You can send us:
- computer files by email, eg Word or other word processing files, Adobe Acrobat or other PDF files
- internet addresses of web sites you want us to read
- logins to access content management systems
- hard-copy printouts by mail
- other formats by arrangement.
We start by agreeing the brief to establish precisely what you want us to proofread and how you want us to do it. This will cover:
- the content of the document or web site
- the format of the text (eg newsletter, report or web pages)
- medium (eg word processing file, PDF, hard-copy printout or online screens)
- length of text (eg number of pages or words)
- deadline
- how you want us to check the text (eg your preferred style of writing)
- how you want us to mark the text (eg write on a printed copy, annotate a document or amend a computer file)
- how you want the marked-up material returned to you.
We complete the majority of our projects remotely, communicating with clients by email, online messaging or by phone.
Often we do not meet clients face-to-face due to distance or short timescales, although we build long-term relationships because clients are happy with our work.
We work from our own offices in Wilton, Wiltshire and Ilfracombe, Devon and can visit clients where this is viable for all involved.
We can also work at your offices by arrangement.
Ideally, we recommend you contact us to advise the production schedule for your document(s) so that we can plan the time needed to proofread them.
Often we deal with urgent or last-minute enquiries where time is short. In these cases, we look at what is possible. Short documents are usually easy to deal with, whereas publications or web sites with many pages and many thousands of words offer less flexibility.
That is why we always recommend adding time for proofreading into your production schedule.
If you do have an urgent need, call us on 0333 0444 354 to discuss it.
It’s not ideal, but we find many businesses or organisations only realise they need a fresh pair of eyes to check text just before they publish.
We aim to check as thoroughly as possible within the available time – we prefer not to rush this, but we usually flag most errors and typos.
To prevent this, we always recommend leaving enough time for any substantial editing as well as straightforward spelling corrections.
We work with the software and systems below and agree with you how you want errors or issues marked up or amended before starting to proofread:
- PDF files – we highlight text and mark amendments or raise issues in comments using Adobe Acrobat
- Microsoft Word files – we edit using Track Changes so that you can approve/reject changes and also add comments to raise issues
- WordPress and content management systems (CMS) – we edit web pages directly.
If you use other software or have a specific process for document management, we will be pleased to work with this.
We proofread most types of written material used in businesses or organisations including:
- internal communications: employee newsletters, reference manuals and reports
- marketing: brochures, customer magazines and newsletters, and white papers
- online content: blogs, social media and web sites
- presentations: speeches, slides and handouts
- public relations: case studies, feature articles, interviews, news articles and press releases
- sales documents: proposals, letters and tenders
If you produce complex documents on a regular basis and would like the process to run more smoothly, our attention to detail and professional expertise can make a big difference.
From talking through the process and suggesting improvements to producing a style guide for all your authors or providing project management to produce documents, we are here to help you.
Whatever your needs, our aim is to iron out all problems so that your finished text is just how you want it.
We proofread for:
- commercial businesses
- private and public sector organisations
- universities and research bodies
We do not proofread:
- fiction
- student dissertations or theses