Proofreading for students

Improve the quality of your writing – get your work professionally proofread and eliminate the errors from your essay, dissertation or thesis

You’ve only gone and done it!

Your essay, dissertation or thesis is the culmination of months, or maybe even years, of your hard work and research. The last thing you want to do is let yourself down or lose precious marks by submitting your work with spelling and grammar errors, punctuation slip-ups or poor reference styling.

Check your work… and then check it again…

Mistakes are easily made and can be just as easily missed by the writer. Before you submit your paper, at the very least it should be checked using the spellchecker that comes with your word processing software (for example, Editor in MS Word), or even a free software package such as Grammarly. These packages should pick up on the most basic mistakes.

However, there are always errors that software can’t spot but a human can. These include missing articles (the, a, an), words that are spelt correctly but have been used in the wrong context (such as there, their and they’re; your and you’re; it’s and its), and even missing words. You should also be aware that spellcheckers are not always right and may even introduce errors.

  • ✔ An academic proofread will highlight any spelling, grammar and punctuation errors in your work.

    ✔ The tone, clarity and consistency of your writing will be thoroughly checked.

    ✔ Your original meanings, ideas and arguments will be maintained.

    ✔ Your word count should include everything you want to be checked: your headings, your contents page, the body of your document, captions for your figures, tables and charts, the appendices and any other section you want to get proofread.

    ✔ If your reference list is included in your word count, I will check that your references follow your reference style consistently (make sure to let me know which style you’re following!) and that all your links work.

    TIP: Make sure you leave plenty of time to allow for checking and applying any corrections and amendments I have suggested, plus a final read-through of your work before your submission deadline is due. I suggest allowing at least one week (but preferably longer!) between sending me your work and your submission date, depending on your word count – the higher your word count, the longer it will take to proofread your paper.


    Read my article on how long it takes to proofread a document →

  • My fees are based on your word count, which means that we both know how much your project will cost from the outset and you won’t get any unpleasant surprises when you receive my final invoice.

    My graduated fee structure is based on a progressive pricing model – the principle behind this is the economies of scale: longer projects tend to require less time per word when compared to shorter projects, so I can pass this efficiency saving on to you.

    To get an accurate quote, let me know the total number of words in your document when you make your initial enquiry.


    Fee structure

    Minimum fee = £75

    Then:

    • The first 2,500 words = £30 per 1,000 words

    • The next 5,000 words = £25 per 1,000 words

    • The next 10,000 words = £20 per 1,000 words

    • The next 20,000 words = £15 per 1,000 words

    • The next 40,000 words = £10 per 1,000 words

    • The next 80,000 words = £7.50 per 1,000 words

    • The next 80,001+ words = £5.00 per 1,000 words


    Example fees:

    → 2,000 words = £75 (minimum fee applies)

    → 10,000 words = £250

    → 50,000 words = £825

    → 100,000 words = £1,268.75

  • Structure check – £2.00 per page

    This additional check of your essay structure will give you the reassurance that your paper is presented to a high academic standard.

    I will check:

    ✔ Your chapter headings follow a logical structure and match your contents page

    ✔ Your page numbers are numbered correctly

    ✔ Your figures, charts and tables are listed and labelled correctly.

    Formatting check – £2.00 per page

    Good formatting can greatly improve not only how your writing appears on the page but also its readability.

    Your document will be checked for consistency in:

    ✔ Your use of fonts for titles, subtitles and body text

    ✔ Your in-line spacing, section breaks and page margins

    ✔ The formatting of your headers and footers.

    Structure and formatting check – £3.00 per page

    Get a discount of £1 per page when you order both additional checks.

  • ❌ This is not an essay writing service. Your essay, dissertation or thesis must be your own work.

    ❌ I don’t alter your content unless it’s a simple typographical error in need of correcting.

    ❌ I don’t advise on the content of your work, rewrite your text or reduce your word count.

