Academic proofreading

We correct errors in your academic writing that might distract from your ideas and undermine your credibility.

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Your publishing safety net

When you’ve spent hours writing a document, it’s almost impossible to spot mistakes. Let us catch any remaining errors or inconsistencies before you submit or publish your work.

Our professional proofreaders will work through your document with meticulous care to weed out any final typos, check the layout and ensure consistency. They will review your text closely against any relevant submission guidelines. When we’re finished, you’ll be confident your writing is up to scratch before it goes out into the world.

Tate & Clayburn has worked on hundreds of academic research papers, journal articles, dissertations and book manuscripts across a wide range of subject areas – so whatever your field, we’d love to help.

What is academic proofreading?

Proofreading is the final stage before you submit or publish a document. It focuses on correcting any errors, such as typos or grammar mistakes, that might have crept in during the last phases of a project.

Proofreading is carried out when a text needs a final polish before publication, often when it’s already been edited. If your text requires a more comprehensive edit – for example responding to reviewer feedback or improving clarity or structure – you’ll need our editing service.

Academic editing should be carried out much earlier in the publication process, as it involves a more in-depth review of a manuscript. Not sure what you need? We’ll be happy to give you advice.

In addition to academic proofreading, our editing team can check that your references match your chosen referencing style and that your reference list or bibliography is complete and consistent. We also provide a specialist indexing service.

What does our proofreading service include?

Our English language proofreaders will perfect your document by addressing:

  • spelling mistakes and typos
  • incorrect grammar and punctuation
  • word choice
  • inconsistent use of US or UK English (or any other variety)
  • sentence structure
  • consistency with editorial/journal guidelines
  • layout, formatting and spacing issues
  • problems with tables and figures
  • design and typesetting errors
  • unclear or missing content (which we flag in comments)
0 to 5,000 words up to 1 working day
5,001 to 10,000 word up to 2 working days
10,001 to 15,000 words up to 3 working days
15,001 to 20,000 words up to 4 working days
20,001–50,000 words up to 10 working days
50,000+ words to be agreed

How long does academic proofreading take?

The approximate turnaround times below will give you an idea of how long the work will take. However, if you need something sooner, just let us know – we’ll always do our best to meet a specific deadline.

Some examples of academic documents we proofread:

  • journal papers
  • book manuscripts
  • book chapters
  • letters to the editor
  • doctoral theses
  • master’s dissertations
  • funding applications
  • conference papers
  • presentations
  • course materials
  • monographs
  • student essays

Our academic proofreading process

1
Quote
We send you a quote before we begin, so you know how much a job will cost before you commit.
2
Brief
We make sure we understand what you want to achieve so we can do the best possible job. We assign your project to one of our proofreading experts. All our team members are native English speakers and have extensive experience.
3
Proofread
We flag up problems, identify issues with the layout, and correct language errors, such as grammar and punctuation errors or typos. If we’re working in Word or PDF format, we mark up our changes using tracking tools and add useful comments for you to review. We can also cross-check designed documents against the original to ensure nothing is missing.
4
Follow up
We’re on hand to work through any feedback or queries until you’re completely satisfied with the final result.

Why choose Tate & Clayburn?

We’ve achieved the globally recognised ISO 9001:2015 quality management certification.
Our hand-picked experts are trusted by hundreds of discerning clients worldwide.
We treat our clients’ data and intellectual property with the utmost care.
Our customers give great feedback – because we don’t rest until they’re thrilled with our work.
We draw on all the resources we need to fit in with your schedule.

Expertise you can trust

The secret to making our clients happy? Our team. We love what we do – which is probably why we excel at it. With our in-house team of experts and a wider network of specialists, we get the very best talent on your project.

  • Rigorous vetting process, including stringent tests
  • Highly qualified native speakers
  • Strict quality assurance process (ISO 9001 accredited)
  • Friendly, responsive and committed customer service (even though we say so ourselves)

What out customers say about us

Academic proofreading case studies

Frequently asked questions

How do you guarantee a high-quality academic proofreading service?

We place quality at the heart of everything we do, and we’re proud to be certified for compliance with ISO 9001:2015, the globally recognised quality standard. We only work with experienced and fully vetted proofreaders.

Our academic proofreading/editing services include a strict quality-checking process to make sure nothing slips through the cracks. Read more about our approach to quality.

What's the turnaround time for proofreading my document?

We can usually edit or proofread short academic documents within 24 hours. Let us know your deadline and we’ll do our absolute best to meet it.

Which varieties of English do you proofread?

All varieties! We most commonly work in British, American, Canadian and Australian English, but we’ll adapt to whatever preferences you have.

What file types do you proofread?

We work in PDFs, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Excel, PowerPoint, LaTeX, InDesign and most other file types that are sent our way. Once we’ve finished proofreading your document, we’ll send it back in the format of your choice.

What will my proofread document look like?

If we’re working in a file type that supports tracked changes (such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs), our suggestions and comments will be clearly marked up in the document. You can easily review and implement these, as well as view our comments in the margin.

If we’re working in a PDF, you’ll also see our changes and comments. You’ll need a PDF editor to implement these. If you need guidance on file formats or how to review our changes, just ask and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Do your proofreaders spot 100% of mistakes?

We do everything we possibly can to correct all errors in a document. We hire only experienced proofreaders and editors with a keen eye for detail, and we have a strict quality assurance policy in place.

We’re also certified for compliance with globally recognised quality management standard ISO 9001:2015. Despite all of this, human error is still possible and we can’t guarantee 100% accuracy.

How much does academic proofreading cost?

We calculate the cost of proofreading based on the number of words in your document and the amount of work involved. Send us your document and deadline (or a sample of your text and the total word count) and we’ll get back to you with a free, speedy and precise quote.

Do you proofread research from any academic discipline?

We work with all kinds of subject areas, including complex scientific and technical topics. When proofreading academic writing, we focus on clarity, structure and accessible language. That said, we work with a wide range of subject matter experts if further expertise is needed.

Ultimately, we’ll match your project to the team member who’ll get the best possible results – whether you’re a researcher or a PhD student.

Do you use generative AI or ChatGPT as part of your academic proofreading services?

All our proofreading and editing work is carried out by experienced human experts. As impressive as AI tools are, they simply can’t compete with the excellent quality you’ll get from human beings.

As an extra safety net, we use the latest tech to support our proofreaders, such as spell-checkers and editing tools – but these are not AI tools. We never use tools that could cause confidentiality, personal data or copyright issues.

I need my university/research budget to pay. How will this work?

Consider it sorted! For most of our academic clients, we liaise directly with the finance department to sort out the admin, so you can focus on the research side of things. If you put us in touch with the relevant team, we’ll work through the supplier registration, quoting and invoicing process with them. Just let us know how you prefer to work and we’ll fit in with you.

We have 30-day payment terms for language services suppliers. Can we work with you?

Yes, as long as you can provide us with a full business address. For individual clients, we ask that you pay up front the first time we work together; after that, we’ll switch to 30-day invoicing.

Let’s work together

Our human experts go through a rigorous vetting process and have vast experience.

We put customer service at the heart of everything we do and continually strive to improve.

We fit into your schedule without compromising on quality.

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