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Editing and proofreading, editing, proofreading, messaging, writing, copy-editing TESTIMONIALS client feedback Clare did an outstanding job overhauling our website content and advertising literature. She is diligent and deliberate in explaining her work. I would highly recommend her." J Adams Business Manager Liskeard, Cornwall I worked with Matt on an essay, and it was a true joy. Matt took me through his interventions, and made sure I understood every change. He is a thorough and patient editor. I recommend him wholeheartedly." Dr Elad Uzad EU Philosopher University of Oxford Matt transformed my texts with his careful and considered prose. His masterful manipulation of my words, whilst maintaining the meaning of the various and unusual scientific terms, was nothing short of impressive. He has worked on many documents for me. I am grateful and happy to have found Matt in the jungle of proofreaders and editors." Dr Sabine Jordan Agronomist and Peatland Scientist Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SLU) Matthew Laight is a detailed, meticulous and highly adaptable proofreader. Drawing not only on his other career in high-performance computing and aeronautics, but also his wide-ranging literary appetite, Matt applies his skills of detailed analysis conscientiously to any genre of the written word, be that fiction; children's literature; education or technical journals. He is also a really nice bloke! I am happy to recommend him without hesitation." Sara Butler Executive Assistant to the Provost The Queen's College, Oxford I would recommend Matt in a heartbeat for all editorial needs, and for providing support along the entire process; his patience and knowledge are second to none. Not only is he a first-class editor, his skills go beyond that, including taking pride in making sure his clients' work is the best it can be." Glyn Morris Author Dear Matthew, you have done an excellent job of editing this technically demanding text. It was a matter of correctly translating both the technical terms of Palaeolithic archeology and that of Paleoanthropology into English, and to translate the peculiarities of sentence structure in the German language into scientific English. The deadline was very tight, and yet you managed everything to my satisfaction, even under time pressure. Thank you again for this help." Dr Lutz Fiedler Former State Archeologist of Hesse Germany I have worked with Matthew on Maths A book and know that when I place work with him, it will be delivered back to me on time, to exacting standards, and following the brief. Matthew is flexible, patient and a pleasure to work with. He can be relied on at short notice, and I have no hesitation in recommending his proofreading services." Bhavna Saxena Content Producer Pearson Education Matt did such a great job of editing my novel. His work is thorough and precise, and his observations, notes and suggestions are spot on. He has a sharp eye and doesn't miss a thing. He identified inaccuracies of grammar, spelling and syntax, and ensured a uniformity of style and formatting. As a result, my manuscript looks far more polished and professional. Matt's story editing is incredibly astute. He highlighted issues of clarity and continuity, asking questions of my story, prompting me to do the same. Because of Matt's brilliant work, I have begun to see my own work through an editor's eye, which ultimately is helping me to become a better writer." Elizabeth Delo Author Matt edited and proofread the bio' for my latest exhibition. He checked all the artwork and installation descriptions, of which there were many. He picked up on many points that I had missed and suggested much in the way of extra content – all perfectly pitched – he's a very knowledgeable chap you know! His help was invaluable as I just didn't have enough time to devote to these important jobs, and I contacted him terrifyingly close to the print deadline. I will certainly retain his services (and spread the word), but I promise to give more notice next time. Thank you, Matt." Sophie Alexandra Ryder Artist St Ives, Cornwall I have benefited immensely from creative technical discussions with Dr. Matthew Laight, who proofread this document, made many good suggestions and turned the last leg of the project into an enjoyable experience." Dr RB PhD thesis University of Cambridge Matthew transformed the content and look of my website. I lost count of the number of times I had repeated myself! Thoroughly recommended." Nicola Hardy Website owner Essex Your feedback is always welcome

Editing and proofreading, editing, proofreading, messaging, writing, copy-editing CODE OF PRACTICE necessary stuff As members of the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders we are bound to abide by their Code of Practice. This has been developed by the CIEP to encourage best practice in the industry, and as such, it is useful to proofreaders and editors and their clients. You can see the CIEP full Code of Practice here . This is how CIEP sums up its Code of Practice: CIEP's Code of Practice (CoP), ensuring editorial excellence, is a really useful resource for editorial workers – editors, proofreaders and project managers, whether working freelance or in-house – and their clients and employers. Its purpose is to establish standards of best practice for CIEP members and help them maintain them and to encourage good professional relationships. Good communication between client/employer and freelance/employee is essential. Clear briefing and the agreement of terms are vital if high standards are to be maintained by both parties, and unsurprisingly they're emphasised by the CoP. In addition, the CoP includes guidance on: the professional behaviour of both freelance/employee and client/employer standards for proofreading, editing and project management information on web editing, electronic file handling, email etiquette, confidentiality and computer security The CoP is endorsed by the CIEP council. Although it is not a legal document, it is considered binding on members and Corporate Subscribers.

