In addition to the services offered by the Writing Center, graduate students may also make use of the Graduate Editing Center (GEC), which provides free editing and proofreading services. Our editors work with a range of texts, from dissertations and master's theses to articles, conference presentations, and grant proposals. The GEC is staffed by writing instructors and advanced students in Composition and Cultural Rhetoric, the Writing Program's doctoral program. GEC procedures and policies can be found by clicking the other tabs on this page.

WC or GEC?

What kind of help do you need? Because the difference between services offered at the Writing Center and GEC are not always intuitive, the following matrix is intended to help you decide which service is most appropriate for your projects.

WC	GEC
For help developing ideas, making decisions about how structuring arguments or research, mapping a project, finding and using appropriate sources, learning documentation standards, or organizing paragraphs or sections and developing transitions between those areas.	For complete papers or papers nearing their final stages before publication or submission; that is, advisors/instructors and/or peers have seen and responded to these projects and what's needed is someone to read your final work for grammatical correctness, standardized academic English, or mechanics (i.e. punctuation, isolated phrases, etc.)
For international students eager to improve their written and spoken English. The WC is appropriate for learners who need to develop their basic knowledge of the language and who need practice speaking, locating patterns of error and adjusting to conventions of academic discourse in the United States.	For those needing to perfect their MLA, APA, or Chicago style documentation.
For shorter papers (10 or less pages)	For longer papers (more than 10 pages) that are not concerned with larger rhetorical issues such as development, organization and focus.
	For those who have faculty approval to receive help from an editor.

NOTE: If your project is for a course or other degree requirement, find out whether your professor or advisor approves of your working with an editor. In many cases, professors and advisors appreciate reading work that has been edited, but in some may feel that your work being yours alone is more important than the correctness of all of your sentences, and you should respect their wishes.

Make a Writing Center Appointment.

The following procedures describe the typical lifecycle of a GEC consultation. While the unique details of your situation might lead to variations in these procedures, they will give you a good idea of what to expect.

Overview. After determining that an editor is necessary and making sure editorial assistance is appropriate, you should complete a request form (click above). After a day or two you'll receive an e-mail from an editor who will try to establish a common meeting time to discuss the details of your project, including whether or not it will be edited on paper or electronically and how and when the edited project will be returned to you. The editor then completes the project by the agreed-upon date and returns it to you with marks and comments.

Step 1: Making Contact

• See Turn-Around Time (GEC Policies) suggestions before your project is due and plan accordingly. Obviously the longer your paper, the more time will be needed to edit it.
  
• Complete a form to request that an editor be assigned to your project.
  
• When we receive your completed form, an editor will contact you by e-mail asking you to name a few possible times over the next few business days when you can be available for a brief, in-person meeting to discuss the details of your project.
  
• After you and your editor have agreed on a meeting time that is convenient to you both, come to the meeting at the arranged time, and be prepared to discuss your project. In particular, your editor will want to know your needs, goals, and concerns. If possible, bring a completed version of your paper to the meeting, either electronically, as a .doc or .rtf file (the office computer has USB ports to upload files from portable drives), or on paper. You may also e-mail your paper to your editor.
  
• Be clear about time constraints when meeting with your editor. If you need your paper back two days before its due date so that you have time to make final revisions, make sure that your editor understands your expectation so that he or she can tell you realistically whether or not your request can be met.
  
• If you are not able to get a copy of your completed paper to your editor prior to your meeting, make arrangements for when and how you will do so. Although most clients prefer to have their projects edited electronically, if you prefer to work with paper copy, also be sure to make arrangements for how and when your hard copy will be returned to you.

Step 2: Editing Procedures

• Unless your work is for an independent project (such as a journal or conference paper), your editor will notify your advisor or professor. We will not edit any projects for credit-bearing coursework without your advisor or professor's approval.
  
• Electronic papers are edited using the Track Changes function in Microsoft Word. Your editor will save a clean copy of your paper for his or her records, and will then save a marked copy of your paper, with an altered file name, to return to you. If you submit a hard copy, your editor might photocopy the paper for his or her records.
  
