What's the going rate for an MA proof-reader?

gaillimheach

Anyone know what the going rate might be for someone to proof-read an MA (minor) thesis? No typing. Just proof-read/stick in a bit of punctuation/correct a few spelling errors or typos/rephrase the odd sentence here and there, etc.

Any suggestions as I simply haven't a clue. Should it be an hourly rate/page rate/thesis rate? The proof-reader in question has a BA in English.

mr.interested

Apologies for being nasty, but if you can't manage to do a proof-reading yourself, are you sure that you are in the right place doing a Master's degree?

hayser

Hi Gaillimheach.

As far as I know people charge by the thesis. If you like I could take a look at it for you for free. I love doing proof reading, work with children so I am up to date with punctuation and spelling, etc. I'm hoping to start a Masters in the next year so I wouldn't mind becoming more familiar with the layout, etc. Just let me know anyway and good luck with it.

Tom Dunne

mr.interested wrote: »

Apologies for being nasty, but if you can't manage to do a proof-reading yourself, are you sure that you are in the right place doing a Master's degree?

If you have spent the last number of months/years working on a document, a fresh set eyes will almost immediately spot something you may not have.

Even in shorter documents, having somebody else proof-read is a very valuable exercise.

DCU student

Dear Mr Interested,

Just to point out that proofreading is a specific skill that must be learned because it is in the nature of the mind to correct errors automatically.

Someone not trained in proofreading may not see errors such as missing words or improper usage because their mind is showing them what it is trained to recognize as correct.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos no t raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

If you understood the sentence above you should be able to understand the difficulty of proofreading ones own work. The author of a master’s thesis will have read the text so many times that he is too familiar with it and will miss typos and incorrect spellings.

The smart thing to do is to get a professional to check it - or, if that costs too much - at the very least someone with a fresh pair of eyes.


Your statement, Mr Interested:

mr.interested wrote: »

if you can't manage to do a proof-reading yourself, are you sure that you are in the right place doing a Master's degree?

is just plain ignorant.

x in the city

mr.interested wrote: »

Apologies for being nasty, but if you can't manage to do a proof-reading yourself, are you sure that you are in the right place doing a Master's degree?

questionings someones intellect over this is absurd and ridiculous comment.

proof reading documents, especially thesis and so on from an outsiders point of view is a wise thing to do.

what the postgrad has wrote might 'seem' ok, but to other eyes mistakes can be found, eg: an engineering thesis could be given to someone studying a different area, to get another opinion.

no harm at all.

carlow_kid

I paid around 500 last year, but this was for a very heavy proofreading. Heavy in the sense that I wanted advice on structure and content and making it more professional, all in addition to spelling etc.... it was well worth it.

TheReader

mr.interested wrote: »

Apologies for being nasty, but if you can't manage to do a proof-reading yourself, are you sure that you are in the right place doing a Master's degree?

Your comment is so fundamentally flawed at so many levels it beggars belief. Nobody who has stared at the same piece of work for so long would question the importance of getting an outside view on the very personal work that goes into every good thesis. By the time most people have written their thesis they are emotionally attached to it. They need an outside view of their work. It could be your granny, sister, uncle or a professional proof-reader - but an outside view is absolutely essential in strengthening any thesis.

DublinWriter

+1 The Reader

gaillimheach

Many thanks for all the advice, which I've passed on to the individual on whose behalf I'm posting.

Mr. Interested, I have two Master Degrees myself - one is a high First Class honours and the other was a Masters that, like a PhD, is awarded uncategorized.

Less arrogance and ignorance, along with better judgement, is what you need.

EmZZZ

On a related topic, where would you advertise your proofreading services?
I feel that the university notice board is not often read by students and the printers I have tried refuse to put ads up...

thesis.direct

Well, you get what you pay for. 'Proofreading services' range on a continuum from traditional checking of spelling and grammar to enhanced services which work with the substantive content of your draft to improve the academic content (see http://www.adverts.ie/256044 as an example of the latter).

Free advice: Even if you can't afford a basic professional proofreader get someone to read it (a friend etc...). Examiners HATE sloppy work and it is an easy reason to give a low grade. Poor writing, unorganised chapters, unprofessional/mixed/incomplete referencing styles etc... cost people marks.

Give yourself a week to get everything looking professional.

Odysseus

I have to agree my MA thesis was 56,000 words, by the time I submitted it; I had read the various chapters so many times I as another poster noted I was too close to it. Even during my degree I always got a friend to proof read my assignments, one of my tutors suggested it in my first semester and I have used the idea since then.

It was put to my as trying to have a "educated" friend who was not studying my discipline, but may have a general interest in the area. I find I read any paper at least 6-8 times correcting newly seen typos each time; before I ask someone to proof it. Anyway I hope that makes some sense to others, but whilst I never used a professional I have always got someone to proof a paper for me; whether it's an assignment of a submission to a journal.

Turbulent Bill

thesis.direct wrote: »

Free advice: Even if you can't afford a basic professional proofreader get someone to read it (a friend etc...). Examiners HATE sloppy work and it is an easy reason to give a low grade. Poor writing, unorganised chapters, unprofessional/mixed/incomplete referencing styles etc... cost people marks.

Give yourself a week to get everything looking professional.

+1, I gave thesis chapters to family members and they spotted plenty of small mistakes. It's impossible, especially at a late stage, to proof-read your own work.

I'd go further and say the structure of the thesis should align with the argument you're trying to make - it's not just a cleaning-up exercise at the end. I've read plenty of work where good insights and comment were hidden because the structure of the thesis was so poor (or unsuitable for the argument).

RubyRoss

E500 for a proof read - why have I been wasting my time on a PhD when I could feed on the brains of others?

Sign me up - I'll even buy the shattered client coffee.

carlow_kid

I felt really ethically challenged using a proofreader but I was under significant time constraint due to work and my supervisor was of little help except to say I was unlikely to pass. I felt almost worse when I got the thesis back - it read like a different piece of work. I am not exactly proud of what I did but I got a 60 for the thesis.

LilMsss

RubyRoss wrote: »

E500 for a proof read - why have I been wasting my time on a PhD when I could feed on the brains of others?

Sign me up - I'll even buy the shattered client coffee.

That makes two of us then

carlow_kid wrote: »

I felt really ethically challenged using a proofreader but I was under significant time constraint due to work and my supervisor was of little help except to say I was unlikely to pass. I felt almost worse when I got the thesis back - it read like a different piece of work. I am not exactly proud of what I did but I got a 60 for the thesis.

Don't beat yourself up over it. Academic writing is a skill, not a talent, although if you're a particularly talented writer then of course you have a good foundation before you begin.

Most people don't know how to structure a thesis, or write academically when they start out, and then of course there are the people who know what they're doing but get themselves so flustered and overwhelmed by the idea of writing one, that they get lost in the middle of it.

I've written two minor dissertations (15,000 - 25,000 Words), and am working on my PhD now, and must have read at least 30 theses or major projects in the past ten years.

This is because I was the main person all of my friends came to when we were in college to proofread their work, and because I supervised undergraduate dissertations a few years back.

I mainly proofread for free (including advice on structure, content and rewriting etc.) - maybe I should have been charging all of these years!