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[need help]

Has anyone ever used an on-line proof-reading service?  Any suggestions for good services/companies?

My appologies for the duplicate post.

[anon]

I paid $250 for someone (a Ph.D.) to proofread my dissertation.  My opinion is that it was a waste of money.  The person really didn't do much other than correct a few typos, shift some sections around, and change the names of some of my headings.  What's more, the person wasn't familiar with the very specific formatting requirements of my university, so I actually had to undo much of the work she did.  If you are considering using a proofreading service as a shortcut (hoping they will do the work for you), forget it.  I found that, even though I employed a "professional" proofreader, I was still the one who did all the work.

[anon2]

I think you should be aware that there's a difference between proofreading and copyediting.  Proofreading involves basically checking for errors--misspellings, grammatical errors, typos, sentences or words that don't make sense.  A proofreader generally isn't suppose to rewrite a person's work, so, as the OP said, they aren't going to radically revise your text.  On the other hand, if you're looking for someone not only to correct your errors, but also help you edit or even radically revise your work, you should hire a copyeditor instead.  Proofreaders generally charge less than copyeditors, though.  It all depends on what you're looking for.

You might consider finding someone locally who could proofread or edit your work--by contacting the English dept. of your university, for instance. Sometimes English grad students offer editing services on the side and often have lots of professional editorial experience.  Plus they might charge less than an online service.  Also, if your university has a press, they often hire freelance proofreaders and copyeditors, and may be willing to give you the contact information for someone who can help you.

[%sig%]

[tamiam]

As I suggested on the other forum, I'll bet our buddy the pedant would offer such a service, gladly. As a matter of fact, perhaps if he had such an outlet for his energies, he'd lighten up around here!

Just kidding, pedant. ;)

[Thundering Marshmallows]

anon2 wrote:

> I think you should be aware that there's a difference between
> proofreading and copyediting.  

Excellent point, anon2. I paid twice that for copyediting from a retired dissertation chair because I also wanted my stats checked. He was not familiar with the newest APA nor did he care a bit about the lit review, which he regarded as a total waste of time. I, of course, was following the guidelines/dictates of my own committee. But his advice for the method and findings and discussion were invaluable.

I had hammered away at the damn thing for nearly a year and had exhausted my patience with myself and my chair and I'm sure it was mutual. It was worth the money to get an impartial opinion and feel as if I could emerge with something that wasn't just satisfying the idiosyncratic demands of a particular chair.

But, yeah, I did all the editorial stuff PLUS the department hired grad students to proof as well. Also invaluable because you just can't catch your own miskeys.

[OP]

Thanks for the advice