand. Piece of junk. Author couldn't write three sentences without making an obvious mistake. Oh - the author was an English teacher!

[costas]

So how long did it take you to do the work? Would you like more work at that rate or do you feel it wasn't worth your time? You didn't say whether you were running an on-line spell checker for the guy or reading handwritten manuscripts or typewritten hardcopy.

I did a little of this while in grad school (for free!) for friends who were international students and I can attest to the 'end up rewriting it' statement. It took more work than I figured and they were less happy when we were done than they should have been (due to discovering that they weren't clear in their thinking let alone their writing)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

si,

it took two and a half hours,

no editing, just checking for typos etc...What i worked with was a hard copy, and although i think it was reasonable money for what i have done (i live in poverty stricken Loei afterall, having lost my 'well paid job'....) i mentioned that any further work along those lines would have to be @ 100bht / page, while if i actually have to start:

- contributing word options or

- even to the slightest altering,

it'll jump to 300...

the only ones i will do for free are abstracts for my wife's publications....

as for whether they were happy, well time - and future offers- will tell......

cheers

costas