About

Professional Editing at Pearce, or PEP, is a paid one-on-one editing service for community and university clients. The editors can help clients with an array of written works, including journal articles and dissertations. PEP also provides online resources for writers of all ages and experiences to assist with common problems such as misused words.

PEP welcomes publication-ready articles for copyediting services (citations, punctuation, formatting), as well as draft versions of papers and articles for editorial services (cohesion, organization, syntax). To request services, please fill out the “Request Services” form below.

The time needed to complete an editing project will depend on the needs and length of the document. We estimate the turnaround time for a journal article (approx. 10,000 words) to be three weeks; the turnaround time for longer documents will be evaluated based on the needs and length of the document. Rushed orders may be accepted based on the editors’ availability and the needs of the document. A rush fee may be added if PEP editors have fewer than three weeks to complete editing services.

Take a look at PEP’s disclaimer to get a better understanding of how we can help you, and check out our FAQs below!

If you aren’t sure if you are ready for the editing phase yet, you may be interested in consulting our resources below for additional help or you can contact us at pep@g.clemson.edu for more information.

PEP Services

 

If you are interested in requesting editing services, please fill out our “Request Services” Form. A member of the PEP team will contact you within four business days to schedule an appointment.

Request Services

Pricing

PEP offers affordable pricing that does not distinguish between levels of editing. Instead, our clients receive comprehensive content and copyediting on every submission. Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions section for more information on how you will be invoiced for a submission.

Chart describing PEP pricing. Clemson faculty are charged 3 cents per word for up to three rounds of editing. Clemson graduate students are charged 1 cent per word. Non-university faculty are charged 5 center per word, and non-university graduate students are charged 3 cents per word.

Meet the Editors!

PEP editor Jess Clay smiles at the camera and poses in front of a presentation on the essentiality of TikTok in the writing classroom.

Jess Clay

Ph.D. Candidate in RCID
Allison Daniel smiles and faces the camera as she poses in front of a natural background.

Allison Daniel

Professional Communication Specialist

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

What if the word count of the article changes between rounds of editing?

We will base our invoice off the longest version we edit. If you bring in a 1000-word article, but after editing it is 1500 words the first time and 1350 words the second, you will be charged for 1500 words.

What does Revise and Resubmit mean?

This applies to an article submitted to an editor or journal which receives “revise and resubmit” evaluation from that journal. If you then request our assistance in sorting through the comments, we would edit/copyedit before you resubmit the article. This pricing plan would only apply to those articles that have already gone through our editing program.

Are there different levels of editing?

No, our plan does not distinguish between different levels of editing. The same price plan applies to all submissions.

Projects and Testimonials

Educational Newspaper Article

In Fall 2021, PEP editors presented at Graduate Student Government, which led to new client projects. One of these projects was focused on adapting traditional lesson planning to the challenges and opportunities presented by virtual learning.

The client, a graduate student in the educational leadership program, sought help with an opinion piece that they submitted to Education Week, an educational news organization featuring articles from both education researchers and teachers. The article offered teachers advice for virtual learning and lesson planning, drawing both from the author’s experiences teaching online before the pandemic and research that discusses the merit of online learning. The client asked specifically for assistance with formalizing the tone of the article and adhering to the style guidelines of Education Week. Editors offered feedback about language and tone, as well as content expansion and organization. The client has since submitted the article for publication and has stated that the help that PEP offered was invaluable.

“As a graduate student with hopes of publishing and writing professionally, I have been extremely appreciative of the services offered by the Pearce Center. With a background in science, writing is something I definitely struggle with, and I was fortunate to learn of the opportunity to collaborate with someone who would help me turn my passion and ideas into well-written text. Hannah took the time to understand the style, tone and themes behind my words and provided detailed feedback to help me create a product I was excited to submit. I look forward to working with the Pearce Center in the years to come!”

-Susan Purser

“I had a great experience with Professional Editing at Pearce at Clemson University. Hannah was a great instructor who understood my goals and guided me to improve my writing skills. I highly recommend PEP to all graduate students working on their journal articles, theses or dissertations.”

