You have done the fieldwork. You have crunched the numbers. But now comes the most intimidating part of the entire PhD journey: The Writing. Turning years of research into a 200+ page book that is coherent, academically rigorous, and grammatically perfect is a massive challenge. Many scholars get stuck in the “drafting phase” for years. At McKinley Research, we believe your degree shouldn’t be delayed just because you are struggling to find the right words. Here are 5 signs that it is time to bring in a professional academic writer or editor. 1. You Have “Writer’s Block” for Weeks It is normal to get stuck for a day or two. But if you have been staring at Chapter 2 (Literature Review) for a month without writing a single page, you are losing valuable time. 2. Your Supervisor Says Your Flow is “Disjointed” You know what you mean, but your guide doesn’t. A common feedback is that the thesis “lacks a red thread”—meaning the arguments don’t connect logically from one paragraph to the next. 3. You Are Worried About “Unintentional Plagiarism” Even if you wrote every word yourself, poor paraphrasing can trigger high similarity scores on software like Turnitin or DrillBit. 4. You Struggle with Academic English If English is not your first language, you might struggle with the specific formal tone required for a PhD. Using casual words, weak verbs, or incorrect tenses can make your hard work look amateurish. 5. The Formatting Nightmare APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard… spending nights fighting with Microsoft Word margins, page numbers, and bibliography indentation is not the best use of your brainpower. Conclusion Asking for help isn’t “cheating”—it is project management. Just as a CEO hires an accountant, a smart researcher hires an editor to ensure their final product is flawless. Don’t let the writing process become a bottleneck. Contact McKinley Research today to discuss where you are stuck, and let us help you cross the finish line.