Postgraduate supervision: the role of the (language) editor : Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Juvenal, Satire 6, 346-348)

The article emanates from the author's current position at a university of technology, where she conducts workshops on research writing. She also has wide experience as a freelance academic editor. The article is therefore largely empirical, in the sense of being guided by practical experience and observation, rather than a theoretical discourse. While touching briefly on the requirements for research writing, the article highlights deficiencies of postgraduate students in respect of research writing, bibliographic citation and compilation, as well as delineating the role and responsibility of the supervisor in the writing process. The ethics of editorial intervention, particularly in the case of theses and dissertations, are also noted. Finally, the author's modus operandi in editing academic texts provides some guidance in respect of the technicalities of research writing. The article concludes with recommendations for improving the writing skills of ill-prepared students.