The Ethics of Editing for Students

“What do you do for a living?” is a question we get asked when awkwardly socialising with strangers. “I own an editing company” is my answer. “Really”, my companion would say. “What does that involve?”. “We edit stuff, for students, academics, authors…”. “Wait!”, they exclaim. “You write essays for students. Isn’t that unethical?”
“Yes, it would be highly unethical, but no we don’t write essays for students. We’re an editing company that specialises in academic editing, not writing”, is my tired response.
Such is the stigma of academic editing that it’s probably best I don’t disclose my occupation to strangers. Why is academic editing a taboo topic? I think it has a lot to do with the ethics of editing for students, and the misconceptions people have about it.
There is a school of thought that students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, shouldn’t seek editing assistance. Their work is sacrosanct and any outside interference is not only wrong, but akin to cheating. In my opinion this view is wrong.
Editing is a right of any writer that wants to improve the quality of their writing, whether they are a student, academic or book author. Editing brings clarity to language, helps enunciate ideas more clearly and removes errors which can detract greatly from any piece of work. We should all be in favour of quality over mediocrity.
For those that insist editing for students is unethical, I ask you this. Is editing also unethical for academics seeking publication in peer reviewed journals? Most will say no. Yet the distinction is slim. Both are producing academic work that seeks to further our knowledge base, and it’s in the self-interest of both to produce high quality work. If it’s unethical for one, it must also be for the other.
Academic editing is as close to cheating for a student as is using encyclopedia for research. Both are tools that help students produce the best possible essay or thesis. Every student should make use of an editor – either a friend, family member or a professional. The academic world is highly competitive and no one benefits from the submission of poor quality writing.
Most importantly, professional editing is virtually mandatory if English is a student’s second language. Why should an ESL student be disadvantaged by their lack of fluency in English? They should be marked on the quality of their ideas and research skill, not their innate ability to write fluent academic prose in an unfamiliar language.
Academic editing is highly regulated in Australia and the are clear guidelines for editors to follow when editing or proofreading student work. The Australian Standard of Editing Practice (ASEP) and the Australian guidelines for editing theses outline the appropriate level of intervention by an editor. In short, they limit intervention to language, expression and referencing style conformity and explicitly forbid changes being made to structure or content.
Universities in Australia permit students to receive academic editing. Many have their own guidelines governing editing and may require you to get permission before engaging an editor for you to acknowledge any assistance within a thesis text. As long as an editor edits within the boundaries mentioned above, academic editing is permissible.
Perhaps editing services have a bad reputation because of the unscrupulous practices of a few. There is a black market for essay writing services in Australia and around the world. The Sydney Morning Herald, a prominent Australian newspaper, even had a special investigation of the issue and featured this article on its front page. Furthermore, some editing services may overstep the boundary of what an editor should do, and provide rewriting and “anti-plagiarism” services. However, I believe they are in the minority and that most Australian academic editing services do follow relevant guidelines.
Legitimate editing services shouldn’t be painted with the same brush as writing services and shoddy editors. One provides an ethical and helpful service and abides by nationally recognised guidelines; the other are peddlers of fraud.
Academic editing for students is ethical and permissible, as long as the editor sticks to their mandate. I strongly believe students are in no different position to academics or book authors. They can and should use the services of an editor, whether it be a friend, parent or a professional.