Student proofreading

Student proofreading service: the costs

A recent example of undergraduate student proofreading costs for an essay: A Chinese student’s essay with good English comprising 15 A4 pages of text totalling 6,784 words cost £46.00 to proofread.

A recent example of mature student proofreading costs for a thesis: A native English speaker’s thesis in good English but with many inconsistencies comprising 260 A4 pages of text of 60,000 words cost £510.00.

Student & ACADEMIC PROOFREADING discount

I give a discount of 25% to students and academics off of my commercial rates. Payment will only be accepted from the student personally and not from an educational institution.

As a guide, proofreading rates for students start from £9.00 per thousand words after discount, subject to quality of writing.

There is a minimum charge of £25.00.

Student proofreading: who and what is covered

Proofreading for undergraduate, postgraduate, and mature students

I have extensive recent experience in student proofreading of dissertations, theses, and essays for native-British and international students (particularly proofreading for Chinese students studying in the UK), as well as their personal documents.

Sample proofread

If requested I will provide you with a sample proofread in MS Word format of up to 250 words from your essay, dissertation, or thesis. This will help you to assess how proofreading can benefit you and whether I am the right person for your needs.

Media I can handle for you

• dissertations
• theses
• essays
• proposals
• applications
• assignments
• CVs / résumés
• personal statements and other documents.

They should be in Microsoft Word format.

Please check my proofreading subject areas for my specialisms although I am able to proofread in other subject areas.

Extent of student proofreading: what my proofreading will include

I am always happy to help students with their dissertations, essays, personal statements, proposals, and theses, especially if English is their second language (ESL), such as international students studying in the UK. I have recent and regular experience in proofreading essays and personal documents in English for Chinese students studying in the UK, and I welcome enquiries from all Asian students.

The extent of any proofreading I carry out will often be determined by your university’s proofreading guidance and rules. Usually my proofreading will include:

• spelling and hyphenation
• punctuation
• capitalization
• grammar and syntax.

Please see the the Students’ proofreading checklist page for details.

What my proofreading will not include

I will not rewrite the text to change its meaning or restructure it. The words and ideas will be your own as required by your university. All my amendments and suggestions will be recorded using Track Changes in Microsoft Word for your review.

Please ensure you are aware of your university’s proofreading rules and that you have your supervisor’s permission to use a professional proofreader. Some universities do not allow this or have very strict rules. If you are in doubt, it would be helpful if you could provide me with a link to your university’s rules or guidance for proofreading so that I know what I am allowed to do. However, if your university has no such restrictions or has lesser ones, please advise me as the help I can offer can be more extensive.

Difficulties students experience with English

For international students studying in the UK where English is a second language, expressing yourself in written words (such as in essays or other assignments) can be daunting. You may have difficulty in various language areas, such as:

• knowing which tense to use
• when and where to use ‘the’ or ‘a / an’ before a noun
• being unsure of the correct word order
• confusion over singular and plural forms, and problems with verb and subject agreement
• using sentences that are basically lists, rather than using linking words such as because, however, and since to join sentences together
• repeating arguments or points that have already been made. 

I can assist students in proofreading your written work to advise on the above troublesome areas and to give your work a better flow and readability.

Want to book me?

Please see dedicated subpage Students’ proofreading checklist for further details of the service offered to you, timing, and payment arrangements.

Feedback from satisfied students

Here’s what some international students had to say about their essays on marketing:

“I really appreciate your work, and it has really helped. I will have 4 more works need  proofreading next month, if it is possible, may I ask you for long term cooperation?”

“Thank you for reviewing my essay. I am really happy with it.”

Also for a recent thesis on psychotherapy and counselling:

“Brilliant, thanks so much for this Stephen. Hope to be contacting you again soon.”