FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Pricing is straight forward. If the request is to work on an essay or a paper of 15 pages or less, it will likely be an hourly rate, depending upon the condition of the paper, although, I will need to see the paper before providing an hourly rate or flat rate. I normally provide a flat rate for larger jobs, which is based upon the length of time it will take to complete the work, which is based upon the level of work needed to develop a substantive paper. Returning customers are offered a discount in appreciation for continued business.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I have a conversation to learn what their research is in and the hypothesis or research question posed. I ask at what stage they are in, in the writing of the paper - proposal or research. I learn what their expectations are in working with me, besides a paper that will enable them to complete their program. I want to know from them how they envision I can best help them. I then ask what their standing is in the program, meaning are they at risk of not being able to continue or at a less perilous stage. I find out about immediate and looming deadlines and what is giving them the most trouble; structure, citations and references, formatting, research, analysis, grammar or basic writing and “story” flow. I ask them if they are looking for someone to give suggestions or if they prefer more hands-on guidance. Based on their responses, I share with them how I believe I can best serve them based on our conversation, emphasizing I can only provide a quote after I review the paper. I ask the potential client for a copy of their paper to review it, free of charge and let them know that I will need a day or two to do my own research on the subject matter as well as read the paper before I can fairly offer a quote. I later call the potential client to review my notes with them and provide a proposal for services.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have my master’s degree in communication management and therefore had to write a thesis to complete the requirements of my degree, earned from the University of Southern California (USC). What I have learned in working with many clients is the rigorous requirements of that thesis mirrored many requirements of dissertations at other universities, nationwide. I continuously apply what I learned from that experience to coach my doctoral clients and master’s clients to guide them in the editing of their work. I use the basics - my training as a journalist to ensure the 5 Ws are present within the structural requirements of the paper. Previous work with several clients at proposal stage as well as research stage has provided me the experience needed to ensure structure and clarity are present. My analytical skills enable me to successfully determine where a paper falls short and work with the client to fortify those areas; resulting in a paper that is an informative and an engaging read. Yes, academic papers can be interesting to read! 😄