-Supun Hewage

14-Day Writing Challenge

The 14-day writing challenge was a program hosted by GRAD 360°, a branch of the Graduate School at Clemson that provides training and support to make academic growth possible. The goal of this project was to help graduate and postdoctoral students establish consistent writing patterns and maintain productive work habits. The challenge took place over two weeks in October 2021 and included 18 participants and two weeks in February 2022 with 20 participants. The participants came from graduate programs across the University and with different writing experiences. Some were first-year master’s students, and others were finishing up their dissertations. Each day, the students were reminded to write for 30 minutes and discuss their process of writing on discussion threads with their peers. PEP editors helped guide discussion, build community among the participants and offer tips for developing writing skills. Many of the participants communicated that the challenge offered them the opportunity to develop a regular writing schedule and that the tips offered during the two weeks created productive habits.

Book Manuscript

As this was the longest and largest project that PEP has taken on, all hands were on deck. Editors worked with the vice provost and dean for the graduate school at Louisiana State University on his book manuscript during winter 2021. The manuscript, titled “Planning for Water Security in Southeast Asia: Infrastructure During the Urban Transition,” was under contract at Anthem Press. PEP editors divided the content and responded to reviewer feedback.

The manuscript was written across several years, and editors worked to fill in gaps and unify style. PEP had previously worked on the book, but this was the longest and most comprehensive version of the manuscript. This work involved identifying and defining key terms, making content suggestions and reading for clarity. One of the larger tasks for editors was assessing the bibliography and citations across the manuscript, as well as identifying information that was not cited in the text. This book-length project demonstrated the team’s ability to collaboratively work with a tight deadline.

The book has now been published by Anthem Press and can be found at the press’s website and Amazon.

Dissertation Project

PEP worked with a graduate student on several chapters of her dissertation in the summer of 2021. The client was a doctoral candidate in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at Clemson. The project analyzed modern poaching trends in Uganda and how current sociopolitical action is changing the game-hunting landscape. PEP received the project at a later stage but still communicated areas for improvement and revision in content, structure and language. Editors also copy edited the introduction and first two chapters of the dissertation to check citations along with departmental guidelines. PEP divided the project among multiple editors who carefully read, edited and commented on the writing with efficiency. This project demonstrated PEP’s ability to collaborate and work quickly to meet clients’ needs. The client is planning to finish her dissertation in 2022 and has expressed plans to work with PEP for the remainder of her writing work.

Indexing Project

PEP received its first request to index a book from a Clemson anthropology professor in Spring 2022. Editors read the manuscript and compiled key terms readers might want to be able to look up quickly in the book’s index. The editors then used an indexing software to help create the index according to the press’s specifications and checked that index against their list for errors. They then worked with the author to refine the index to make it as useful as possible for potential readers. The book, “Something in These Hills,” will be published by the University of North Carolina Press in the fall of 2022.

Pearce Center Editing

In addition to client-based editing, PEP works with the Pearce Center on various projects. In Fall 2021, PEP developed a newsletter that discussed the programs and projects of the Pearce Center and presented this information to both faculty and the student body. The newsletter contained information about services offered by PEP and VID, as well as a writing tip and a student spotlight. The goal of the newsletter was to raise awareness among faculty and students about the center.

Additionally, PEP worked with the Pearce Interns on a number of projects throughout the year, including copy editing the annual report and English Unbound to follow Clemson and AP style guidelines. PEP provided valuable feedback on and assistance with the work the center’s undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty produced.

Master’s Thesis and Articles

A master’s student in the Department of Food Science and Technology discovered PEP through the Pearce Center website and sought help with two article-length projects and their thesis. The first article examined two surface cleaning evaluation methods that are used in foodservice establishments and investigated whether there is a correlation between both methods.The second article examined artifacts from both YouTube and Google that were designed to teach people how to grow microgreens. This article served as the jumping off point for the client’s thesis. PEP editors worked on each chapter of the thesis and met regularly with the client to offer suggestions and feedback. The editing on this project involved not only copy editing and sentence-level suggestions but also recommendations for expansion, suggestions for clarification and assistance with structure.

Contact Us:

Have questions or need assistance? Email us at pep@g.clemson.edu for more information!