Saturday, 14 May 2016

Process Used By Academic Proofreading Services


Many academic proofreading services employ different practices and processes. Therefore this article will set out the industry standards of how academic proofreading should be conducted by a proofreading service. It is good practice to make changes made to academic writing using the Microsoft Track changes functionality. This enables the company to provide a comprehensive proofreading service that is clear, transparent and professional. Once your work is sent back to you should ideally receive two copies, a ‘Proofread Copy’ and a ‘Final Copy’.

The proofread copy will have been edited using Microsoft Track changes, the changes will be visible slightly differently depending on whether you are using Windows or a Mac. In Windows any deleted text will have a line through it and all inserted text will be underlined. However, on a Mac all deleted text will appear on the right hand margin and all inserted text will appear in the main body of the text highlighted. Also, comments made by the academic proofreading service editors regarding your work will appear on the right hand side of the screen in the changes column.



The Microsoft Track changes function can be turned on or off by navigating to the ‘Review’ tab at the top of the screen, followed by clicking ‘Track Changes’.

Once you receive the proofread version back from any academic proofreading services you will see the changes that have been made. You can then either choose to accept each individual change by clicking either ‘Accept’ or ‘Reject’. Alternatively, once you have reviewed all of the changes that have been made and you are satisfied and are happy with all changes, you can select the option to ‘Accept All’, this will apply all changes made to the text.

The changes most proofreading services will make

Academic proofreaders will make a wide variety of changes, these changes will depend upon the nature of your work and context. However as a minimum the changes made should address and correct the following areas;

  • Academic Tone
  • Vocabulary
  • Consistency of verb tenses
  • Sentence and paragraph structure
  • Grammar and punctuation
  • Presentation and layout
  • Consistency of reference and bibliography

If there is a particular area of your work that you would like the academic proofreaders to specifically focus on then you should let the academic proofreading service know before placing your order.


Writing A Personal Statement For University

There are many articles online regarding how to write a University personal statement. However, it is often difficult to find consistent, reliable advice. In this article we will cover the basics of writing a University personal statement. As well as how best to create a personal statement that captures the reader’s attention to create the best impression when applying to your chosen University. 

The first thing to remember when writing a personal statement is that it has to be personal and unique, if you copy someone or if you get someone else to write it, this will no doubt be apparent at later stages. Therefore, it is always good to take your time, start early and prepare. You will not be able to write your personal statement overnight so you should prepare and set as much time as possible to write it.

Writing a university personal statement is a daunting prospect at times, as there can much pressure on it. After all it is one of the most important aspects of the university admissions process. This is why you should first write a plan. In this plan you should set out how you will structure the personal statement, what are the key things you want to get across and think about things that are unique to you that no one else is likely to say, this will help ensure your personal statement is personal.




You should also write down key bullet points about what you will address in each paragraph this is because you want the writing to flow naturally but at the same time cover all the key points that will best sell you as a good candidate.

Following this you should start the writing process take your time and think about each point that you are making each sentence should be relevant addressing your strengths so you do not waste any of the word count. Your university personal statement should generally conclude with why you believe you are the best candidate and end in a natural manner.

After you have completed a first draft you should put it away and come back to it later, as you may want to edit or change things. It is unlikely that you will get it spot on the first time. You need to read it again and again to ensure that you are happy with it. You should then start the process of proofreading the university personal statement, you can do this yourself. You can also show it to friends and family to get their opinions and advice as to what they think, they will also be able to proofread it to ensure that there are no errors. Once you are happy you can then submit it with confidence!

Saturday, 30 April 2016

University Personal Statement Writing Tips

The university personal statement is a one to two page document that you write when you are applying to university. Some may think that it is not important or that they can do this last minute. However, the university personal statement is absolutely essential in your application for a university place. This is because many universities will have similar grade requirements and may not conduct interviews. Therefore when people have similar grades and the university is not interviewing, it becomes extremely difficult to select the right candidates. Thus the university personal statement becomes important in separating the candidates. When it comes to writing your university personal statement you will want to take a number of different factors and approaches into account.



