December 19, 2003

When a Graduate Student Hires an Editor

To the Editor:

As a professional editor who frequently works with academic authors, I take exception to the statements and implications made in the Ms. Mentor column of November 7 ("Academic Frauds," Careers). ...

An editor may be engaged for any number of tasks connected with producing a manuscript, none of which constitutes academic fraud. No editors of my acquaintance would describe their role as "assisting in writing." The line between writing and editing is quite