Proofreading Your Work, Part 2

Using Proofreading Services Online

If you have tried proofreading your own work but find the finished product falling short, do not give up. For others of you, the time investment may be too great, when balancing work, family, and other academic responsibilities. Fortunately, you are not out of options.

Hiring a proofreading service might feel extreme, but it is very popular. Your school likely provides a writing center. That writing center usually maintains a list of editors that they recommend to students. Those services usually fill up quickly, especially during midterms and finals because many of those who provide them are still students.

In addition, sometimes it is difficult for older students to accept writing help from people half their age. Even for younger students it can be difficult to accept writing help from someone who sits next to them in a math or communications class.

This article will offer tips and advice for finding a reputable professional service to answer the call of, “Proofread my paper!”

Beware the “Free” Service

Unless offered or approved by your school, stay away from free services, especially free online services. Companies that will take your paper and resell it run the free proofreading services.

You might think that your paper is not worth reselling, but the paper mills that sell papers for $10 is selling that papers over and over again. Clients might not be pleased with receiving a paper that you had sent in for editing, but the company does not care. Most migrate from Web address to Web address, shutting down business when word gets around that they are junk.

Worse than that, your paper will usually be entered into a search engine. When your grader pastes a bit of your paper into Google to see if you plagiarized, it will look like you bought your paper online, even though what really happened is that the company stole your paper.

Trust Your Instincts

Why would a company that has software that really functions better than Microsoft’s grammar and spelling checker be giving it away? If I had that software, I would be too busy trying to sell it to Microsoft!

If you want a “free” service, learn how to better use the grammar and spell check that is incorporated in your word processing program. When you keep having the same errors (for example misplaced commas), do some research on how commas should be used. This is the best free service you are going to find. Of course, it is time consuming, but free usually comes with a price!

Learning to proofread well takes time and most people will not achieve the level of skill required. Being smart, being well educated, being knowledgeable of your subject area, are different skills from being a good proofreader.

Find a Reputable Proofreading Service

Ask your friends

Ask your friends they have hired proofreading services, or an editor or ghostwriter. Find out whom they used and what their experiences were. If they hired a company to write or edit something and got good results, likely that company can help you with your proofreading.

Sometimes students think that everyone around them is doing everything for themselves, “I’m the only one who ….” The truth is many students get assistance with tutors, editors, and ghostwriters. In addition, they eat in restaurants, accept money from their parents, and I am guessing most do not sew their own clothes or hand wash their clothes.

We all accept help; we all buy goods and services that make our lives easier. Paying someone to change the oil does not mean that we cannot drive. Just as you might ask friends whom they know that sells good pizza, you can ask about this. You can also consult with the school’s writing center about whom they recommend.

Expect Good Customer Service

Like other businesses, quality writing, editing, and proofreading businesses will provide good customer service and have responsive staff. That does not mean handholding or being “yes men”, but they should be honest and they should address your questions directly and honestly.

Good staff does not just mean that they are chatty; it means they solve your problems and answer your questions. Sometimes the answer might be no. They should still help you find ways to address your concerns, even if they cannot do things exactly as you like.

Posts Most of Their Prices Openly

Look for a company that lists its prices openly. If none of their prices is visible, it means that they want you to talk to a sales person first. That means high-pressure sales tactics will be used to get you spending money. If you are OK with that, go for it. However, for many students looking to reduce their stress, these are best avoided.

Companies cannot always put all of their prices up because, as students well know, the variety of projects (and what different academic fields call the same things) is literally endless. If you do not see the type of assignment you are looking for, ask a staff member what works in your situation. You should receive a friendly, accurate response to your concerns.

Don’t Overcomplicate the Process

Sometimes when people are worried about whether a business is legitimate, they try to put up hurdles. They think that a good business will jump over those hurdles, or bend over backwards, to make them happy. The truth is a good business will spot a troublesome client who invents problems. Besides, if you are considering outsourcing your proofreading, editing, or writing, you probably have some real concerns that you would like addressed. If a company makes you feel like you need to test them, find a company that does not make you feel that way.

Good proofreading services will look like any other business and operate like any other business, with published prices, helpful staff, and an ordering system that helps identify your needs.