Academic Code of Practice
Academic Code of Practice
Proofreading Master's and PhD Theses/Dissertations
Subject to any specific regulations issued by the examining institution, the following work may be undertaken on manuscripts that are to be submitted for examination:
Proofreading/editing activities | Checked and corrected by the proofreader | May be highlighted by the proofreader for correction by the student* | |
Level 1: Proofreading | Typographical errors | YES |
|
Spelling errors | YES |
| |
Misaligned fonts/line lengths | YES |
| |
Numbering errors (of pages/figures/notes) | YES |
| |
Level 2: Minor editing | Incorrect grammar | YES |
|
Inconsistencies in language and abbreviations | YES | YES | |
Clumsy or missing paragraph breaks/pagination | YES | YES | |
Lack of clarity in expression |
| YES | |
Level 3: Stylistic/structural editing | Repetitions |
| YES |
Poor logic flow (in writing style, not in argument) |
| YES | |
*Specific queries may be raised by the proofreader for the author to address. However, no actual rewriting can be done by the proofreader on examined texts.
Proofreading/editing can only be undertaken with the permission of the student’s supervisor.
It is the student’s responsibility to find out whether their examining institution has specific policies or regulations relating to the proofreading and editing of examination texts, and to make the proofreader aware of these.
It should be noted that proofreading and/or editing services are provided to improve the written text and presentation of the thesis or dissertation, and that no change to its argument or content can be made or suggested by the proofreader. Responsibility for the accuracy and content of the final manuscript lies with the author and not the proofreader. The proofreader is not responsible for the outcome of the examination.
Last updated January 2023