A polished, well-written text that flows nicely and does not have grammatical errors will showcase your content, ideas and arguments and impress your readers with its clarity.
Hello, I’m Karin Speedy. As an interdisciplinary academic, author of 4 books and close to 50 articles, journal editor and supervisor of Masters and PhD theses, I have over 20 years of experience in the academic world. I have in-depth knowledge of the conventions of academic writing and referencing and am a full member of the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA). I offer a high quality copyediting and proofreading service for academics (articles, book chapters, books etc.) and a thesis proofreading service for postgraduate students.
I am bilingual in English and French and have extensive experience of editing work written by people who speak English as a second language. While I specialise in academic editing, I can also help with other types of projects. Please get in touch to discuss your needs.
Academic Copyediting
Academic copyediting requires meticulous attention to detail, academic/technical knowledge and an ability to see the overarching themes or arguments of your text. If your first language is not English or writing is not your forte, your text will need copyediting. This involves checking for accuracy and consistency (e.g. British/US spellings, font sizes, capitalisation) and the correction of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax. It may also involve some rewriting to fix any problems with wordiness/length, transitions, jargon, and to ensure the style of the text fits with the intended audience. I can also correct your referencing style, such as APA, Harvard, MLA etc., or any journal house style if you provide the style guide. Work is returned to you in Word with track changes. If requested, I can also provide a second file with all changes accepted for ease of reading.
Copyediting rates for standard delivery times
These rates are for standard delivery times. There is a 20% surcharge for an express service subject to availability. I can also quote for shorter or longer projects.
| Standard delivery in business days | Words | Rate: NZD/AUD/CAD | Rate: EUR | Rate: USD |
| 3 | 1000 | $75 | 45€ | $55 |
| 3 | 2000 | $150 | 90€ | $110 |
| 3 | 3000 | $225 | 135€ | $165 |
| 3 | 4000 | $300 | 180€ | $220 |
| 5 | 5000 | $400 | 225€ | $275 |
| 5 | 6000 | $450 | 270€ | $330 |
| 5 | 7000 | $525 | 315€ | $385 |
| 7 | 8000 | $600 | 360€ | $440 |
| 7 | 9000 | $675 | 405€ | $495 |
| 7 | 10000 | $750 | 450€ | $550 |
Academic Proofreading
Academic proofreading is a much lighter service than copyediting and focuses on correcting minor textual and formatting errors in a piece of writing that is otherwise comprehensible. It is the final quality check, the ‘polishing’, that ensures your piece is ready to be sent to a journal or publisher. I will check for grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax, consistency in terminology, style and formatting. I can also correct your referencing style, such as APA, Harvard, MLA etc., or any journal house style if you provide the style guide. Work is returned to you in Word with track changes. If requested, I can also provide a second file with all changes accepted for ease of reading.
“In my experience, Karin’s work is excellent. She has done a great job with my text under a tight deadline. She has been very kind since we started communicating and she provided a tailored service according to my needs. Everything was so clear and her corrections increased the quality of the text and strengthened my voice as the author. I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone who needs copy editing for academic writing.”
Associate Professor Bahar Baser, Coventry University, UK
Proofreading rates for standard delivery times
These rates are for standard delivery times. There is a 20% surcharge for an express service subject to availability. I can also quote for shorter or longer projects.
| Standard delivery in business days | Words | Rate: NZD/AUD/CAD | Rate: EUR | Rate: USD | |
| 3 | 1000 | $50 | 35€ | $40 | |
| 3 | 2000 | $100 | 70€ | $80 | |
| 3 | 3000 | $150 | 105€ | $120 | |
| 3 | 4000 | $200 | 140€ | $160 | |
| 3 | 5000 | $250 | 175€ | $200 | |
| 5 | 6000 | $300 | 210€ | $240 | |
| 5 | 7000 | $350 | 245€ | $280 | |
| 5 | 8000 | $400 | 280€ | $320 | |
| 5 | 9000 | $450 | 315€ | $360 | |
| 5 | 10000 | $500 | 350€ | $400 |
Thesis Proofreading
Proofreading a thesis requires excellent knowledge of the conventions of academic writing, presentation and referencing as well as an understanding of the ethical implications of undertaking proofreading as a third party. I have supervised and examined many theses in New Zealand, Australia and France and have extensive experience working with students on their academic writing. As a thesis proofreader, however, my role does not include providing any advice on the content, argumentation or structure of your work. This is because a thesis must always be your own intellectual work and any third party assistance must not endanger the academic integrity and originality of your thesis.
What can I do for you? Universities allow third party proofreaders to correct errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax, referencing, and idiomatic usage. I may alert you to any passages that are unclear or poorly written in a comment but I cannot rewrite these for you. I can check for consistency in spelling (Brit/US), capitalisation, use of numbers and dates, italics etc. and make sure your referencing adheres to your chosen style (APA, Harvard, MLA etc.). Finally, universities require candidates to make all changes and produce the final text themselves so your thesis will be returned to you in Word with track changes. You will need to keep a copy of this file and then, in a separate document, accept all changes that you agree with. In this way, you maintain control over the academic integrity of your work.
Thesis proofreading rates for standard delivery times
I will need to see your thesis (or a sample of your thesis) and get an accurate word count that includes references to give a you quote. As an example, a 50,000 word thesis delivered in the standard 10-15 business days, would cost $1,750 NZD/AUD/CAD, 1200 EUR or $1275 USD.
How do we proceed?
In the first instance, please email me at contact@speedyresearchandconsulting.com including a copy of the document you wish to be copyedited or proofread (or sample pages from the beginning, middle and end of your thesis) and your deadline. I will send you a quote in your preferred currency (NZD, AUD, EUR, CAD, USD) and, if you agree to the terms, will then send you an invoice. Once you have paid the invoice, I will then start work on your document and return it to you by the agreed deadline. Please note that I charge a 20% surcharge for an express service but the availability of this service is dependent on my work flow. I do not offer an express service for thesis proofreading.
Payment terms
Payment shall be made upon delivery of the invoice for all work $1000 NZD and below. Where the account exceeds $1001 NZD, an advance payment of 50% of the anticipated fee is required. The full fee must be paid prior to delivery of the completed copyedited or proofread document. Payment may be made by direct credit/internet banking or via Wise (formerly TransferWise) in AUD, EUR, CAD or USD.
Contact me
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Speedy Research & Consulting 