Third party proof-reading

Yufen Chun 2020-02-26 18 min read {Academic writing} [Lectures]

Prologue

Can a MSc student ask another person to correct his mistakes in “presentation, grammar, spell, etc.”?

Students and professional proofreaders posed similar questions on the internet. The common phrases include “proofreading”, “plagiarism” and “academic misconduct”.

I have heard that some lecturers had advised students to commission third party proofreaders. I wished to find out the answers. I read the following articles and the policies of those universities listed in the Appendix.

Definitions

Different words are used by universities. They are, for example, “proofreader”, “proof-reader”, “editor”, “proofreading”, “editing”, “rewriting”, “language correction” and “copy-editing”. The universities guidelines have laid down different restrictions when they used the same word.

Is it error correction or plagiarism?

It is always important to understand:

I do not use the word “proofreader” in the last 2 questions. It is because there is a mistaken belief that “proofreading” is allowed, whilst “copy-editing” is not allowed. But a person may call himself or herself a proofreader or a friend or a classmate or a peer reviewer whilst he or she is doing something contrary to universities policies.

Some universities may view third party proofreading as academic dishonesty. This is because of the nature of work done by the “third party proofreader”. Academic dishonesty brings penalties. Therefore, it is always prudent to check with your university’s policy first, before hiring someone to “proofread” your text.

One useful question is: Are you willing to acknowledge that you have commissioned a third-party “proofreader” and describe the extent of work that have been taken by the “proofreader”? If not, why not?

Conclusions

Commissioning a third party to proofread one’s text is likely to be allowed by the universities, if:

Epilogue

Writing and Speaking are important components of an MIT education. Many MIT alumni and alumnae have reported that even in their scientific and engineering careers, they spend 25-35% of their time writing and find themselves making frequent oral presentations.

To many science and engineering students, the task of writing may seem irrelevant to their future professional careers. At MIT, however, students discover that writing about their technical work is important not only in solving real-world problems but also in developing their professional identities. MIT puts into practice the belief that “engineers who don’t write well end up working for engineers who do write well,” requiring all students to take “communications-intensive” classes in which they learn from MIT faculty and writing instructors how to express their ideas in writing and in presentations. Students are challenged not only to think like professional scientists and engineers but also to communicate like them.

Appendix

The University of Auckland

Purpose

To clarify the contribution permitted by third parties, including professional editors, to theses and dissertations being prepared by postgraduate candidates in order to fulfil the requirements of the postgraduate degree they are enrolled in at the University

Candidate’s responsibilities

  • Candidates must ensure that this assistance does not endanger the academic integrity and originality of the work. The University views cheating – including ‘submitting without acknowledgement work to which others have contributed’ – as a serious academic offence. See: Student Academic Conduct Statute

  • It is the candidate’s responsibility to convey the guidelines to third parties (including any professional editor) engaged in checking any version of the thesis or dissertation

  • Candidates must acknowledge in their thesis or dissertation any contribution by a third party

Third party editing permitted

Content

  • Third parties (including professional editors) may scrutinise and offer advice on the following aspects of theses or dissertations:
  • Clarity
  • avoiding ambiguity, repetition and verbosity
  • the use of punctuation to ensure clarity of meaning and ease of reading
  • Grammar and usage
  • the conventions of grammar and syntax in written English
  • the expression of numbers, dates, percentages, measurements and statistical data
  • the use of italics, capitalisation, hyphenation, symbols and shortened forms
  • the display of lists and quotations
  • Spelling and punctuation
  • spelling and punctuation (including British and American uses)
  • Illustrations and tables
  • the position of tables and illustrations in the thesis
  • the clarity, grammar, spelling and punctuation of the text in illustrations and tables
  • Text
  • completeness and internal consistency in references (including citations, bibliography, list of references, endnotes or footnotes, and cross-references)
  • consistency in page numbers, headers and footers

The University of East Anglia

Definitions

Proofreading - is the systematic checking for and identification of errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence construction, formatting and layout in the text of a student script. The script might be an essay, report, project, dissertation, thesis or any other form of written assignment. A student should proofread their own work but may also ask third parties to do so.

Third-parties - persons other than the academic supervisor, tutor, lecturer, marker or examiner, who might offer to proofread a student’s text in the sense given above. Such third parties may be fellow-students, friends and family, or professional proofreaders.

Editing - any material amendment to the presentation of the text which exceeds proofreading, as defined above. In particular, it includes any alterations which substantially change, correct, expand upon or condense the academic content of the work.

