Copyediting
Proofreading
Student support
Portfolio
For Authors
Copyediting and Proofreading – who is it for?
You have finished your manuscript or prepared a translation in English, but the publisher has asked you to have your work ‘copyedited’ or ‘proofread’ before accepting it. This is because publishers often outsource what were once in-house processes.
As a psychotherapist and copyeditor, I am keenly aware of the importance of using subject-specific copyeditors given this situation. Knowing the difference between ‘fantasy’ and ‘phantasy’ or why there is a capital O in Other is important!
Copyediting is a quality-control check before your work is typeset. It ensures that technical words (superego or Super-Ego?) are consistent across the text, translations use idiomatic phrasing, there are no mistakes in the grammar or meaning of the text and the writing flows well.
If you are preparing a manuscript for a publisher or submitting a paper to a journal this is the service you need.
Proofreading is a thorough and important check of the text after the manuscript has been typeset (formatted into a PDF document ready for publication). A proofread looks out for any problems that have slipped through previous rounds of editing and formatting. Only essential changes are usually allowed at this point. The layout will be checked (page numbers, inconsistencies between the contents page and in-text chapter titles etc.) alongside the text for mistakes or inconsistencies in grammar, punctuation, spelling and house style.
If a publisher asks you to have your book proofread after professional rounds of editing and sends you a final version (usually a PDF document), this is the service you need.
For Students
Writing support for students and trainees
Academic writing is a particular skill. Many students know their subject well and have really good ideas but don’t feel confident writing academically. I firmly believe that academic writing is a skill that can be learnt; often students just haven’t been taught explicitly how to do it.
We will first discuss your essay title and thoughts then, together, we will create an essay plan for you to follow. I will help you order your thoughts and produce work of a high standard.
I also proofread student essays and dissertations. This service is often used by:
EFL students (writing in English as a second language), students with dyslexia, students who are either new to academic writing or who don’t yet feel confident writing an essay, students who need to rewrite a failed paper.
About Me
Catherine Alexander is a psychoanalytic psychotherapist with six years’ experience copyediting and proofreading books and journals in the field. She works with authors preparing articles and books for publication, as well as students writing dissertations, theses and case studies. She specialises in Lacanian psychoanalysis and many of her clients are writing in English as a foreign language.
Catherine is a professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. She lives and works in Bristol, UK.
Pricing
Copyediting/Proofreading (EFL) Corrections of literals, grammar and punctuation, flow, meaning and phrasing in English (Word documents or equivalent).
£20 – £40 per 1000 words
Proofreading Corrections of literals, grammar and punctuation, layout, consistency in spelling and house style (PDF documents that have been typeset).
£15 per 1000 words
Developmental Editing This can take different forms. These include a report looking at ‘big picture’ elements such as structure and flow, a close reading with commentary throughout the text or the considerable rewriting of phrases into more natural sounding English.
£45 per 1000 words
Student Support Zoom consultation which includes essay planning support, tips for writing, building arguments and understanding academic writing.
£55 (consultations are 60 minutes long)
Contact
Testimonials
What my past clients say…
“Being constitutionally verbose, the final draft of my dissertation was horribly over-length. I felt sure I had repeated myself and indulged extraneous detail, but I could no longer see the wood for the trees! PsychProofrading smartly knocked my dissertation into shape, cutting over 10% of the text. Brief notes in the margin also helped me to see where the structure wasn’t working well. As a result, I was able to improve the flow of my argument and bring greater clarity to my ideas. It felt like being rescued when I was drowning, and I’m very grateful indeed. Happily, I got a distinction!” Jo, Psychotherapy Trainee
“Working in English as a non native speaker, I thought I could write till I got feedback from Uni. I contacted PsychProofreading for help and got a quick response and comprehensive feedback. Great planning support via Zoom, helped with discussing the structure and coherence of the essay. The support nearer the essay submission deadline was much appreciated and prevented me from having a meltdown! Thanks to PsychProofreading the essay for my PGCE in Secondary Education got excellent marks!!!” Chris, PGCE
“Excellent proofreading support to my submissions during a three year master. Really meaningful turnaround, with clear and subject-specific suggestions, which made my essays and dissertation way more readable by native speakers, a real success. Psychproofreading helped me to correct my grammar and spelling, and also there were several nice notes on how to improve the flow and legibility. I have recommended my friends and colleagues to proofread their work before any submission with Psychproofreading” Francesca, Masters in Psychoanalysis
“Writing English as a second language can be difficult because I have a tendency to revert to my native language when I get stuck, so I think and reason in my native language when I write. I was a day before the deadline and thanks to Catherine’s prompt and detailed proofreading, my English looks coherent and clear. She gives helpful and detailed punctuation advice when the statement needs to be backed or doesn’t make sense and she gives a clear direction for amendments. Definitely the best proofreading service I’ve ever used!” Hailan, Masters in Psychoanalysis
“Everything is now over, and I am now a Child, Adolescent and Family Psychodynamic Psychotherapist! Your services was most helpful” Antoinette, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
“I passed all my essays and would not have done it without your help and guidance” Mel, Masters in Social Work
“Outstanding high quality proofreading work, very timely and prompt responses, quick turnaround times. Apart from making my texts more concise, readable and coherent for native speakers, Psychproofreading provided additional notes and suggestions which I found incredibly helpful. I’ve used Psychproofreading services many times and I will keep coming back whenever I need help” Ana, Masters In Psychoanalytic Studies
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