• Your editor will consider the lengths and due-dates of other clients to determine when to read your paper. He or she will then read your paper carefully, making suggested changes (which Track Changes will record) and occasionally adding margin comments. Your editor might use the comments feature to point out a repeated mistake, to ask a question, or to indicate that a section of your prose is confusing and thus difficult to edit, among other possibilities. If you submit a hard copy, your editor will make these suggestions and comments by hand.
  
• Your editor might e-mail you asking for additional information or letting you know if thereÕs a problem in your paper (perhaps a chart will not load, or a citation problem raises a question about academic integrity). Most likely, however, you will next hear from your editor upon receiving your edited paper.

Step 3: Return and Follow-Up

• Your editor will return your paper to you on or before your agreed-on due date, by whatever means you have arranged (most likely e-mail).
  
• When you receive your paper electronically, open the file and enable "Track Changes" in your own copy of Word to be sure you can see the suggestions and comments. If you have trouble viewing the marks, let your editor know right away.
  
• Read carefully through all of the comments and suggestions that your editor has made to decide how you want to respond to each.
  
• Remember that the changes your editor makes to your paper are suggestions. While your editor is highly knowledgeable about standard English usage, you are the expert on your subject-matter and your purpose for writing, and whether or not to make each suggested change is up to you (for more information, please see GEC Policies).
  
• If you have questions about any of the comments or suggestions, ask your editor for assistance.
  

Step 4: Future Projects:

• If you choose to ask your editor to work with you on additional projects, please complete another form.
  
• Remember to ask your editor about future projects as far in advance as you can, as he or she will also have many requests from new clients. "Your" editor is never yours alone!
  
• Also be aware that, because of workloads and other scheduling concerns, it might not be possible for you to work with the same editor every time you file a request with the GEC.

Due to the limited nature of the GEC staff, and to the typical length and advanced level of graduate student writing, the policies listed below have been put in place so that GEC editors can work with as many students as possible, complete editing jobs in a timely manner, and maintain the highest standards of work. These policies are subject to change.

Who Can Use the GEC:

• All SU graduate students may use the GEC.
• Unfortunately, the GEC is not open to undergraduates, faculty, staff, or ESF students at this time.

Eligible Requests:

So that we may serve a growing number of students equitably, we are limiting requests in the following ways.

(1) You may submit up to two course papers per semester (for example, you may submit a mid-term paper and a final paper, but we will accept no other requests for coursework from you until the following semester); you may continue to submit non-course work as well. Theses, dissertation proposals, dissertation chapters, journal articles and other scholarly work are still welcome on a first-come, first-served basis.

(2) We will no longer edit routine course-related work under 10 pages, such as reading responses, short summaries, weekly journals, and so forth. We will, however, still edit short documents related to professional academic life, such as conference proposals, conference papers, job application cover letters, and so forth.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but this policy will make it possible for us to continue to offer our service as broadly as possible to the many students who apply for editing assistance.

Appointments:

• While GEC editors can field general inquires by email (gec@listserv.syr.edu), all projects for first-time clients require an initial appointment. Appointments can be made online, or by email. Additional appointments may not be necessary for clients working on multiple projects with the same editor.
• Appointments will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. GEC staff will contact students as soon as possible to confirm a scheduled appointment.
  
• Any student needing to cancel or reschedule an appointment may do so in person or by email. Out of courtesy to other students wishing to use GEC services, cancellations and requests for rescheduled appointments must be made at least one day in advance. Note: requests for rescheduling should be made as soon as possible, since editor availability may be diminished by a high volume of appointment requests.

Turn-Around Time:

• While single-page assignments may be returned in a single day, students should expect editing for longer papers to take at least 2 days for the first 10 pages of a paper and an additional day for each 10 pages thereafter (for a 20-page paper, allot 3 days; for a 50-page paper, allot 6).
• The above calculations are for the amount of time to allow an editor to work after he or she has received a final copy of your paper. If you are visiting the GEC for the first time, allot at least an additional 3-5 business days to schedule and meet for an initial appointment.
  
• For longer papers, be sure to also leave yourself enough time after your paper is edited and returned to you for you to deal critically with the suggestions your editor offers.
  
• All of the above times are minimums—they show how long it would take your editor to edit your project if it were the only project he or she had. Because our editors work with many clients and are usually working on several projects at any one time, the more lead time you give us, the greater the chance that we will be able to return your work by your requested date.
  
