Jennifer E. Cook
JENNIFER COOK has edited well over 1,200 doctoral dissertations as well as hundreds of journal articles and reports, books, and more. She has specialized in APA style (now in its 7th edition) for 20+ years. Jennifer has worked with students and professors on papers, theses, books, and dissertations; she is known for personal service. More than just a copyeditor, her expertise includes organization, methodology, analysis, and writing. She often acts as a coach for students finishing dissertations. She is managing editor of the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) newsletter, the UCEA Review, and edited the UCEA Handbook of Research on Leadership Education. Her clients have included Southern Methodist University, the University of Texas, the Educational Testing Service (ETS), Prentice Hall, SEDL, and the Nature Conservancy. Jennifer is a U.S. Presidential Scholar with a degree in English and Mathematics from the University of Texas. She lives in Austin, Texas, and assists clients around the world.
Services & Pricing
I guarantee that my work follows APA. I charge by the hour rather than per page because services vary according to the document. It's fairer and cheaper for the client. My rate includes putting the entire document in APA format; checking references cited against those in the reference list; checking grammar, spelling, and punctuation; editing for clarity; and creating the Table of Contents. Some documents need more substantive editing for content or organization. Some need help with methodology. Tables need to be reformatted. All dissertations also need to be formatted according to the university's specific guidelines (same goes for many journal articles). I do all these things.
Currently I charge $80 per hour for most editing, and a typical rate of speed is 7 pages per hour. I give conservative, outside, worst case estimates. Note that for some universities (e.g., Nova Southeastern, Walden), the typical estimated rate is slower (6 pages per hour) because so much more is involved. If you are with Nova Southeastern, click here: Nova Students.
Check out my testimonials. Most recently:
"Jennifer Ellen Cook is a master of APA style and knows her way around a dissertation. She is a pleasure to work with and her turnaround time is impressive. If you need help with your writing or just someone to look over and edit your paper, I highly recommend Jennifer Cook. I passed my format review on the first submission of my dissertation. From the bottom of my heart, thank you." Dr. Bret Ginsberg
"Thank you so much for helping me complete my doctorate. Your work is exceptionally perfect." Dr. Annette Oswald.
Why do some editors charge $40/hour and some $75? I charged less when I was less experienced . . . and worked slowly. Now I've internalized APA style and work more quickly. I have found that editors with low expertise with Word take longer as well. I have a background in desktop publishing. No one does APA tables like EditorJen! I also can help fix your methodology and organization. Quality help during the proposal phase of your dissertation will facilitate approval and make analysis easier; you can save at least a semester in tuition.
Make sure you get that APA guarantee from any editor you choose. Of course, no one can guarantee that your professor will like the product or that your article will get published. See Note 6 in the following section. The most heartbreaking part of my job is editing work that was previously "edited" by someone who took money and did a lousy job. Choose carefully the first time. Remember: "If you think hiring a professional is expensive, try hiring an amateur."
Procedures
1. You e-mail me (a) your document, (b) your deadlines, and (c) any other guidelines. jen@editorjen.com. Alternatively: jenniferellencook@yahoo.com. NOTE: I do not put anyone on the calendar until I have a doc ready to be edited. I do not book in advance, in other words. Also, at certain times I am booked up for weeks. I get daily requests. If you are working on a dissertation, it's worth getting on my calendar with your first three chapters (before or after approval) while you finish.
2. I respond with a conservative, worst case estimate based on number of pages. Note that the actual cost is hourly.
3. If you agree, you pay half of the estimate in the form of a deposit. This makes our email correspondence a binding contract that you have read this page and understand the terms. It also puts you on my calendar. This deposit is nonrefundable and goes toward your final cost. (When you make a deposit, you are reserving my time, and I consequently turn down other clients.) You can pay via Zelle or PayPal. You do not even have to sign up for PayPal; I can e-mail you a specific link for credit card payment. Alternative methods of payment may be acceptable, such as money orders, although they slow down the process.
4. I work on the doc. There may be some back-and-forth. When done, I send you a link for the balance.
5. After payment, I send you the completed work. I typically send clients two documents: (a) a pdf with the changes marked using Word's Track Changes feature and (b) a clean, finalized Word document. You ask any questions you have. A second round may be necessary if you must add information.
6. I guarantee my work meets APA. However, if you or your professor change anything, I need to spot edit the changes to maintain that guarantee. The spot edit is done at the hourly rate, so you will incur some additional charges. Please note that most professors are not APA experts. I'm here to answer questions. I do not give refunds.