We provide copy editing and proofreading services for companies large or small, students, authors and other individuals. We are happy to work with fiction or non-fiction, and will edit both to the same high standards. As Anne Hickley has a PhD herself, she is happy to proofread academic documents.
We can mark changes on hard copy but prefer to work electronically in Microsoft Word if possible, as we can then use the ‘track changes’ and ‘comments’ features to flag any changes, additions or deletions. We work with Word 2010 but can save documents as older versions if you use an older version of Microsoft Word.
Proofreading /Light Copy Editing
- check and correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and general English errors
- check and highlight problems in page layout and markup copy
- check against specifications for typesetting
- check and query errors or inconsistencies in style and content
- check for overall sense and clarity
Substantive Copy Editing
All of the above for light editing and proofreading plus, where required:
- rewrite to improve the structure and content without changing the original meaning
- rewrite to improve meaning and vocabulary
- rewrite confusing, ambiguous or awkward sentences to improve flow of text
- remove wordiness, inappropriate terms or jargon
- query conflicting statements, discrepancies or inconsistencies
- reduce word count to comply with specified length
- suggest major revisions or identify gaps in content or areas of text which need further development
Please note – we reserve the right to limit the editorial service provided for dissertations, theses and manuscripts to ‘straightforward’ proofreading or light editing if the document contains technical terms or subject matter with which we could not be expected to be automatically familiar. Any unclear, confusing or technical sections will be flagged but will NOT be edited.
Students please note that we can help ‘tidy’ and restructure your original work but we cannot write your thesis for you.
Costs
Our standard cost is £25.00 per hour of time taken, and we will estimate the time/cost if you send us a sample of your work. However, we also offer a special rate for students/researchers, which is £10.50 per 1,000 words or part thereof for proofreading/light copy editing and £14.00 per 1,000 words for substantive editing. (A price in between these two limits may also be offered depending on exactly what is required.)