Frequently asked questions
Why should I trust you?
With a degree in English and Latin, and a good understanding of Italian, Spanish, and French, I'm excited about language and working with words. A decade producing publications at St John's College, Cambridge, and 10 years working at Heffers Booksellers, taught me project management, editing, publishing, and customer service.
And more than 17 years working as a freelance proofreader and copy-editor have honed my grammar and editing skills and taught me how to use my training, skills, and experience to help my clients. I offer human-centred editorial support, and I don't use AI in my editing, marketing, or writing. I use non-AI software (PerfectIt) to ensure consistency when I'm editing, but I don't use any AI tools (like Grammarly, Draftsmith, or ProWritingAid).
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I am an Advanced Professional Member of the CIEP.
In my spare time I run The Sanctuary Angels, a voluntary organisation that raises awareness and funds for animals around the world. We have raised more than £100,000 for animal rescues around the world.
Will my work be perfect?
​The better the condition of your work, the better the result we will achieve. And the shorter your document, the more 'perfect' it will be post-edit. In longer works (e.g. dissertations, book drafts) I will polish and strengthen your writing, working within the agreed time frame to make it look its very best.
Students should note that the role of the copy-editor or proofreader is to improve the work's clarity, consistency and readability, and not to alter its structure or content. When working with students, I will not check for plagiarism, check facts, citations or accuracy of content, make suggestions for overall improvement, or rewrite or change the structure of the text to improve the flow, logic, or strength of the arguments.
What is proof-editing?
​Where budget and time allow, it is best practice to have two rounds of checks: a copy-edit followed by a proofread. This way the client can incorporate or reject changes from the edit and produce a final document for proofreading. Where this isn't possible, a proof-edit (the copy-edit and proofread are done in the same round) can be really helpful.
Style, spelling, punctuation, grammar, and syntax will be consistent throughout. Maintaining the meaning and tone of the text, I will correct sentences that contain syntactical, grammatical, spelling or punctuation error, or incorrect word use. And I will suggest ways to make your writing clearer and cleaner, using plain English where possible. Each round comprises two read-throughs (or passes).
What files do you work on?
I can work on Word files (using Track Changes), PDFs (using the built-in editing tools), or PPTs (making silent changes and writing any queries in comment boxes).
Any type of editing is best done in a Word file (or a PPT). Proofreading works fine on PDFs, where minor changes are needed, but editing a PDF is not best practice. We will not achieve the best finish because of the limitations of working on copy that is already at the design stage. It also takes longer to edit a PDF than it does a Word file (or PPT), which will affect your budget. And it will take your designer longer to implement all the suggestions, which means your design budget will also be affected.
Which style guides do you use?
I can work with any style guide. If you're not following one, I will work with the majority usage in your file, ensuring it's applied consistently. I will correct literal errors, tidy up any grammar or usage issues, and ensure styling is consistent (e.g. British or American English, single or double quote marks, serial comma or no serial comma). I have created my own style guide, which I am happy to share with you, or I can create one for you or your organisation.
Do you use AI or other tools in your editing?
I keep it simple when it comes to editorial tools: I use the spell checker in Word and PerfectIt (non-AI), which helps to ensure consistency. And while I don't use AI tools in any of my work processes, I have extensive experience working on AI-assisted files. Editorial tasks that can improve AI output include fact checking, consistency checks, humanising of stilted and unnatural writing, sentence simplification, jargon and waffle removal, and formatting.