Editing and proofreading, editing, proofreading, messaging, writing, copy-editing SERVICES ...who needs an editor? authors and self publishers corporates publishers academics postgraduates English as a second language (ESL) You might be an independent author who has just finished a first draft, or perhaps you have revised and polished your masterpiece as much as you can before submitting to a publisher. Or perhaps your PhD or Master's dissertation is almost there but your first language is not English and you want a final-draft edit before you submit. It might be that you're a business owner who wants a leaflet checked for clarity and grammatical errors, or an academic who is looking for a good reliable editor to take on the proofreading of important journal submissions. Common to all these possible scenarios is a simple fact: you have spent time and effort writing words that say something about you, your company, or your work, and you want to communicate your ideas to an audience in a clear and precise way. And, because you care about your message, your brochure, your novel, your thesis, your advertisement etc., you are seeking professional advice before committing your words to the finality of publishing and distribution. A professional edit will show your work at its very best for your readers. If working with an editor is new to you, then please use the what-we-do page and sub-menu to discover more about what we offer in your particular area of expertise, and the how-it-works page for an explanation of how we might work together. For more general background about proofreading and copy-editing, the information page should be of interest. Or, if you prefer, just get in touch and we can advise you further. We offer proofreading and copy-editing services for, among other things: Novels Dissertations (PhD and Master's thesis, final-draft proofreading only) Journal articles Website content Business literature CVs Maths & Science examination/tutoring booklets Brochures We are comfortable and happy editing a wide range of documents and subject material (hard or soft copy is fine). In brief, we offer an editing service that includes fiction and non-fiction, academic and technical journals, postgraduate dissertations, business projects such as leaflets, articles and marketing documentation, and of course we are always looking to work with publishers in any or all of the aforementioned areas. We offer an accurate and fast-turnaround service at all times. As members of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading we are bound by its established code of practice . We are a friendly and approachable team, offering a positive and constructive method of working with clients of all stripes and experience. No job is too big, no job is too small, as the saying goes. Please have a good look around the site, get to know us, and what we can offer you, and please do get in touch either directly here , or via the contact page .

Editing and proofreading, editing, proofreading, messaging, writing, copy-editing WHAT WE DO We appreciate that different clients will have different expectations and understanding of the editing process, for this reason we have provided a category-specific menu covering the following broad disciplines: authors and self publishers corporates publishers academics postgraduates English as a second language (ESL) In addition to any special requests ALL edits receive the following basic checks (depending on your document type, or your specific requests): typographic errors and annoying things missed by conventional spellcheckers (e.g., from/form, its/it's) US/UK spellchecking (ise/ize, our/or etc.) verb tense and agreement sentence structuring consistency of style (hyphenation, quotation marks, serial commas, heading case, use of caps, fonts, line spacing, indenting etc.) adherence to specific requests or a house style Academic documents are also edited for: citation format consistency reference formatting and matching third-person voice Please take a look at our services page and see details of what we can do for you.

Editing and proofreading, editing, proofreading, messaging, writing, copy-editing PUBLISHERS freelancing We work either directly or indirectly for The Royal Society, Charlesworth Author Services, CUP, OUP, Pearson Education, and others. We understand the demanding and challenging nature of freelancing for publishers. What we can do proofreading and copy-editing developmental editing technical editing business editing proofreading and editing of books (fiction and non-fiction), and technical or instructional manuals etc. work in soft (Word and PDF) or hard format work blind or against copy, using BSI5261C:2005 as necessary. Our experience SfEP and CIEP trained experienced with Word tracked changes and Adobe commenting tools. substantive editing and final proof-editing of novels. editing PhD theses and scientific papers in a variety scientific fields. experienced users of LaTeX and Tex typesetting programs as well as the usual mainstream software. Benefits we offer excellent communication professional and timely adherence to deadlines excellent work ethic strong background in science, engineering, and mathematics. an accurate and fast turnaround service. Please contact us for further information.

