Good ideas need good language. Whether you’re a student, a researcher, an author or an organisation, our editing and proofreading services can help you enhance your writing without compromising the meaning or the personality of the original. Essays, reports, dissertations, theses, journal articles, research proposals, eBooks, business documents and other written works are all subject to our work. The extent of intervention is agreed at the beginning, so you can determine if it is a document that needs a final review for accuracy or a more thorough editorial on clarity and structure.

Proofreading is intended for completed writing. It is specifically about spelling, punctuation, grammar, capitalisation, all spacing, numbering, and obvious inconsistencies. The proof-readers also review abbreviations, common formatting issues and captions and headings. Editing goes further. They offer suggestions regarding sentence construction, paragraph flow, word choice, repetition, tone and transitions. Developmental and/or structural editing are suitable for improving the sequence of sections, omissions in explanations, poor flow of ideas and material that fails to communicate to the reader.

The purpose, audience and the necessary form of English are first considered by an experienced editor. British spelling and punctuation may be used to the same extent for academic and professional assignments directed towards UK readers unless otherwise specified. The editor then carefully reviews the entire text, keeping in mind technical terminology of the author(s) and not changing the meaning of the text. Questions, unclear facts or unclear passages that require the author’s interpretation are marked instead of being silently rewritten. This is more relevant for research writing, where accuracy is more important than style.

Support is still ethical and transparent for academic documents. We enhance your author’s expression and presentation and can discuss repetitive language problems, thereby educating your customer. We don’t alter or falsify data, references or results, and we don’t hide copied information. Passages that seem to require a citation or contain an unsupported claim will be noted by the editor for review. References and in-text citations may be checked against a style (Harvard, APA, MLA, Chicago or OSCOLA); however, the accuracy of the sources should always be verified by the author.

Quality control consists of a second-level review provided by the selected package, and consistency between names, dates, terminology and formatting. Track changes will indicate what has been changed; comments will provide explanations or alternatives. An uncorrupted copy can also be provided for ease of reading. Confidentiality is respected and the document is only used for the agreed purpose.

The product should be smooth, sound like the author and look professional. We are not trying to make all sentences identical; we are trying to eliminate the writer/reader barrier. A dense chapter makes it easier to navigate; the argument can become more convincing; a nearly finished manuscript can be prepared for the next step in the review process, submission, and/or publication.

It is adaptable for different stages and budgets. The sample edit is used to illustrate the level of work that needs to be done prior to the start of a full project. Priority editing can be done on the abstract, introduction and conclusion; a comprehensive package includes editing of the entire document and reference presentation. Authors are also able to request a style sheet that documents the spelling choices, hyphenation, capitalisation, and character names/specialist terms. This is more useful for longer pieces of writing or reports from several authors. Turnaround is agreed based on length and complexity and should give sufficient time for thoughtfulness in reviewing or correcting rather than rushing. The editor will make changes which are accepted or rejected by the author after delivery and will pose specific questions regarding the changes made by the editor. It creates a clear process where all editorial decisions are available and under the control of the author.