When is the use of a proof-reader allowed?

Allowable - In some assessments, it is predominantly or exclusively the student’s ability to undertake analysis, synthesise ideas and construct a reasoned argument that are being assessed, and the appropriate use of a proof-reader may be permitted. Postgraduate research students are encouraged to use a proof-reader for their final thesis, and are permitted to do so for papers prepared for annual progress review or probationary meetings. If students on programmes with a taught element are unsure as to whether they may use the services of a proof-reader, they should consult their Module Organiser. Postgraduate research students should seek guidance in this matter from their supervisor and should also consult the PGR Service website for further guidance.

Not allowed - For some assessments, the learning outcomes which are being assessed include the student’s ability to express themselves in the written language (typically English but may also include other languages) or to record information (such as numerical data) accurately and here it may be appropriate to expect that a student will not make use of a proof-reader. In cases where assessments fall into this category, Module Organisers should make this clear in their Module Outlines and/or in written guidance provided to students with regard to assessments. Postgraduate research students are not permitted to use proofreaders when submitting formative work (such as draft chapters) to their supervisory team.

The University of Essex

2. Consulting relevant supervisors

Before engaging the services of a proofreader, students should consult with the relevant course or research supervisor to discuss whether proofreading is required or acceptable for any given item of coursework. . . .

7. Possible types of proofreading (and associated levels of intervention)

Two types of text intervention need to be distinguished:

Final editing

Proofreading at this level entails checking for mistakes, occasional spelling or punctuation errors; word processing errors such as repeated phrases or omitted lines; inconsistency in layout, formatting, referencing, etc. Prior to submitting work for proofreading, students should have consulted and followed the relevant departmental style guidance on matters such as formatting for headings, paragraphing and quotations etc, and likewise the conventions to be followed for references, bibliographies and footnotes. It is the student’s responsibility to pass on the departmental guidelines to the proofreader (note: should a student be unaware that such guidance exists, the proofreader may need to prompt in this respect). Accurate referencing is an important skills requirement. Where an entire bibliography is set out inaccurately or inconsistently, proofreaders are recommended to amend a section of it only, as an example for students to follow. Students should then make the necessary remaining changes themselves.

Language correction

Proofreading at this level extends to errors in grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure and expression. When making corrections of this type, the proofreader should only suggest corrections where the intended meaning is clear to the reader. Where meaning cannot be understood, or where there is there is ambiguity, a note to this effect should be made by the proofreader for the attention of the student. Face-to-face consultation may be useful to negotiate a final correction. In order to advise competently on even basic correction of grammar, vocabulary, punctuation and expression, proofreaders will need to be familiar with the conventions of the discipline in which the student is working.

NOTE: Proofreading should not entail any intervention that would substantially change the content of a piece of work. Proofreaders should avoid:

  • Rewriting sections where argumentation or logic is faulty.

  • Significantly rearranging paragraphs with the intention of improving structure.

  • Correcting data calculations or factual errors etc.

Note though, a proofreader may advise the student writer to check possible problems of this type with a relevant supervisor or tutor.

14. Acknowledging help given

For dissertation work, it is common practice for students to provide a foreword to their text, acknowledging and thanking all those who have provided support of whatever nature in the process of research and writing. Students are advised to include the proofreader in this acknowledgement. For term papers, students should state on the cover sheet that work has been proofread.

The University of Lancaster

These guidelines are to support students seeking help with proofreading. They describe acceptable practice and clarify boundaries for the proofreading of any assessed written assignment (up to and including PhD thesis).

First steps

Before engaging the services of a proofreader, students should consult with the relevant module leader, tutor or research supervisor to discuss whether proofreading is required or acceptable for any given item of coursework. Proofreading might be necessary for a longer piece of academic writing such as a dissertation or PhD thesis, but is less commonly used for shorter pieces of academic work. For obvious reasons, it is not permitted to use a proofreader to correct coursework which examines communication and language skills. If in doubt, always check with your tutor or supervisor.

Using the proofreader list

The University’s Register of Approved Proofreaders (below) is set up to help students find a proofreader who is familiar with the university system and protocols, and who has the necessary skills to work on their particular text….

Acknowledging help

For dissertation work, it is common practice for students to provide a foreword to their text, acknowledging and thanking all those who have provided support of whatever nature in the process of research and writing. Students are advised to include the proofreader in this acknowledgement.

For shorter assignments, ask your tutor if you need to acknowledge the proofreader on your paper or in some other way.