Editing and proofreading, editing, proofreading, messaging, writing, copy-editing Ts AND Cs small print These terms and conditions apply to any work done for the Client by the Freelancer. The Client is under no obligation to offer the Freelancer work; neither is the Freelancer under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client. The Freelancer will provide service(s) as mutually agreed, confirmed in writing by the Client. The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by the Freelancer, using his own equipment. The Freelancer confirms that she/he is self-employed, is responsible for her/his own income tax and National Insurance contributions, and for paying VAT (where applicable) and will not claim benefits granted to the Client's employees. The Freelancer agrees to attend the Client's or other premises for necessary meetings, the time spent and agreed reasonable expenses incurred to be reimbursed by the Client. The Client will reimburse the Freelancer for agreed reasonable expenses over and above usual expenses incurred in the process of editorial work. The Client will pay the Freelancer a fee per hour OR per printed page OR an agreed flat fee for the job, plus VAT where applicable. The completed work will be delivered on or before the date agreed, for the agreed fee, which will be based on the description of the work required and the brief, both supplied by the Client. If, however, on receipt of the item to be worked on or at an early stage, it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than had been anticipated in the preliminary discussion/brief, the Freelancer may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline. Similarly, if, during the term of the Freelancer's work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, the Freelancer may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline. If the project is lengthy, the Freelancer may invoice periodically for completed stages. Any content created by the Freelancer as part of the copy-editing/proofreading/project management process will become the copyright of the Client, unless otherwise agreed. The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the Client and its contractors without prior written permission. The Freelancer guarantees that any work that she/he subcontracts on behalf of the Client will be completed to the same standard, schedule and budget and with the same conditions of confidentiality. If the Freelancer's work is unsatisfactory, the Freelancer will rectify it in her/his own time and at her/his own expense. Unless agreed otherwise at the outset, payment will be made within 30 days of receipt of the Freelancer's invoice, according to the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 (amended 2002 and 2013). The information that the Client and the Freelancer may keep on record is covered by the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation. No more such information will be held than is necessary, at any time, to comply with those terms and with any compliance statement or privacy policy published by the Client and/or the Freelancer. Both the Client and the Freelancer agree that, where consent is required to hold or process such data, such consent has been requested and obtained and both facts can be demonstrated. Either may view the other’s records to ensure that they are relevant, correct and up to date. Either the Client or the Freelancer has the right to terminate a contract for services if there is a serious breach of its terms. If the Freelancer has made a substantial contribution to the copy-editing/proofreading/project management of the work, she/he will be entitled to receive one free copy of the work. The Freelancer may use the Client's name in her/his promotional material. This agreement is subject to the laws of England and Wales [or Scots or Northern Ireland law, as appropriate], and both Freelancer and Client agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh [or Scots or Northern Ireland] courts.

Editing and proofreading, editing, proofreading, messaging, writing, copy-editing PRIVACY POLICY GDPR Part of our contract with you is that we be a responsible business owner and comply with 2018 EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) in order to fully protect your information. The following is a list of what we do in respect of this. Your personal data In order to communicate with you efficiently and professionally it will be necessary for us to collect and store at least a modicum of your basic personal information, such as: name email address contact postal address details specific to your enquiry, e.g., the nature of your enquiry, whether you are an independent author or editor etc. Why do we collect data from you? We need the following, minimal information, such that we can: respond to your initial contact message via this website contact you prior, during, and after any work that we agree to do for you How do we use this data? We use the data we collect from you as follows: to contact you regarding your enquiry, for contract purposes, or in order to give an initial or updated quotation for our services to invoice you and to provide proof of our compliance with HMRC regulations to record your agreeing to the terms and conditions of the services we provide Our promise to you We will never distribute, lease, or sell your information to any third party unless you give us express written permission to do so. How does data transfer take place? We use Gmail ,and Dropbox for all data transfer. Details of their respective privacy policies can be found via the clickable links provided. How do we store your information? We use a password-protected computer to store your files, and to enable being mobile when we work; we also use Microsoft OneDrive. This gives us secure (password protected) access – from say a laptop – to data that are stored on our main computer. We do not keep copies of your work on any device save for our main computer. How will we deal with your files? All original files that you pass to us remain your property. Versions of these files that you have commissioned us to work on (i.e., to change format, edit, or to add content etc.) are our property until you have paid for the work we have agreed upon. Once you have paid, these files become your property. We keep all files and emails relating to completed work on our secure computer. This is useful to us in keeping a record of past work in the event that we work together again. However, if you have strong opinions on our keeping these records and would like us to delete this information on completion of our collaboration please just let us know. If you have contacted us and for whatever reason decide not to pursue a project with us we may keep your contact information for business analysis purposes. This would remain private to us, but again, if you have strong objections to our keeping this information just let us know. Our marketing strategy: how does it affect you? It is possible that we may contact you again about obtaining further work. To do this we would need to keep your contact details, and work-related information you might previously have disclosed, on file. This information is for our own marketing and we will never share it with anyone else. Please let us know if you do not want us to do this. We check and update this policy regularly. June 2025

