Proofreading Theses and Dissertations

Author:  Stephen Cashmore

REVISED SECOND EDITION (2023). Includes a new section on the use of AI. Proofreading Theses and Dissertations introduces some of the basic principles of proofreading academic texts. In many respects, the work required is the same as for any other proofread – you check for errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and consistency – but it is complicated by the fact that the thesis or dissertation must be the student's own work.

The guide explores the nature of this type of proofreading as well as the practicalities of how to get work, calculating fees and negotiating with students. It then deals with potentially thorny ethical issues such as what to do with possible plagiarism and how much to query, how you should approach the use of AI, and how much to query, intervene in or change the student’s writing.