Step 11b: Submit Manuscript to Copy Editor
Goal:
- In a timely manner, you submit your committee-revised dissertation manuscript to a copy editor who is an independent contractor approved by the DPCES and pay all copy editing costs.
Directions:
- Negotiate copy editing fees with the copy editor, as well as the timeframe in which the copy editor can complete the review of your manuscript.
Resources:
- Dissertation Handbook, p. 18
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.)
Due Dates:
- Copy editing should be completed within 8 weeks of the dissertation defense.
- Allow the copy editor a minimum of 4 to 6 weeks for editing and mailing the document back to you.
John's Experience:
John contacts Rose Gilliana, the DPCES-approved copy editor, and negotiates the fees for his paper to be edited. He's glad he kept a calendar of the dates that everything was due, because he really wants to have his degree posted as soon as possible.
Pitfalls to Avoid:
- Don't wait too late to contact the copy editor and arrange for review and edit of your manuscript; copy editing should be completed within 8 weeks after your dissertation defense, and the copy editor may already have numerous manuscripts to review, so be sure to allow as much time as possible for the copy editing step.
- You fail to read your dissertation in addition to spellchecking it for errors; by reading it yourself, and asking another objective person to read it all the way through, you can catch errors that might slip through the spellcheck process.
- If you haven't paid close attention to your APA formatting style and writing conventions as you've been writing your dissertation, you may have to pay high copy editing fees and it may take longer to edit your manuscript and may delay the submission of your manuscript to the Regent Library; write carefully and be familiar with the APA manual.