Reading and editing a thesis

Yes, that is one of the most important services that a supervisor offers to their doctoral students. While some are of the opinion that a thesis is no longer relevant in the modern scientific context, it is the most thorough and detailed treatment of a topic that a student will do, and most likely the most that an academic will do. As I struggle through the thesis with each of my students we both gain a deeper understanding of the subject in the specifics of a particular focus. If it is done really well, we also gain a more thorough understanding of some of the broad sweeping aspects of the topic under consideration. We also learn a lot about eachother's limits and limitations! As I read A's work, I am impressed by her grasp of widely varied aspects of her study, and with the sheer volume of papers that she has read, and yet I am frustrated by her limited English language skills and mostly by her ability to reduce material to manageable amounts. B's langauage and scope were better, but his capacity to work was much less, and C has not yet achieved sufficient of any of the above! I think it is really the scope of work achieved and understood, and the way in which it expands on the current state of knowledge that comprises a student's achievement of doctoralness.
 

A supervisor needs to provide guidance without interfering. I should be guiding, but not taking control. The student must contribute most - including ideas. As supervisors we are producing students who must have confidence in their own ability to have ideas, to be able to take initiative, to think critically. This cannot be achieved if we batter down their confidence along the way and take every opportunity to criticise, but never take an opportunity to praise. We need to provide guidance when we and they encounter challenges, providing both freedom and focus. Students need the freedom to try out new ideas and experiment with ways of doing things which are unfamiliar to us and them, and also the focus to know when the thing they want to try is not likely to contribute to their project or thesis. 

What I am trying to say is this: students need a leader, not a manager! And even the management of the thesis writing, with all the editing and advice, is a function of academic leadership and not simply a chore.