These terms and conditions are written in plain English and set out in more detail the way that our products and services work and what you can expect from us.

1. Definitions

1. The PhD Proofreaders is registered in the UK and its company number is 11640184.

2. Customer: A person who has contracted The PhD Proofreaders to provide services.

3. Service(s): All the services that we provide, including our proofreading and any additional services we have offered during our initial consultation.

4. Document(s): All documents that the customer sends to The PhD Proofreaders, including word files, images, emails and so on.

5. Contract: an agreement between The PhD Proofreaders and the Customer to provide particular services. 

6. Proofreading service: A service that involves a proofreader checking a document for language and grammar mistakes. 

7. Proofreading period: The date and time between an order being placed and the document being returned. 

8. Proofreader: Any person contracted by The PhD Proofreaders to execute a contract.

2. Validity

1. These terms and conditions apply to any contract between The PhD Proofreaders and the Customer. 

2. When it appears that one or more of the provisions of these terms and conditions is at any time wholly or partially invalid, the remaining provisions shall remain fully applicable.

3. When the interpretation of one or more provisions of these terms and conditions is unclear, an explanation that is “in the spirit” of these provisions shall be applicable. This is also the case when a situation that is not detailed in these terms and conditions arises.

4. If The PhD Proofreaders is not in strict compliance with these terms and conditions, it does not mean that the provisions are invalid or that The PhD Proofreaders loses its right to otherwise demand strict adherence to them.

3. Contract

1. A contract will contain enough information and description so that the services being offered by The PhD Proofreaders are clear. This means the customer can see clearly what they are receiving. Any mistakes contained therein are not binding for The PhD proofreaders. 

2. Payment is required in full before proofreading or add-on services are commenced. Upon payment, the proofreading period will commence. 

4. Modifications to the Contract

1. If during the fulfilment of the contract there is need to change or supplement the contract, The PhD Proofreaders and the customer will engage in dialogue and agree any changes. Any requests that are made to alter the contract may be refused by The PhD Proofreaders. 

5. Cancellation of The Contract by The PhD Proofreaders

1. The PhD Proofreaders has the right to cancel the contract at such time as, but not limited to, when the document sent is of sufficiently poor quality that a proofreader is unable to check the document or when there is evidence that fraud or plagiarism is being committed. What constitutes sufficiently poor quality will be for The PhD Proofreaders to define, but every effort will be made to communicate this with the Customer. 

2. Where there is evidence that fraud or plagiarism is being committed, no refund will be given and the Customer’s University will be informed, where possible. 

3. Where a contract is cancelled because the document sent is of sufficiently poor quality, a refund will be given, minus an administration fee of £25.

4. It is The PhD Proofreader’s obligation to contact the Customer as soon as possible if it decides to cancel the contract. Once payment for proofreading has been made and the customer cancels an order for a proofreading or any add-ons, he/she is obligated to pay for costs that The PhD Proofreaders has reasonably incurred, which may include, but is not limited to, contractor fees and administrative fees. 

5. Sometimes The PhD Proofreaders and the customer may agree to take a deposit to secure a booking, with the balance due before the document is proofread. This deposit is non-refundable. 

6. What’s Included/Not Included

1. Checking and correcting misspelling and incorrect punctuation using track changes in Word so that you can accept or reject every individual amendment.

2. Ensuring that the work follows the conventions of grammar and syntax used in written English (including in any footnotes, endnotes or appendices). This can include rewording parts of a sentence or a whole sentence in order to clarify your English, which can be in US or UK spellings.

3. Making notes (using comment balloons/bubbles) for you where the meaning of the text is unclear or confusing in order to help readability. The notes will outline the problem so that you can then amend the text. The reason we don’t rewrite the sections is that we could accidentally change the content/meaning as we may not be an expert in the field you’re writing about, and it could also raise potential collusion issues.

4. Identifying the incorrect use of words and suggesting alternatives or the need for you to investigate alternatives. However, this doesn’t mean that we make stylistic changes to make the work more ‘academic’ or ‘professional’.