Editing and proofreading, editing, proofreading, messaging, writing, copy-editing POSTGRADUATES papers and dissertations You have worked your socks off in order to get your Master's or PhD dissertation into shape. Nowadays, studying does not come without a heavy financial burden, and the long months – sometimes years – of working the clock round in order to produce a body of work by which all your hard efforts will be judged should be worthy of your investments in time and money. In order to give yourself the best chance of success you need to be certain that, aside from the academic nature of your thesis, your work is free from grammatical error, and is clearly understood. We welcome working with postgraduate students for whom English is not a first language (see our ESL page). What we can do for you final-draft editing of Master's/PhD thesis proofreading and editing of papers, conference submissions, and job applications use Word tracked changes in order that you see each and every one of the modifications we make use LaTeX or Tex typesetting if required Offer reduced-rate editing for postgraduate students ... we've been there! Please contact us for an informal discussion on how we might be able to help with any or more of these suggestions. Our experience Matthew has studied and worked closely with researchers and academics in Engineering and Science departments in many UK and European universities. We have edited PhD theses and scientific papers in a variety scientific fields. Matthew has over 25 years' experience as a fully-qualified professional engineer, during which time he has held senior positions in Formula 1 racing, and the aviation sector. He has an extremely strong (and up-to-date) understanding of Mathematics, Physics, Engineering (all major disciplines), Sciences, Computing etc., and has a strong academic background in Aeronautics and Fluid Mechanics. Matthew has a PhD in Aeronautical Engineering, and has written and co-written papers, and presented at conference. We are experienced users of LaTeX and Tex typesetting programs as well as the usual mainstream software. Benefits we can provide Matthew has a dual academic-industrial background which gives him a precise understanding of the importance of your situation; the step you are about to make, and of the make-or-break consequences of producing a document that will determine the next step in your career. A final-draft edit will give you the confidence that your work will be grammatically correct and consistent, that the arguments that you present are clear and well presented, and that your hard work will be showcased to the greatest effect. The more professional your thesis or dissertation, the easier your examiner(s) will be convinced of your aptitude and potential, leaving you free to confidently defend the academic arguments and claims you have worked so hard to assemble. You will always get an accurate and fast turnaround service. As members of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading we are bound by its established code of practice . If you would like to work with dedicated editors who understand the nature and importance of your dissertation and its effect upon your future career, then please contact us today.

Editing and proofreading, editing, proofreading, messaging, writing, copy-editing PRICING no VAT, no hidden costs Our rates are based on the minimum rates published by the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP). However, no two jobs are ever the same and the services we provide will inevitably be tailored to your requirements. We usually like to provide quotations based on our assessment of a representative sample of your work, and after a discussion of what service is best for you. We prefer to work at an hourly rate, but sometimes it's just easier to agree on a fixed fee. We have a minimum fee for small jobs (less than an hour's work). We also offer a discounted rate for final-draft editing of theses and dissertations (ask us about this ). There is no charge for an initial enquiry. There is no charge for the preparation of quotations. We do not charge VAT. For short projects, taking less than an hour, we have a minimum fee of £30. Once engaged for the job, time taken on emails and telephone calls are included as part of the standard hourly rate. We accept payment by bank transfer. Post-graduate discount We offer a permanent 10% discount for all final-draft proofreading of Master's and PhD dissertations (see the postgraduate page) We will endeavour to start work on your project as soon as possible, but please bear in mind that we will almost inevitably be 'mid-project' when you get in touch. So please think ahead if you are working to a tight deadline. Proofreading is generally a little faster than copy-editing and we usually budget around 2,000 to 2,500 words per hour (on average and depending on the original format) for the former, and 1,500 to 2,000 for the latter. It always helps if you can provide us with a total word count, it makes quotations much easier. We are happy to work with Word or PDF, though it's always faster with Word.

Editing and proofreading, editing, proofreading, messaging, writing, copy-editing HOW IT WORKS some details If proofreading is new to you, please take a few moments to read a little about how we'll get started. We have outlined below our standard method of working for proofreading (or copy-editing) novels, theses etc. The process is as follows: We will ask you to provide some details of the material to be proofread, such as how many words, whether it’s a novel, a journal article, a thesis etc. We will also ask you some questions about the format of the material and how you will want us to show the edit (e.g., in Word markup, PDF commenting, formal British Standard (BSI5261C:2005), or simply good old-fashioned red-pen comments in the margin). We will ask to see an example of the material that needs to be proofread, just a few sample pages, from which we will be able to get an idea of the work involved, for example: a final proofread or a more detailed edit. An idea of your deadline will be useful at this stage. Any material that you send to us will be kept confidential (see terms and conditions ). We will return your sample pages to demonstrate how the corrections and queries will look, together with a quotation price for the job. If you wish us to carry out the edit for you we will send you a contract outlining our agreement, we will then ask you to send us your work so that we can begin the edit. It might be that we agree that edited sections are returned along the way. We will return your edited document in a timely manner, in accordance with your deadline and our contract. For large jobs like novels or theses we ask that half the fee be paid prior to commencement of the work, the remainder will be invoiced in the usual way on completion of the work.