• The GEC has had to tell prospective clients that we're sorry, but there is simply not enough time between our receipt of their request and their due date for us to edit their paper. Don't let this happen to you!

Some Limitations to Consider:

• Faculty Approval: For a variety of reasons, some faculty prefer that their students not work with editors on their projects. Please consult with your advisor or professor to determine his or her stance and respect his or her wishes. The GEC does not edit projects for credit-bearing courses without approval.
• Availability: Based on workload and available hours, editors may limit the amount of work they accept for editing, or they may have to distribute that work over a period of time. For example, during busy times, especially near the ends of semesters, editors may only be able to accept one or two chapters of a dissertation at a time. Scheduling arrangements must be made between the student and editor during the initial consultation appointment.
• Type of Assistance Needed: The GEC primarily provides graduate students with editing/proofreading services. Students who are in need of assistance during the early planning or drafting stages of their work, or who are interested learning more about such aspects of writing as grammar and usage, will likely be referred to the Writing Center. Students interested in improving their English speaking skills should contact the Slutzker Center.
  
• Disciplinary Variation: GEC staff are skilled editors; however, specific disciplinary conventions, such as formatting preferences, varying citation conventions, and field-specific terminology may be beyond an editor's knowledge. In these cases, students will be referred back to their professors/academic advisors for further counsel.

Academic Integrity:

• The GEC aims to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. To this end, while the editors will make recommendations to improve the readability, fluency, and grammatical and mechanical clarity of your writing, both the content and the language of your work are understood to be your own. Editors will make every effort to retain the meaning of your sentences through any suggestions that they make, and whether or not to make each suggested change is the individual decision—and responsibility—of each writer.
• Any suspected academic dishonestly, including plagiarism or poor or incomplete citation practices that could lead to a charge of plagiarism will be brought to a student's attention immediately. In most cases, these issues will be resolved between the editor and the student, though in some cases more consequential steps, such as referral to the University Judicial Board or to an academic advisor, may be taken.

NOTE: The GEC is currently booked for the remainder of the semester. We are, however, forming a wait list in the event that clients currently reserving editor time do not meet their deadlines for submission. If you would like to be put on the wait list, please fill out a form as usual and we will notify you of your placement on that list. Our services will be available again starting mid-January for the Spring 2010 semester. Please complete this form to submit an editing request. All new clients must meet with a GEC editor before their work is accepted for editing; some projects may also require approval from supervising instructors/advisors. All appointments are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Larger projects may require several days for editing; therefore, it is recommended that you make an appointment well in advance of your anticipated deadline. For more information, including our new eligibility requirements, please see our policies and procedures. Incomplete forms will not be accepted. Are you requesting a specific editor? please select Yes, Tanya Rodrigue Yes, Dianna Winslow Any editor will do Your Name: Your Email Address: Your Telephone Number: 9-digit SUID: Your Home College(A&S, Maxwell, Newhouse, etc.): Your Department (Public Relations, International Relations, etc.): Your Degree Program (MA, MPA, MBA, PhD, etc.): Instructor (coursework)/Advisor (dissertation/thesis): Instructor/Advisor Email Address: Your First Language: Type of text (dissertation, thesis, prospectus, seminar paper, conference paper, etc.): Title/topic of text: Number of pages: Deadline or due date:

 

 

 

 

Nicole Moss Underwood, MFA, is a Professional Writing Instructor at Syracuse University. She has been teaching college-level writing courses for ten years. Her courses include academic writing, technical writing, environmental writing, speech writing, essay writing and creative nonfiction. In addition, Underwood taught English as a Second Language for two years in Rwanda, Africa with the U. S. Peace Corps. As a professional writer, Underwood has published nearly one hundred articles, essays, poems and short stories in newspapers, magazines and literary journals. She has received numerous grants for her writing projects, including the Helen Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico's Artist-in-Residence Grant in 2001.

Dianna Winslow is an S.U. doctoral candidate in Composition and Cultural Rhetoric. Her research interests include interdisciplinary approaches to writing and research; community engagement models and the ethics of service; situated and community literacies, particularly where rural, food, farm, and environmental rhetorics converge; scholarship and teaching for social change; and the rhetorics of social movements.