5. Ensuring consistency in terms of spelling (e.g. hyphenation or spelling choice when two options are correct e.g. focusing/focussing), punctuation, capitalisation and other aspects of style, for example using double or single quote marks and using e.g., etc. and i.e. consistently. We will also ensure consistency of formatting and that chapter, table and figure numbering is sequential and correct but we will not create these elements from scratch.

6. Suggesting ways of cutting very long sentences or dividing very long paragraphs but not cutting the overall word/page count of the thesis, but not making the changes ourselves. .

7. Noting errors in the punctuation and/or format of in-text quotes but not correcting them, as quotes need to match exactly what the original states, unless it’s a translation made by you (which it should state), in which case we will make the amendments using track changes. We will not format or edit in-text references or bibliographies. 

8. Highlighting inconsistencies in tenses but not editing them unless they are incorrect.

9. Any additional services provided will be clearly outlined to the client.

10. We will not edit the text to make it more concise, nor will we alter the structure of the text.

11. Unless otherwise stated, we will not feedback on the quality of, or alter, the structure, content or argumentation in the text.

12. Where text isn’t clear or further clarification is needed, we will leave a comment to that effect. Should you provide further clarification after we return the text, we will check that for free at a later date, provided you have highlighted the changes you have made or used the track changes feature in your word processing software. We will not re-read through the entire text again and will not re-check any text that wasn’t originally flagged for clarification, or which hasn’t been highlighted or tracked.

13. If you aren’t happy with the quality of our work, you can request an additional proofread free of charge. However, we will only proofread the original document we sent back to you and we will not work on any versions that have been edited. Any changes you make to the text after we return it to you are entirely your responsibility and fall outside the scope of the original contract. Any requests for amendments, clarifications, questions or other edits must be made within 3 working days of the document being returned.

7.  Retention of Documents

1. If the customer buys proofreading, The PhD Proofreader will store the document(s) that is sent for six weeks on the hosting server.

2. By agreeing to a plagiarism check, the customer grants permission to The PhD Proofreaders to send the document to a plagiarism database of its choosing, where it may be stored in accordance with that third-party plagiarism database’s privacy policy. If you want us to delete the files from all systems at an earlier date, please let us know in writing.

3. While working on files, we often use password-protected cloud-based back-up storage; however, if you would rather we don’t do this with your files, let us know and we will back up the files on an external hard drive. We do not pass work or Client details to third parties. The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the Client and our contractors without prior written permission. 

8. Turnaround Times for Proofreading

1. A proofreading period will be stated on the website – listed as ‘Turnaround Time’ – and will be articulated to the customer upon receipt of payment. 

2. The PhD Proofreaders will deliver the document before the proofreading period deadline. 

3. The proofreading period begins when the payment is approved and ends when the document is made available to the customer by The PhD Proofreaders. 

4. If the proofreader is unable to send the document in the proofreading period, The PhD Proofreaders will inform the customer.

5. The PhD Proofreaders will not be held liable where there are technical problems that delay the delivery of the document in the proofreading period.

9. Customer Satisfaction

1. Where the customer is legitimately unhappy with the proofread document, they are obliged to inform The PhD Proofreaders within 48 hours of receipt of the proofread document. It is the customer’s responsibility to outline their grievance clearly and precisely. 

2. If The PhD Proofreaders deems the concern to be legitimate, it will send the document to a proofreader for an additional round of proofreading, at no cost to the customer.

3. A customer will be deemed as being legitimately unhappy when the following applies: There is more than one spelling, typographical or grammatical mistake per thousand words upon completion of the proofreading. 

4. If a refund is made, this shall be made with prejudice and shall be deemed to be a final settlement of any grievance. No further claims to refunds can be made if the customer accepts an initial refund. 

10. Prices & Discounts

1. Prices offered by The PhD Proofreaders are exempt from VAT.

2. The PhD Proofreaders may, at its discretion, offer discounts to customers on an ‘ad hoc’ basis. These do not constitute a new pricing scheme and are meant as once-off gestures of goodwill. 

