About Pamela
Featured
I am a proofreader and copy-editor working mostly in non-fiction. My day job is with Hansard at the Northern Ireland Assembly; as a freelance, my editing work includes the arts, social sciences, history, natural history, leadership and cultural policy.
Before establishing PS Proofreading, I worked in the arts, academia and the public sector. I have many years' experience of the kinds of written materials these sectors produce, and have worked on corporate documents, marketing materials, newsletters, website content, and postgraduate theses and dissertations, as well as on academic books and magazine articles.
I offer a particular specialism in music: classical music (all periods), electroacoustic music, opera, jazz and film music. I have worked on concert programmes, programme notes, CD booklets and academic texts on music, and I can also proofread sheet music and scores, having had a 25-year career in music administration and concert promotion prior to becoming a proofreader and copy-editor.
I am a member of EPANI (Editors' and Proofreaders' Alliance of Northern Ireland), and AFEPI (Association of Freelance Editors, Proofreaders and Indexers) Ireland.
Media
Books, magazines, marketing materials, corporate documents, grant proposals, theses and dissertations, multi-author books, newsletters
Experience
Freelance since 2016; Concerts Manager, Belfast Music Society, 2008–2021; Conference Administrator, Queen's University Belfast, 2007–2008; Music Officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, 1995–2003
Training
Plain English Editing (CIEP) 2020, Editing Fiction (PTC) 2020, Editing Illustrations (PTC) 2019, Advanced Copy-Editing (PTC) 2019, PerfectIt: Introduction and Advanced (Cadman Training) 2019, Copyediting Headway (CIEP) 2018, Grammar at Work (PTC) 2018, Progress in editorial skills (PTC) 2017, Editing in Word (CIEP) 2016, Proofreading Progress (CIEP) 2016, Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning (PTC) 2015
Clients
Cambridge University Press, Taylor & Francis, Routledge, Colourpoint Books, Newgen Publishing UK (formerly Out of House), Full Media, Acis Productions, Queen's University Belfast, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Open College Network Northern Ireland, Fire Station Artists' Studios, Radius Housing, Belfast Music Society, individual academics and postgraduate students
Subjects
Music and the arts – practice, funding and policy
Humanities and social sciences
Management
Governance
Voluntary sector
Local government
Qualifications
BA Music, PhD Music, Diploma in Management
testimonials
Pam is an experienced and meticulous proofreader, and ensures that all our print materials have been produced to an extremely high standard. ... She also prepares all BMS policy documents, and writes our corporate and business plans. ... She is always thorough and demonstrates excellent attention to detail.
Dr Ciara Burnell, former Chair, Belfast Music Society
Pam was regularly called upon to produce papers and public reports which could clearly identify issues that were pertinent to the policies of the Arts Council. Her ability to produce concise and comprehensible papers was completely reliable – so much so that other organisations also engaged her separately to undertake major reports for them. ... Clear thinking, strategic intelligence, verbal concision – those would be three important attributes which I would associate with Pam’s capabilities.
Dr Philip Hammond, former Director of Performing Arts, Arts Council of Northern Ireland
Pam proofread my PhD thesis. She came highly recommended and from the outset was professional and personable. She worked hard and very closely with me to ensure that the grammar and references were consistent and correct. When I submitted my thesis my supervisor could not find any grammatical errors. I recommend Pam unreservedly.
Neale, PhD student
We have used Pam Smith’s proofreading and editing services for a wide range of our clients and have always been pleased with her work. She is diligent, thorough and reliable. We highly recommend you try Pam’s services.
Nick Jones, Full Proof
I met Pam Smith seven weeks before the deadly deadline of a PhD submission. I was demented, driven daft by my own run-on sentences, unruly punctuation, fecked-up formatting and a bewildering bibliography.
Pam was an editor extraordinaire. She tackled my verbosity and made sure every word pulled its weight, every sentence was a unit of sense and every paragraph contained an idea expressed in a syntax to rock the box of an examiner.
After putting manners on my bibliography, Pam tic-tacked between my in-text references and works cited to double check for inconsistencies. She even pointed out errors in the spellings of French sociologists and Russian culture theorists!
I am delighted to recommend the proofreading services of Pam Smith. Her craftwomanship and attention to detail helped me finish my final draft and walk into my viva like I owned the room. Pam is a gift.
Dr Rachael Hegarty
I’m a concert pianist and campaigner for music by women. After writing a book about Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, I saw I needed professional help to firm up the shape. I found Pam through the internet; she stated a fair fee and time plan. On her advice, I added in some cultural background and we ended up with a 23,500-word book. Not only did she copy-edit, she sorted out overlaps between chapters, pointed out factual inaccuracies, and formatted the references and footnotes. Her advice was always clearly expressed. I think it became a better balanced and grounded book; her clarity and detailed observations helped give it a professional feel, and me the confidence to publish.
Diana Ambache
I am so relieved to see some of your comments...you’ve nailed a few sentences that I’ve always felt were incredibly awkward, but I was stuck on how to fix them. Not only have your corrected things, but I love how you pointed out why the writing was strange. It’s like a masterclass in writing, and I think it will really help me to avoid pitfalls in the future. ...What you have done so far has truly been so helpful! ...I can’t thank you enough.
Jessica Cawley
Service(s)
Disclaimer note
The CIEP Directory of Editorial Services should be considered a point of first contact and prospective clients must satisfy themselves that members are capable of the work on offer. The Institute cannot be held responsible for the quality of work provided by any member listed in the directory. The members themselves are responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of their entries in the Directory and the CIEP has not made any attempt to vet them. The institute cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in the Directory. Inclusion in the Directory as a freelance does not necessarily mean that the member is self-employed as defined by HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions.