FAQs - Online Proofreading Services

We're keeping track of the most frequently asked questions about ProofreadNOW. We post those questions here regularly. Got a question? We've probably got an answer right here. If not, contact us and we'll get you one.

Questions

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Do you use software to do the proofreading?

No, we use real, live HUMAN experts. See our white paper on grammar checkers and you'll know why we use real people. Our proofreaders are tested, experienced proofreaders. You'll come to trust their judgment more and more as you see the work they do for you.

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What does it cost to have you proofread my documents?

Please see our pricing page. We provide proofreading and copyediting services for English and Spanish documents. Our prices are based upon level of service, turnaround time requested, language selected, and number of pages.

Once you've seen our prices, consider the price of mistakes and the impact they have on your readers! Can you really afford to do your own proofreading?

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Where are you located?

The quick answer is, "On the Web!" Because of the wonder of the Internet, we can operate our model from anywhere in the world…but we have chosen to locate our headquarters in the beauty and serenity of Mont Vernon, New Hampshire, about 60 miles north of Boston. We are about an hour away from some of the world's most famous universities, and this is a great area to hire the best software engineers in the country. We draw from a highly educated population, and it shows in our work.

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Do you send my document "offshore" to people who do not speak my language?

Our certified editors and translators are located around the world. Most of our English editors and translators are in the U.S., Canada, England, and Australia. Some are elsewhere. All are native speakers and have passed our rigorous tests.  (Keep in mind that since every document is double-proofed, the first editor's job on every document is a test in itself, so our vetting process is ongoing.) Most of our Spanish editors are situated in their native countries.

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Do you guarantee your work?

Most definitely! We stand behind our work. We will refund the cost of a page if we left (or made) a mistake on that page. But we also guarantee your complete satisfaction. If you don't like the work we did, just say so and we'll waive the entire charge. 

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Do you correct split infinitives?

We genuinely believe split infinitives are not necessarily in need of correction. (How's that for a good one!?) By the way, all the major grammar books of today agree.

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Can I supply my own style guide for your proofreaders to use as you proofread my work?

Yes, you can, and you can register several different guides with us. Your style guide must be in some digital format, preferably in MS Word. From the customer menu, click on 'Style Guides' and simply follow the easy instructions to upload and register your guide. Then, when you submit a document, click the 'Style Guide' button to accompany your document with one of your registered style guides. At any time, you can renew a style guide or delete it altogether.

Please keep in mind that we cannot enforce sweeping corporate style to your documents. That’s really up to the original writers. We will look for general editing concepts such as serial commas, bullet list preferences, date specifications, titles, and the like. We can also ensure correct spelling and capitalization of trademarked names if you provide us with a list to check against. If your corporate style guide exceeds four or five pages, we ask that you extract the pertinent rules into a smaller document and register that as your ProofreadNOW style guide

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How safe is the document transmission process?

Our upload process uses a 128-bit encryption process to effect the document transfer over an FTP connection, from your PC to our secure server. Our server is secured by Thawte, a subsidiary of RSA, the preeminent name in data encryption.

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I'm a lawyer. My clients value their privacy. I don't want you knowing their names. How can I send you personal legal documents, such as wills, trust documents, and the like?

Simple! Lawyers send us such documents all the time, and they simply replace proper names with XXXXXXX. It's an easy thing, then, to FIND all the XXXXXXX strings in the returned document, and replace them with the client's name.

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I'm a doctor. Can you proofread my medical documents?

Yes, we have experienced medical proofreaders. When you submit your medical document, simply click the 'Medical' button, and we'll be sure that the proofreader who works on your document is trained and experienced in medical proofreading. (We do the same for legal, financial, and engineering documents.)

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What types of documents do you proofread?

The list is quite long and continues to grow! Here are some of the types of documents we proofread for our customers:

  • Legal documents
  • Medical documents
  • Financial documents
  • Engineering documents
  • Technology documents
  • Marketing brochures
  • Web pages
  • Reports
  • Contracts
  • Business Plans
  • Press Releases
  • Data Sheets
  • and many more!

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How do I know when a document is ready for me to retrieve?

ProofreadNOW.com server sends you an email message when your document is ready to retrieve. The email message has a special link in it that, when you click on it, leads you to the server to download your processed file.

You can also retrieve your completed document without the email link. Simply log on to the server and click the 'View Status of Submissions' link to find your job. Download it by clicking on the live link over the job number.

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How can I be sure my document remains confidential?

Our proofreaders are screened and trustworthy. They take a very impersonal approach to reading your document, very much the same way your doctor examines you from a medical point of view. The contents of your document are forgotten as soon as the proofreader goes on to the next document (and our fleet of proofreaders processes thousands of documents daily). Furthermore, our proofreaders are sworn to secrecy, and bound by our very strict privacy policy. You have our word on that.

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Will ProofreadNOW representatives sign MY nondisclosure agreement?

Most likely, yes! Our existing nondisclosure agreement is fully contained in the click-through agreement that you approve when you create your account. However, we realize that some companies require us to sign their own NDA. We will do that. Furthermore, if you need a select group of proofreaders to also sign your NDA, we can even arrange that. Thereafter, only editors who have signed your NDA will be eligible to see and edit your documents.

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I requested 'redline changes' when I submitted my Microsoft Word document. How do I work with it when I get it back?

Download and open the document. [If you are running Word 2000] Pull down the 'Tools' menu, move to the 'Track Changes…' menu, move to the 'Accept or Reject changes…' menu, and click on the appropriate windows. Find the first change we made by clicking on the right-arrow. You can accept it or reject it with the appropriate buttons. You can check the changes we made one-by-one, or you can accept all of them at once. [If you are running Word 2002 or later] Pull down on VIEW and cause the 'Markup' toolbar to display. In the Markup toolbar you will see several icons. Mouse over them until you find the one that is labeled 'Accept Change.' You can manipulate the choices there to accept each change, or all changes at once.

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