Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything people ask us before they send a brief, answered plainly.

Getting started

What can I actually ask for?

Anything a doctorate in the relevant field would be the right person to answer. In practice that spans six practices — research design and methods, data analysis and statistics, AI and machine learning, editing and publication, technical and scientific consulting, and teaching and mentoring. If you are not sure which of those your problem belongs to, describe it in plain language and anyPhD will work that out for you.

What if my problem does not fit any of your categories?

That is the normal case, and it is the point of the platform. Describe the problem however it comes out and a person reads it. If nobody in the network genuinely fits, we will say so rather than sending you an approximate match.

Do I need to know which method I need before I contact you?

No. Quite often working out what the right method is turns out to be the job. Tell us what you have, what you are trying to show and what is due when, and the first conversation will establish the rest.

How do I start, and what happens next?

Send a brief through any form on the site, or message us on WhatsApp. We read it, ask anything we need to, and set up a free scoping conversation. That conversation ends with an honest answer about whether we can help, who the right expert is, and what the work would involve.

How quickly will someone reply?

Usually within a few working hours, and never with an autoresponder. Our experts sit across every time zone, so there is generally somebody awake.

Is the first conversation really free?

Yes, and it carries no obligation. We would rather spend half an hour telling you that your project does not need us than take on work we cannot do well.

The experts

How do I know the expert is genuinely qualified?

Everyone taking work through the network holds a doctorate, and every application is read by a person before anybody joins. We verify the degree, the publication record and the practical experience — not a self-declared profile.

Will I be matched with someone in my own sub-field?

That is what we are for, and it is the part most services skip. Matching is by discipline and sub-field rather than by broad subject, because a statistician who works on clinical trials is not interchangeable with one who works on asset pricing.

Do I work with the same person throughout?

Yes, unless you ask otherwise. You will know who is doing the work, and continuity is usually the point — somebody who already understands your data does not need briefing twice.

Can I speak to the expert before committing to anything?

You should. The scoping conversation exists so that you can judge whether this is the right person for your problem before any money or any deadline is involved.

Where in the world are your experts?

Across more than forty countries and effectively every time zone. If you need someone who can meet inside your working day, or who knows the regulatory context of a particular country, say so and we will match on that too.

Academic integrity

Is this allowed by my university?

What we do is designed to sit inside standard academic integrity policies: teaching, editing, advising, analysing and reviewing, done openly. The test we hold ourselves to is whether you could describe the help to your supervisor, your funder or your ethics board without hesitating. Our Commitment sets out both halves of that in full.

Will you write my thesis or sit my exam?

No, and no amount of money changes that answer. We do not write assignments, exams or theses to be handed in as your own unaided work, we do not sit assessments in your place, and we do not fabricate data or manufacture citations. Asking will end the conversation, not start a negotiation.

Then what is the difference between editing and ghost-writing?

Ownership. We strengthen an argument that is already yours and teach you the method until you can run and explain it yourself. If the words and the thinking would not be yours at the end of it, it is not work we take.

Should I acknowledge your help?

Often yes, and we will advise you on how. Journals, funders and universities each have their own expectations for declaring editorial, statistical or advisory support, and getting that right protects you rather than exposing you.

Confidentiality

Is my unpublished work protected?

We will sign an NDA on request before anything is shared, and your files are deleted once the project closes. Experts declare conflicts of interest before being matched, which matters if your work sits close to a competitor or to a rival research group.

Who owns the work when it is finished?

You do. For commissioned professional work — a report, an analysis, an expert opinion — authorship is stated clearly in writing before the work starts, so there is never a question afterwards about whose name belongs on it.

Can you restrict who sees my data, or where it goes?

Yes. For sensitive work we can arrange bespoke agreements, limit matching to particular jurisdictions, and work on anonymised or synthetic data where the analysis allows it. Tell us the constraint before we match, not after.

Scope, time and cost

What does it cost?

Projects are quoted against a brief rather than by the word or the day, because two jobs of the same length can be entirely different pieces of work. The scoping conversation that produces the quote is free, and you approve the price in writing before anything begins. There are no charges you have not already seen.

How long will my project take?

It depends on the work, and you will be given a date rather than a vague promise. Tell us your deadline at the start — if it is not realistic for the work you are asking for, we would rather say so at the beginning than miss it at the end.

Can you work to a genuinely urgent deadline?

Often, and time zones help here. Send the brief and mark it urgent; we will tell you quickly whether it is achievable to the standard we are willing to put our name to.

What if the work is not what I expected?

Say so and we will put it right. Revisions inside the scope we agreed are part of the job, and if the match itself was wrong we will find you a better-suited expert rather than defending the first choice.

Can you keep working with me after the project ends?

Yes, and many people do — a methods chapter becomes an analysis, an analysis becomes a paper, a paper becomes a viva. Ongoing mentoring is one of the six practices rather than an afterthought.

For doctorates

I have a PhD. Can I join the network?

Please apply, particularly if your field is a narrow one — those are the requests we struggle hardest to fill. Applications go through the application page, and each one is read by a person who will verify your degree, your publication record and your practical experience.

What sort of work would I be asked to do?

The same six practices the rest of the site describes: designing studies, analysing data, building and validating models, editing and preparing manuscripts, advising organisations, and teaching. Never writing somebody's thesis for them, which is worth knowing before you apply.

Still not answered?

Ask us directly. A person reads it, and you will not be handed to a chatbot.