The University of Leeds

INTRODUCTION

1 In a University context responsibility for proof-reading student work prior to its submission for assessment rests with the individual student as author. This long-standing principle cannot be compromised by the spread of professional proofreading services advertised to students, or any ambiguity amongst students and staff as to what constitutes acceptable practice. . . .

2 This policy, intended for the guidance of students and academic staff, relates to the proof-reading of any text to be submitted as part of academic course work, including dissertations, for any foundation-level qualification, undergraduate, taught postgraduate, or taught component of a research postgraduate degree.

Definitions

6 “Proof-reading” is defined for the purposes of this policy as the systematic checking and identification of errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence construction, formatting and layout in the text.

7 “Third-parties” are persons other than the academic supervisor, tutor, marker or examiner, who might offer to proof-read a student’s text in the sense given above. Such third parties may be fellow-students, friends and family, or professional proofreaders.

8 “Editing” is defined as any material amendment to the presentation of text which exceeds proof-reading, as defined above. In particular it includes any alteration which substantially changes, corrects, expands or condenses the academic content of the work.

  1. The university’s position regarding the involvement of third-parties in proof-reading

27 With the specific exceptions outlined below it is the policy of the University of Leeds that third-parties must NOT act as proof-readers of any academic work submitted for assessment, including, research dissertations and extended projects.

28 This prohibition applies equally to offers of proof-reading as a commercial service for which a fee is charged, and to proof-reading on an informal basis by fellow-students, friends and family. As previously noted the University requires students to take responsibility for proof-reading their own work, regarding this as an integral part of the writing process and an essential element of a student’s induction into academic practice.

The University of Melbourne

Your thesis must be your own work, and you must clearly understand your role, and the roles of your supervisors and others throughout the editorial process.

The Graduate Research Training Policy limits the editing of theses by others to that permitted in the current Australian Standards for Editing Practice. For more detailed information, view the Australian Standards for Editing Practice.

As editorial intervention (other than by your supervisors) should be restricted to copy-editing and proofreading, as covered in Parts D and E of the Australian Standards for Editing Practice, it is important that you understand the levels of editing as explained in the Australian Standards for Editing Practice.

The University does not maintain a list of editors. If you would like help finding a suitable editor, the Institute of Professional Editors Limited (IPEd) has a register of accredited editors.

If your thesis has had the benefit of editorial advice, in any form, you must provide the name of the editor and a brief description of the service rendered, in terms of the Standards, in the preface of your thesis.

According to Guidelines for editing research theses (revised 25 February 2019)

Services editors should not provide

Editors should not make corrections to the content, substance or structure of the thesis (Part C of the Standards), although they may note problems for the student’s attention. The editor is not responsible for identifying issues of content, such as checking facts, reference to others’ work and plagiarism. However, if problems of this type are identified, the editor may advise the student to check the university’s guidelines and to seek advice from their supervisor.

The Middlesex University London

F1 Academic integrity

  1. Academic misconduct is a breach of the values of academic integrity, and can occur when a student cheats in an assessment, or attempts to deliberately mislead an examiner that the work presented is their own when it is not. It includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism.

F2 General principles

  1. Students will be required to accept a statement on myLearning confirming that they will not plagiarise; self-plagiarise, copy material; embellish, fabricate or falsify any data; nor will they collude in producing any work nor submit commissioned or procured work for any assessments.

Category A Minor Misconduct

Examples:

  • Unacknowledged proof reading by another person

  • Unacknowledged help with English language accuracy

Category D Gross Misconduct

Examples:

  • Commissioning another person to produce a piece of work.

The University of Nottingham

2.1 The following is a non-exhaustive list of examples of academic misconduct which will be considered under these Regulations:

2.1.1 Plagiarism: representing another person’s work or ideas as one’s own. For example by failing to correctly acknowledge others’ ideas and work as sources of information in an assignment, and neglecting use of quotation marks. This also applies to the use of graphical material, calculations etc. in that plagiarism is not limited to text-based sources.

Note: Where permitted, a proof-reader may identify spelling and basic grammar errors. Inaccuracies in academic content must not be corrected nor should the structure of the piece of work be changed; doing so may result in a charge of plagiarism. A proof-reader may be used to ensure that the work meets a quality threshold with respect to English standards, unless a School/Department policy specifically prohibits this. Students should make every effort to familiarise themselves with their School/Department’s policy regarding proof-reading. Schools/Departments should ensure this information is accessible to students.