    ❌ Reference checking does not include checking that your sources are correct – your references will be proofread to make sure they are in line with your chosen style (Harvard, Vancouver, etc.), but are not checked for accuracy.

    ❌ All additional services are supplied as add-ons to the academic proofreading service and cannot be purchased separately. Please state which services you require and how many words and pages make up your document when requesting your quote.

    See my student terms and conditions of service for more information.

How can a proofreader help me?

For a thorough check of your writing, nothing beats the trained eyes of a professional proofreader. Having your work proofread will help to ensure your writing is clear and concise and any spelling, grammar and punctuation mishaps are picked up and corrected.

This is where I can help! As well as being a qualified proofreader, I have academic writing experience as both an undergraduate and a postgraduate student, plus over 17 years of experience as a content and editorial professional.

You can be confident that your work will be safe with me – all client documents received are treated with the strictest confidence and will be returned to you by the mutually agreed deadline.

  • “Thanks so much for a really thorough job – it’s exactly what was needed and also something I can learn from and apply to my future writing.”

    Lisa T.

  • “Thank you very much for editing my text, especially considering the short notice. I appreciate it very much – it reads much better now. That’s exactly the kind of creativity I was asking for. It’s good I have found you!”

    John Palmer, Vision Edition

  • “Thank you, thank you, thank you; I really appreciate your time, expertise and help. I have made every amend you recommended. I did appreciate you turning my proofreading round so quickly.”

    Heather M.

  • “From documents to website pages and blog posts, Sarah always goes above and beyond to make sure the work we send her is returned to a very high standard. We no longer worry about sending our clients documents with errors. We recommend everyone uses Sarah!”

    Charlie Harding – CC Animation Studio

  • “Thank you, Sarah, for the work you have done on my CV. You have exceeded my expectations. The CV reads way better – it's clear and concise. Much appreciated!”

    Caroline N.

  • “Sarah proofread my new website and I am so glad that she did! She corrected the errors and created easy-to-read content throughout. I will certainly be asking Sarah to proofread my copy in the future!”

    Danielle Greenwood – Bristol Ukulele Festival

  • “Thank you, Sarah, for your prompt and professional service. My CV looks great – much easier to read and much less waffling! This is the lady to see if you're looking for a professional and concise CV.”

    Abigail S.

  • “Sarah was very responsive to my request to proofread our catalogue; she booked time in her schedule and returned them ahead of the deadline. Her corrections were helpful and appropriate, and her rates reasonable. I would have no hesitation about using her again.”

    Kathryn King – Bristol University Press

  • “Sarah was the ideal person to work with on the Business Fights Poverty Magazine; quick, thorough and continuously offering ideas for how to improve the process, we would recommend Sarah's proofreading service to anyone!”

    Anna Johnson – Business Fights Poverty

  • “Sarah has been proofreading my blogs for a while now and is absolutely brilliant at what she does. I highly recommend Sarah – she is not only a lovely person to deal with, but also very competitively priced.”

    Jo Richings – Bristol Small Business Network

Get your free quote today!

Want some help with checking your essay? Send me some info about your work, and I’ll get back to you with your free quote!

  • Please supply as much detail as possible

  • I may request a representative sample of your text so that I can give an accurate quote

All information you provide here will be used only to reply to your query. See my Privacy Policy for more details.

Please note:

  1. This is not an essay writing service. Your essay/dissertation/thesis must be your own work.

  2. I will not alter the content unless it’s a simple typographical error in need of correcting.

  3. I will not advise on the content of your work, rewrite your text or reduce your word count.

  4. Reference checking does not include checking that your sources are correct – your references will be proofread to make sure they are in line with your chosen style (Harvard, Vancouver, etc.).

  5. The additional services are supplied as add-ons to the academic proofreading service and cannot be purchased separately. Please state which services you require and how many words and pages make up your document when requesting your quote.

See my student terms and conditions for more information.

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