This service is perfect for those who feel that the grammar, spelling, structure or style of their work is pulling down the overall quality, people working in a second language, or simply those who want the reassurance of having an experienced proofreader/editor go over an important piece of writing.

Those marking your essays, or deciding on manuscripts or articles to accept for publication are stopped short by grammar, formatting or language mistakes, and in a large density they can obscure a good piece of writing from getting the recognition it deserves.

What is proofreading/editing?

First off, proofreading and editing (sometimes also referred to as copy-editing) are virtually the same thing and since different people and professions understand different things of each, there is no clear cut definition. For the purposes of this service, think of them as one thing.

Before we go any further, here is a quick summary of what I will actually do when proofreading/editing:

• Correct typos, including checking grammar, punctuation and spelling.
• Ensure consistent formatting — for example, consistently formatting quotes, titles, using ‘ise’ or ‘ize’, referencing properly, etc.
• Check the overall meaning — if writing is unclear I will either rephrase, make a suggestion for a rephrase, or, in the case that the meaning is impossible to deduce, note that it needs to be addressed.
• Highlight obvious errors such as ‘The First World War, which began in 1939…’ or ‘In the nineteenth century, the internet first began to come into public use…’

So, in essence, if your work consistently makes errors in any of these categories, you probably need proofreading/editing.

What is advanced proofreading/editing?

Sometimes, editing and proofreading needs to be charged at the advanced rate. This is usually for one of, or a combination of, the following reasons:

• There is a large number of mistakes in the writing, either a large density of typos or a text that is difficult to understand.
• If you would like me to give feedback on the content of the writing while I do the proofreading and editing, for example, if you’d like feedback on the structure, the writing or the overall argument.
• If you would like to respond to any comments and then send the document back for a final check.
• If you would like suggestions and/or changes made to help you significantly reduce the word count.

If you don’t know which service you need, just email me a sample and and I’ll get back to you with advice as soon as possible. I can recommend a service and leave it up to you to choose, or, if I think that I can’t honestly do a good job with the standard service, I may insist on this advanced service.

If your work requires extensive feedback and reworking, you may also want to consider my tutoring services.

What does proofreading/editing not involve?

Whilst I do provide suggestions for rephrasing and rephrase parts of sentences that are unclear, this is not a writing or rewriting service. Do not expect me to rewrite large chunks of text.

I will also not check your quotes against the original sources. While I will check the formatting of references and in-text citations and can point out if the grammar of a quote looks wrong, I do not go back to a source and compare the reference. I will also assume the referencing information you have put in the text is correct — I will point out if it is inconsistent, suggesting an error, and correct to ensure consistency, but I cannot know if the author name is wrong if it is consistently wrong, for example.

How do I proceed?

If you would like proofreading and editing, just send me the text, or a portion of the text. I’m happy to provide samples of up to 250 words and can also give advice on what kind of service I think you need. Usually, editing and proofreading is done on a Word document and corrections made in Track Changes. This means you will be able to see where all the changes are and decide whether to accept them individually or all together.

I do also offer proofreading of LaTeX files in Overleaf — for this I need you to give me access to your account to do the work and you should be aware that your account settings and plan will impact whether it is possible to make the edits in Track Changes. Proofreading LaTeX files is charged at a different rate — see the Prices page.

For all prices and services, see the Prices page. If you have any questions or would like to chat on the phone about your work, just get in touch.