3. Any deposits are non-refundable. Deposits related to proofreading are taken subject to specific word counts and delivery dates. It is possible to change the word count and delivery date, provided that more than 48 hours’ notice is provided and subject to availability. 

11. Liability

1. If The PhD Proofreaders is liable for any costs or damages, this liability is limited to what is stated in these terms and conditions.

2. If The PhD proofreaders is liable for any loss, that liability is limited to the value of the contract, or at least the elements of that contract to which the liability relates.

3. The PhD Proofreaders will not be held liable for damages of any kind that are caused by The PhD Proofreaders being given inaccurate or incomplete information by the customer. 

4. The PhD Proofreaders cannot be held liable if the plagiarism service used to execute the plagiarism check fails to accurately spot any instance of plagiarism. 

5. The PhD Proofreaders shall not be liable for damages incurred if it is to reject or cancel an order, so long as these terms and conditions have been adhered to. 

6. The PhD Proofreaders shall not be liable for any damage to or loss of those documents stored by either The PhD Proofreaders or third parties. 

7. If a proofreading period is not met, The PhD Proofreaders cannot be held liable for any damages. 

8. Under no circumstances can The PhD Proofreaders be held liable if the customer fails his or her academic program or the document included in the contract is submitted for examination or assessment and either fails or fails to meet pre-defined or arbitrary expectations. The same is true if the customer is delayed in their academic progress. 

9. We do our utmost to ensure all files are correct and free of errors; however, we can offer no guarantee of this. The mark that you are awarded by your university/college is not within our control and we cannot be held legally responsible for a lower than expected mark in relation to any material proofread by us.

10. It is your responsibility to ensure that your university/college/other academic institution allows you to use the services of a professional proofreader. Some universities prohibit the use of a professional proofreading service or have very strict rules relating to the work a proofreader can do, and a breach of any such rule could result in very serious consequences for you. If your university has set guidelines for what a proofreader can and can’t do, please send them to us prior to starting the work. Also, it is your responsibility, where applicable, to ensure that you comply with all rules and requirements relating to using a professional proofreader (e.g. declaring your use of a proofreader on your submitted work).

12. Changes to These Terms and Conditions & Applicable Laws 

1. The PhD Proofreaders reserves the right to amend or supplement these terms and conditions.

2. All legal relationships between the customer and The PhD Proofreaders are subject to UK law, despite the fact that the customer may reside elsewhere. This means that all disputes between The PhD Proofreaders and the customer will be dealt with within the framework of the UK legal system. 

13. Communications

If you sign up to download a template, subscribe to the blog or otherwise include your email address in a sign-up form, we may contact you from time to time with product suggestions and offers. You can opt out of these emails at any time. 

14. Exceptional clauses related to coronavirus

 Both parties are and are already aware at the time of the submission of the contract that the spread of the Covid-19 and the resulting effects may lead to delivery bottlenecks, interruptions of service delivery, and may prompt public orders and recommendations which, among other things, restrict or exclude the use of personnel or deliveries, as well as other circumstances which may lead to delays or otherwise hinder The PhD Proofreaders in the performance of services. The PhD Proofreaders shall not be liable for any obstructions on the part of the The Phd Proofreaders or delays in the provision of services due to Covid-19 and its effects on The PhD Proofreaders or its staff and contractors, and The PhD Proofreaders shall be entitled to claim reasonable postponements of binding contractual due dates and deadlines. The PhD Proofreaders shall not be obliged to bear any additional costs for overcoming such hindrances and/or delays, unless the Customer undertakes to indemnify the contractor for any additional costs exceeding this amount. If the Covid-19 pandemic (WHO declarations authoritatively) lasts longer than 12 months as of the date of signing the agreement (or acceptance of purchase order), each party shall be entitled to terminate the contract. In this case, The PhD Phd Proofreaders shall be entitled to payment for all work done up to the date of termination, along with any additional costs or expenses that cannot be mitigated, cancelled or avoided.