Firstly before you even begin it is important to understand the purpose of the personal statement, as already stated this is used to distinguish candidates and separate people to pick amongst many equally strong candidates. So this is your chance to highlight your strengths and say why you should be offered a place. Therefore the first step is to write a plan, your aim is to write the best piece of writing about yourself in a limited word count this requires careful planning. You should plan for around five or six paragraphs each one with a heading so you know what you will discuss in each one. Often people will start with an introduction about why they have chosen their particular course and then move to more specific reasons linking to their personal experiences. This is a good idea as you will want your personal statement to flow naturally.

One of the most important things to remember when you are writing your university personal statement is that it has to be unique and should not be copied from anywhere. Your personal statement is your chance to say why you should be offered a place over anyone else. Therefore it is expected that you highlight your strengths being original in the process. This is why you should take your time and plan ahead, speak to friends and family to get ideas. Once you have a first draft get your university personal statement proofread several times by different people to ensure that it is perfect and ready to be sent in your application. 

Why is English proofreading so important?

Proofreading is the process of ensuring that a piece of work is ready for submission. This ensures that by checking the writing for any errors and correcting any elements of punctuation that may not be as consistent as they should be. It is therefore an important process for people in all fields from businesses to academics to even writers. Ensuring the accuracy of their writing is pivotal in conveying a professional image. The need for proofreading has been growing considerably in recent years. In particular this is the need for English proofreading. The growth can partly be explained by the spread of the English language. There are many world languages, however English now appears to be the most common one across the globe due to its convenience. Therefore, people are more likely to publish their work in English, write their novels in English and also prepare their company literature in the English language. Since for many English is not their first language, English proofreading becomes essential.



English proofreading is thus very important for many different types of businesses and individuals across the globe. The benefits of English proofreading for many will be that it ensures that their writing is ready for publication and ultimately it creates a positive professional image. Once the need for English proofreading is established it is then necessary to select the right proofreading service. There are many proofreading services around the world all now online offering their services. However, you should not simply select the highest ranked proofreading company, or those sponsored ads that are simply there due to paying for advertising. It is important to do your research and select the right one for you. Many English proofreading services will be based in the UK or USA, this enables the editors to be native English speakers who are thus able to provide high quality services. It is important to confirm this as some may be based in other countries.

In addition to this you should also research the reputation of the English proofreading company. You can do this by checking their reviews on independent third party sites to see if they have any negative feedback and to see what others say about them. English proofreading is a very specialist high end skill as the editors will need to be experts and have a high attention to detail, therefore you do not want to take any chances. You may also want to contact the company to see if they offer any discounts, as if you will be using an English proofreading company regularly, you will have a good amount of leverage. Therefore once you have found the right proofreading service for the right price, you can be assured that your writing will be flawless every time!


How to be an Academic Proofreader

Academic proofreading as a specialist area within the editorial industry has become highly important. Academic writing in general has been flourishing, this is as more and more people around the world embark upon research and scholarly work. As English is now increasingly the chosen language for publishing academic work, this allows academics to share their research and obtain a large global audience. However, with this grows the need for academic proofreading, as for many academics English is not their first language. Therefore academic proofreading as a profession is a growing one and there is a demand for highly qualified academic proofreaders.

To be an academic proofreader you first need to meet some basic criteria. You need to have a relevant qualification within a relevant subject area, this is because if you are going to specialise in one academic area it is imperative that you are qualified in that area. It is also important to have experience writing, whether it is essay writing or journal publications.




If you are confident that you have the necessary skills and experience to work in academic proofreading then first you need to compose a list of all the proofreading services that you are thinking of applying to. Many academic proofreading services will have an in-house team and will also use external freelance proofreaders who they will want to carefully scrutinise before selecting. Therefore it is important that you do your research properly about each particular company. Some academic proofreading services will have different selection criteria and may want different things so it is a good idea to select the company’s that will best suit you.

