This article is currently being updated and some advice might be out of date. Contact advice@luu.leeds.ac.uk if you have any questions.
I am a research postgraduate student can I get people to proof-read my work?
The University defines proofreading as: “the systematic checking and identification of errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence construction, formatting and layout in the text”.
It is important to distinguish between proof-reading as discussed here and the process of peer review. It is appropriate and frequently beneficial to have your work peer reviewed by your supervisors; other academics at the University of Leeds or elsewhere; and fellow students, where they have the necessary expertise to offer an informed judgement.
However, the process of peer review should:
- Provide comments and advice regarding the content, logic and clarity or the argument set forward in the work
- Bring to your attention the standards of written English and presentation
Peer reviewers should not:
- Write, rewrite, edit or amend the work, including any figures, notation, sequence code or text
- Systematically correct your grammatical and spelling mistakes or typographical errors.
The University has a Proofreading Policy for the purposes of taught courses which may be good to check in with.