English academic and student proofreading
I offer academic proofreading for students at most levels, working from undergraduate to postgrad.
Proofreading is a final check to make sure the essay, paper or thesis is as good as possible.
The little details are important. Ironically, they’re easy to miss when you’re looking at your own work. The more you reread and tweak the text, the more the words blur together and you put it down. thinking, “Surely that’s enough?” So you send it off to your tutor, or submit it online.
How often have you done this, then reopened the file and immediately spotted a typo? It happens all the time! It’s annoyingly easy to spot errors in other people’s work, but not your own – at least, not when it matters. We’ve worked hard on what we want to write, and so our eyes see what they expect to see. This is why it’s easy to miss those minor errors that look glaringly obvious to others.
At Better World Words, I aim to ensure that your writing is as good as it can be before you put it out there. What you have to say is important, and it deserves to be taken seriously.
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash
What does a proofreader do?
As a proofreader (sometimes spelled proof-reader or occasionally proof reader), I check your English text for typos, grammatical errors, formatting issues and consistency, as well as anything you particularly want me to look out for. I also have a lot of experience of working with ESL writers, and can point out any sentences that sound “translated” or not quite natural in English.
Proofreading checks I perform:
- Spelling, grammar and punctuation.
- Consistency – for example, have you used an initial capital letter for a certain term on one page, and left it all in lower case on the next? Are names always spelt the same way? Have you consistently used US or UK spelling?
- Headings – are they written and formatted consistently?
- Is the layout consistent?
- Other aspects of style (font size and type, numbering, bullet points).
- Checking that words are used correctly and the meaning is accurate.
- Highlighting sentences that might need rephrasing for clarity.
Please note that academic institutions generally have rules about the extent to which you can use the services of a professional proofreader. Some universities do not allow this at all; others will place restrictions on what I can do. So please do check with your university about this. If your university has guidelines for professional proofreaders, please make sure you abide by these. As a general rule, I comply with the Cambridge University Guidelines for Proofreaders. This means that I cannot add to the content of your work, alter arguments or logic, re-arrange or restructure sections or check facts, among other things. What I can do is identify typographical, spelling and punctuation errors, grammatical issues, formatting and layout errors and inconsistencies, highlight overly long or convoluted sentences, and point out where words are repeated or omitted.
Wherever you are in the world – from China to Copenhagen, Stockholm to Stavanger, or closer to home at university in Oxford, Manchester, Durham or anywhere else in the UK – wherever you are, you can send your manuscript or PhD thesis to me in Word format, and I will email you a proofread version.
I offer competitive rates for academic proofreading, starting from GBP 15 per thousand words.
An express proofreading service is available at a higher rate.
Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash
What kind of things do I proofread?
One of the joys of editing and proofreading is that I’m always learning something new and reading on a huge variety of topics! In recent years, my proofreading has included the following:
- Impact reports
- Research reports
- Journal papers, books, and other academic content
- Student dissertations, assignments and essays
- PhD theses and chapters on topics such as rewilding, social policy and the European Court of Human Rights
- Training courses
- Fiction: novellas and novels, particularly those focused on environmental and thrutopian topics
- Non-fiction journal articles
- Business literature
- Marketing collateral
- Annual reports
- Website content
Please note that I provide proofreading for both UK English and US English. If you’re unsure about whether I can help, just ask me! If I don’t feel able to take on your document myself, I may be able to point you toward another professional colleague.
How I work
I always use a checklist for proofreading; this is based on previous experience of the kinds of issues that tend to come up. I will add to the checklist anything you particularly want me to check for.
During proofreading, I mark issues using Track Changes in Word, and occasionally add comments for clarification. I can also use PDF editing and commenting tools in Adobe Acrobat if you prefer.
As a member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) (formerly the Society for Editors and Proofreaders, or SfEP), I work to a highly professional standard and comply with CIEP’s Code of Conduct and Professional Practice Code, which you can find here. This includes maintaining confidentiality and working to industry-recognised standards. As mentioned, I also abide by the Cambridge University Guidelines for Proofreaders.
Once I’ve finished proofreading, I will send you two versions of the document, one with changes tracked and one with changes accepted (the “clean” file). You are always very welcome to ask questions about the changes I’ve suggested and, within reason, I’m happy to take another look at certain sections.
Quick turnaround
Your deadlines are important to me, and I pride myself on working accurately in a way that fits with your timing needs. If you need your document back quickly, I offer an express service that includes a 24-hour turnaround for shorter documents (under 3,000 words). When contacting me, please mention that you are interested in the express service.
Free sample edit
For longer documents, I offer a free sample edit of one to two pages. This allows you to see how I work and determine whether I would be a good fit for your book, chapter, thesis or document. (It also allows me to judge the level of editing required and give you an accurate quote for the work.) To take up this offer, please email a Word file to me at liz@betterworldwords.com, or message me via the contact form if you prefer. I will provide a sample proofread using Track Changes. In my response, I’ll also give you an idea of the level of editing required, my estimated turnaround time and a no obligation quotation.
Can Work With You Anywhere
I live in Teeside, England, but can work with you wherever you are in the world. Whether you’re in Lund, Uppsala, Trondhiem, Bergen or Aarhus, further afield in Cairo, Bangalore, Tsinghua, Xi’an, Tokyo or Daejeon, or closer to home in Oxford, Cambridge or Durham – get in touch. I am looking forward to working with you!
“Liz Ottosson has been a huge help in my studies. I have sought her help in university assignments and my thesis chapters for the last few years. She always has an amazing attention to detail, the responses are fast, and the feedback I receive is really comprehensive. Thanks Liz!” Alex, PhD candidate.
Better World Words 