The University of Oxford

Students have authorial responsibility for the written work they produce. Proof-reading represents the final stage of producing a piece of academic writing. Students are strongly encouraged to proof-read their own work, as this is an essential skill in the academic writing process. However, for longer pieces of work it is considered acceptable for students to seek the help of a third party for proof-reading. Such third parties can be professional proof-readers, fellow students, friends or family members. This policy does not apply to the supervisory relationship, nor in the case where proof-reading assistance is approved as a reasonable adjustment for disability.

The default position is that the guidance outlined below applies to all assessed written work where the word limit is 10,000 words or greater. However, departments and faculties may opt to specify that, for certain assessments, students should not be allowed any proof-reading assistance, if the purpose of the assessment is to determine students’ abilities in linguistic areas such as grammar or syntax. In this case, the rubric for the assessment should state clearly that no proof-reading assistance is permitted.

The use of third party proof-readers is not permitted for work where the word limit is fewer than 10,000 words.

What a proof-reader may and may not do

Within the context of students’ written work, to proof-read is to check for, identify and suggest corrections for errors in text. In no cases should a proof-reader make material changes to a student’s writing (that is, check or amend ideas, arguments or structure), since to do so is to compromise the authorship of the work.

A proof-reader may

  • Identify typographical, spelling and punctuation errors

  • Identify formatting and layout errors and inconsistencies (e.g. page numbers, font size, line spacing, headers and footers)

  • Identify grammatical and syntactical errors and anomalies or ambiguities in phrasing

  • Identify minor formatting errors in referencing (for consistency and order)

  • Identify errors in the labelling of diagrams, charts or figures

  • Identify lexical repetition or omissions

A proof-reader may not

  • Add to content in any way

  • Check or correct facts, data calculations, formulae or equations

  • Rewrite content where meaning is ambiguous

  • Alter argument or logic where faulty

  • Re-arrange or re-order paragraphs to enhance structure or argument

  • Implement or significantly alter a referencing system

  • Re-label diagrams, charts or figures

  • Reduce content so as to comply with a specified word limit

  • Translate any part of the work into English

The University of Wales

30.2. A proofreader may check for, identify and suggest corrections for errors in the text. In no circumstances should a proofreader edit a student’s writing (for example, amend ideas, arguments or structure) as this will compromise the authorship of the work.

30.3. A third-party proofreader may:

30.3.1. Identify punctuation, spelling and typographical errors

30.3.2. Identify grammatical and syntactical errors and anomalies

30.3.3. Identify formatting and layout errors and inconsistencies (e.g. page numbers, font size, line spacing, headers and footers)

30.3.4. Identify errors in labelling of diagrams, charts or figures

30.3.5. Highlight overly-long or complex sentences or paragraphs, especially where meaning is ambiguous

30.3.6. Draw attention to repeated phrases or omitted words

30.3.7. Draw attention to inaccurate or inconsistent referencing

30.4. A proofreader may not:

30.4.1. Add content in any way

30.4.2. Rewrite passages of text to clarify the meaning

30.4.3. Rearrange or re-order paragraphs to enhance structure or argument

30.4.4. Change any words or figures, except to correct spelling

30.4.5. Check or correct facts, data, calculations, formulae, equations or computer code

30.4.6. Implement or alter the referencing system

30.4.7. Re-label diagrams, charts or figures

30.4.8. Reduce content so as to comply with a specified word limit

30.4.9. Make grammatical, syntactical or stylistic corrections

30.4.10. Translate any part of the work into English

30.5. Failure to adhere to the above requirements may result in an investigation under the Academic Misconduct Policy.

The University of Warwick

University Proof-Reading Policy

The essay cover sheet includes this declaration which you must complete:

“I have used a proof-reader, paid or unpaid, to support the submission of this assignment” YES/NO

“The University expects all proof-readers to comply with its policy in this area. By ticking ‘yes’, you confirm that the proof-reader was made aware of and has complied with the University’s proofreading policy”.

If a student chooses to engage with a proof-reader, the University considers this exercise to be part of the learning experience. Proof-reading should initially be undertaken by students themselves – the identification of one’s own errors and inconsistencies is a valuable learning experience. Third-party proof-readers are not expected actively to amend existing, or create new, content in draft work; instead they should support the student by identifying errors and/or making suggestions relating to – but not creating – content. The University considers the role of the proof-reader is more akin to that of a mentor rather than a content producer or editor of the work.