When you have your list of academic proofreading services the next step is to apply, start by attaching your CV, and make sure that you have updated and included the most recent version of your CV with your most recent experience. You will also want to write an individual, specific covering letter for each proofreading service that you are applying to. Academic proofreading services have very high and strict standards, therefore you will want to demonstrate your strengths and all the relevant skills for being an academic proofreader. Lastly, and most importantly make sure you thoroughly proofread your cover letter and CV so that there are no mistakes the last thing you want is for there to be errors which will definitely make a bad impression and ultimately go against you! Then wait for them to get back to you, you may also want to give them a call after a week if they have not got back to you, just to get an update on your application.

Working for proofreading services

The demand for proofreading services has grown in recent years, partly due to the demand for content editing related services around the world. As a result the number of proofreading services have also grown in line with the demand. There are many types of proofreading services now, some are small niche in-house services. Whereas some are larger full service proofreading company’s. There is also the emergence of platforms that offer proofreading and have editors from around the world. Although the quality can vary with such versions. Nevertheless there are many opportunities to get jobs in the industry and work from home.

Being a proofreader is not as easy as most people think, you cannot simply start proofreading professionally if you once obtained an obscure qualification when you were younger. You have to have demonstrated clear writing flare and talent, you will also need a good degree and a postgraduate qualification. The reasons for this are that proofreading is a difficult task, as you will come across lots of different subject materials, written in different ways, you therefore have to have a substantial amount of knowledge and experience in order to dissect this and correct any errors.



In addition to having the right qualifications and experience as a proofreader, you also need to be quick and be able to turnaround documents quickly. Many clients will have deadlines and will need their documents checked quickly, it is therefore important that you are able to work fast and to strict deadlines.

If you are convinced that you have what it takes to become a professional proofreader then the first thing to do is make a list of the proofreading services that you will apply to. Many proofreading services have in-house teams and will also use external freelance proofreaders who they will want to carefully vet before selecting. It is therefore important that you do your research about each particular company. Some proofreading services will have different selection criteria so it is a good idea to select the ones that will best suit you.

When you have your list of proofreading services the next step is to apply, start by attaching your CV, and make sure that you have updated your CV with your most recent experience. You will also want to write a brief but specific covering letter for each proofreading service that you are applying to. Proofreading services have very high and strict standards, therefore you will want to highlight your strengths and all the relevant skills for being a proofreader. Lastly make sure you thoroughly proofread your cover letter and CV so that there are no mistakes, the last thing you want is for there to be errors which will definitely go against you!

Sunday, 17 April 2016

University Personal Statement Editing

The University personal statement is one of the central factors when applying to University. Writing a personal statement during your University application process is your chance to speak directly with the admission staff at the University and highlight why you think you should be offered a place, highlighting your strengths. With University admissions at their most competitive levels in years, many Universities will also employ various other measures to find the right candidates, such as psychometric tests and they will also be interviewing applicants. However, there are many courses and Universities that mainly rely on your predicted grades and University personal statement. This is why your University personal statement can be essential for you in securing that University admission place.



What to include:

When writing your university personal statement you should break it down into segments to help with the writing process. You should start with including a bit about yourself why you have chosen that particular course. Then you will want to go into more detail and start to highlight what made you come to your decision, you will also want to link this into your strengths. Throughout your University personal statement you will want to be highlighting your strengths and linking them to positive experiences.
You should also break down what you are writing into paragraphs and in each try to address different points. At the same time you should be linking each paragraph to the next so that there is good flow to your personal statement and it is easy to read.

In addition to talking about your reasons and motivations for applying to your chosen course you will also want to talk about your experiences. Practical experience is vital in your university personal statement. It shows that you are motivated and passionate about your chosen course so much so that you have undertaken work experience. You should refer to this work experience and mention what you got out of it. This will stress to those reading your university personal statement that you are serious about your course path. Work experience is also another way of distinguishing yourself from others. As remember not everyone will undertake work experience. Therefore it is these elements that will make you stand out and distinguish you from other candidates.

Overall the most important thing when it comes to your University personal statement is to be personal, it has to be unique to you and grab people’s attention. For this reason you should take your time with it, plan and structure what you will say and where you will address certain points. Finally once it is ready you should get everyone you know to check your University personal statement for errors and also to give you their opinions. For that added assurance you should consider using a University personal statement editing service, they will iron out any errors and ensure that it is perfect and ready for submission.