How Do I Find an Academic Proofreader?

With so many academic proofreading services from which to choose, any graduate student searching for an academic proofreader may feel overwhelmed in making a decision. A few considerations to make when trying to find an academic proofreader are your budget, preferences, document requirements, and the skills and reliability of the chosen academic proofreader or proofreading services company. Individuals and companies offering academic proofreading services vary in quality and reliability, and you should always conduct thorough research on the proofreader or company offering academic proofreading services before submitting a payment. It is also important to verify the skills and experience of the specific academic proofreader reviewing your work. If possible, ask for feedback from a previous client of the academic proofreader or look for online reviews of the academic proofreader or academic proofreading service.

Given the numerous professional academic proofreading services available online and the varying levels of proofreading and prices charged by each service, you should first think about your budget. If your budget is limited, you may want to work with an individual academic proofreader who charges lower prices but is still skilled at proofreading academic documents. You can start by checking with your university’s writing center and graduate school to ask if they offer free academic proofreading services or if they provide recommendations for lower-cost academic proofreaders or academic proofreading services.

If your budget is more flexible, there are many academic proofreaders available online. The prices charged by academic proofreaders vary widely, so you need to understand how an individual proofreader or company calculates prices for proofreading your academic document. Does the academic proofreading service charge for various levels of editing and proofreading, and what is included in the price you pay for each level? Does the proofreader charge based on the word count of your academic document, or do they base prices for academic proofreading on the page count? Some individual academic proofreaders may also charge by the hour, so the price will depend on how long it takes them to proofread your academic document. Understanding the policies on pricing is important so you can compare the prices of different academic proofreading services.

Some academic proofreaders are willing to proofread academic documents within any field or discipline, while others may only proofread academic documents from specific disciplines, such as the social sciences, humanities, physical sciences, or another field. When looking for an academic proofreader, consider whether you want someone who specializes in your field, specializes in certain types of academic documents, or proofreads many types of academic documents. Another thing to think about is whether you want to choose an individual academic proofreader or if you prefer to use an academic proofreading service. If you choose an academic proofreading services company, how do you want your document assigned? Do you want the company to assign the document to a proofreader, or do you want to choose the proofreader? If communicating directly with the proofreader is important to you, you want to choose a company that lets you select the editor and permits open communication between the proofreader and client.

When trying to find an academic proofreader, the turnaround time promised by the individual or company is important to know up front. Academic proofreaders and academic proofreading service companies can offer vastly different turnaround times, and you need to find one that helps you meet your deadlines but also falls within your budget. Some academic proofreaders may promise a very fast turnaround time, but this may mean an increase in cost or a sacrifice in quality if the proofreader cannot perform as quickly as stated. If the turnaround seems faster than what would be reasonable, ask questions of the proofreader and try to get feedback from previous clients. Before you pay any academic proofreader or service, read all policies on deadlines. In addition to establishing a clear deadline, choose an academic proofreader who is known for honoring deadlines. There is nothing more frustrating than being promised you will have your proofread document by a certain date and not receiving it when expected. Review the reviews and ratings of previous clients to get a better understanding of whether documents are returned as promised. 

In addition to understanding all policies related to deadlines for proofreading your academic document, you should review the full set of policies of the proofreader or proofreading service before making a choice on who proofreads your academic document. You should know how and when you are required to make payments (e.g., pay 100% up front or pay a portion at the start and the remainder at the end), the skills of the person proofreading your academic document, when your academic document will be returned, and how you will be given the final product (e.g., in an email or through a website).

About Editor World: Academic Proofreading Services

Editor World: Academic Proofreading Services offers fast, affordable academic proofreading services. Clients can choose their professional academic proofreader 24/7 and communicate directly with the proofreader while also having the confidence that comes with an established, highly rated academic proofreading services company. Editor World offers academic proofreading and editing services for every type of scholarly document.