Cheap Proofreading Services

Cheap proofreading services? These three words are often typed on Google by individuals - from business representatives, professional to university students - who have written a text in English and need to have it looked at by a professional proofreader or editor. This could be website content, a CV, a cover letter, or a thesis or dissertation.

It goes without saying that everyone of us would like to get the best thing for the cheapest price, but is that really possible in today's world? Or is the proverbial "you only get what you pay for" is more in order?

This blog looks at the pitfalls of using this search string only to pick up a proofreading services provider and trust them with your manuscript.

For starters, English proofreading and editing services represent a highly competitive market, not only in the UK, but also in many other countries, specifically the US.

The fierce competition among a myriad of proofreading and editing companies pushes many of them to offer "cheap proofreading services" which - strangely - are still described as done to a high standard and of the best quality out there.

You can even find some English proofreading services providers offering to proofread and edit 1,000 words for as low as £5!!!!

Let's break it down to the basics and consider it rationally.

Proofreading and editing 1,000 words carefully and appropriately would at least need one hour and a half.

No professional or properly qualified editor or proofreader would spend one and half hours and be paid only £5. So, you can imagine when a proofreading service company hires an editor or a proofreader to do the task; how much will the company pay him or her? Do not forget that the company will still need to make a profit. So, this means the editor or proofreader will be taking around £3 per 1,000 words.

Who will accept to work for this little and still produce high quality proofreading services? Simply, no professional or expert editor or proofreader would accept it. Dissertation proofreading services editors in particular definitely charge higher.

So, what happens is that some amateur and inexperienced proofreaders and editors from non-English speaking countries are hired to do the task which -  as expected - would be ultimately of disastrous quality.

When English proofreading and editing services providers claim they provide cheap proofreading services of the highest quality, they are only making a false claim.

Quality is one aspect that is claimed by almost every proofreading and editing service provider claiming they provide cheap proofreading services. In fact, almost every provider goes far as emphasising that their service is of the highest quality on the market despite this very low and illogical price.

When the service standards of those providers are put to the test that it is established whether the concept of quality in proofreading and editing is ensured and honoured by them or not.

Proofreading and editing are much more than the mere correction of a few grammatical or typographical errors here or there. They are more to do with observing a sense of ownership towards the text, a sense that would make the editor or proofreader to focus on improving the text in a more comprehensive manner, in terms of grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice, sentence structure, clarity, comprehensibility, among other aspects.

So, in a nutshell, ensure the document you want to have proofread or edited are in reliable, professional and genuinely high-quality hands, rather than in the hands of those who claim they provide cheap proofreading services.