Proofreading Service

October 26, 2008 5:29 PM

Does anyone know of a proofreading service that offers high end proofreading for professionals?

I write academic papers and I am not great with grammar and punctuation and I was wonder where to find a high end proofreading service. I have found proofreaders on the internet, but I don't know how I can trust that I am getting someone competent. The papers are important to me so I am willing to pay whatever is necessary to get an individual with an advanced degree who specializes in proofreading.

posted by bucksox to Grab Bag (9 answers total)

Best answer: Bucksox, I have a proofreader I can put you in touch with who is very experienced with this kind of proofreading. She's a graduate of Columbia University Journalism School’s graduate course in publishing and has worked as a professional proofreader and editorial assistant for NYC literary agencies and publishing houses. She and can use both the MLA and APA style guides for academic proofreading, and I think she charges $5 a page.

Memail me if you want her email address.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:55 PM on October 26, 2008

Last time this came up, I recommended Ad-Proof, a service run by some friends of mine. I believe they still have metafiltroons as clients.
posted by stet at 6:09 PM on October 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

The above are good suggestions. If you are in a university, there is likely to be a writing center that can hook you up with someone local, too.
posted by LobsterMitten at 6:28 PM on October 26, 2008

Your university probably has specific rules and guidelines for what your proofreader can and cannot help with. Make sure these are communicated to the proofreader.
posted by winston at 6:42 PM on October 26, 2008

I also know someone I could connect you with, but I know less about her than DarlingBri.
posted by jeffburdges at 7:13 PM on October 26, 2008

Proof-reading is like web-design. It's one of those things that everybody thinks they can do. Since the buyer is paying for services outside their area of expertise, they can't always tell if they're shelling out for a hideously bad job.

I'd go with DarlingBri's suggestion. I don't know the woman in question, but she has professional training, comes with a personal recommendation and has a standard rate. All of which are things I look for in a proofreader..
posted by the latin mouse at 2:47 AM on October 27, 2008

You need the help of an editor, not a proofreader, to catch the kinds of errors you're talking about, bring clarity where needed, and impose the style of the publication you're submitting your article to.

If you're in a university setting, you should find a reader who's a subject matter expert in your field. Have them give it a read before you turn it over to an editor.

The best journals in your field might be able to make recommendations too.
posted by sevenstars at 5:29 AM on October 27, 2008

Check out the Editorial Freelancers Association. You can search their listings by specifing services and subjects.

If you are in the biomedical field, check the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences directory. BELS-certified editors have to pass an amazingly difficult exam and have to have a certain level of experience/academic training to qualify, so they are pre-vetted.

Agree that you need an editor, not a proofreader. However, if you go with a BELS editor, you may be able to skip the content expert review suggested by sevenstars, because many, if not most, ELS editors have master's and/or doctoral degrees and are subject matter experts in their own right.
posted by acridrabbit at 6:28 AM on October 27, 2008

For future reference, the proofreader to whom I refered bucksox is The Proofreading Girl.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:01 PM on March 1, 2009