To ensure that a thesis or dissertation is expertly presented, students often engage the services of a proofreader. It’s important to pick the right one.

As well as being a fully qualified proofreader and a member of CIEP, I have a PhD (in art history) and was formerly a fellow at Cambridge University. I have years of experience reading and examining students’ work and producing academic texts myself. I have also taken a special CIEP course on proofreading theses and dissertations.  

Eliminating textual errors is the first task. I’ll correct any typos, grammatical mistakes, misspellings or poor punctuation. If there are inconsistencies, I’ll draw attention to them, and I’ll amend any obvious slip-ups. Some universities provide a style guide for students (rules for punctuation, capitalization, citation and so on), and I can check that this guide is followed.   

It's my job to make sure that the intended meaning of the text is clear. If English isn’t your first language, having a proofreader work on the clarity of your text is especially valuable. Even if it is, an expert eye can often see problems of expression and help solve them. I’ll make sure the text flows logically, and if there are any ambiguities or repetitions, I’ll highlight them and propose remedies. I’m also happy to check the form (but not the content) of references, and if the text needs reformatting, that’s something I can do, too.

It’s vital to be aware of the ethical constraints governing this sort of proofreading. As theses and dissertations are examined texts, they must be all your own work, and your supervisor must approve my involvement. What I can provide is a guarantee that your thesis or dissertation fulfils its potential and is not marked down because of poor presentation.