How the academic proofreading service works for students
You may be highly competent in your subject area but find it difficult to fully communicate your knowledge in writing. That’s where proofreading can help. Once you have written your assignment, dissertation, thesis or academic paper – abiding by the rules and regulations set down by your place of study or chosen journal, and utilising all the support and information available from that institution – you can send it to me for proofreading.
The proofreading service I offer involves checking punctuation, spelling, grammar and sentence structure, and the consistency of style and presentation. This is achieved using Microsoft Word’s ‘Track Changes’ feature, so that you can view and ‘accept’ or ‘reject’ the amendments to your work. In addition to this, I use the ‘Comments’ boxes to identify unclear areas of text and provide suggestions to amend it, where possible. In some instances, where it is especially difficult to unravel the meaning of a sentence or paragraph, the section may need to be re-checked after you have revised it. I am happy to do this free of charge*, in order to make sure that the suggested amendments have been understood and that any ‘problem’ areas have been resolved, including with the overall layout/format (*up to two hours).
Occasionally, a piece of work needs more than straightforward proofreading. In such an instance, I may advise you that your work needs to be re-read, after the initial proofreading process has been completed and you have made the suggested amendments and addressed any unclear areas. This is because, where a piece of work requires a great deal of correction, it is often difficult to understand the intended meaning. The second reading, of a cleaner and clearer draft, enables me to obtain a better understanding of the flow of the work and make further corrections as necessary. As I will be re-reading the whole work, or substantial parts of it, an additional charge will be incurred – which will be discussed with you at the time, but which will usually be lower than the original per 1,000 word rate (depending on factors such as the amount of difference and the length of time that has elapsed since the work was originally proofread).
Please also note that I do not ‘enhance’ work or re-write plagiarised text, and I will not proofread work from potential clients who ask me to do this. Additionally, if I find any plagiarised text whilst I am proofreading a document, it will not be proofread, merely highlighted as plagiarised. I also do not deal with work that has been written using AI.
Why should students choose Words and Deeds?
Not only do I have 16 years of proofreading experience working with both native and non-native English speakers, mainly students and academics, I also have a background of over 12 years’ employment in higher and further education, which gives me a good insight into how educational institutions operate.
Don’t just take my word for it, though:
General guide to academic proofreading rates and turnaround times*
100,000-70,001 = £8 per 1,000 words – approx. 10 working days
70,000-10,001 = £9 per 1,000 words – 3-7 working days
10,000-2,500 = £10 per 1,000 words – 1-2 working days
Under 2,500 words = £25 flat charge – 1 working day
*All turnaround times are subject to my availability and workload at the time the work is received; a higher rate may be quoted if the work requires more than proofreading. And payment is required in full before the proofreading is commenced.
Information regarding the rates and turnaround times
The specific rate will be discussed after I have seen and assessed a sample of the work to be proofread. If more intensive input is required (i.e., not proofreading), then either the per 1,000 word rate will be increased or an hourly rate will be applied. However, it is important to note that students’ academic work should not be edited, as this is unethical – your essay, dissertation, thesis or journal paper must be your own work, not a collaboration with an editor or proofreader.
The difference between proofreading and editing can be explained as follows:
Proofreading: checks grammar, punctuation, spelling and overall layout. Small amendments to sentence structure are also part of this process.
Editing: more substantial input to improve clarity and consistency. This can include re-writing/re-structuring whole paragraphs.
Sometimes, students’ work can fall between the two, and I will do what I can to help – within the boundaries mentioned above – but the service I offer is proofreading not editing.
File type
Work should be emailed to me as a Microsoft Word doc. or docx. file. Depending on my availability, work can usually be returned as per the turnaround times given above; however, timescales will be agreed when the request for proofreading is received.
To discuss your requirements, email me: debra@wordsanddeeds.co.uk.
How the academic proofreading service works for academics
Basically, the same procedure as for students applies with regard to academic conference and journal papers. Additionally, if you include the name of or a link to the journal you are aiming at, then I can check that you have followed the submission guidelines – if there are any. It is also helpful to know if you require the work to be proofread in American or British English. If there is no preference, then British English will be used.
Current terms and conditions can be found here: