Recently I’ve been supporting several students as they head towards the end of their thesis journey at my Australian Uni. I’m also at that stage and was asked about the proofreading process and budget allocation for this. Below are the points I wrote out specific to my own experience.
1. Talk to your supervisors and ask who they recommend. Often, they will have had a recent experience with someone (either positive or not so positive), so they can help to build a list with a few options
2. They have to be on the uni approved list. Can’t use them if not on the list.
3. It is important to plan ahead and know a month or two before you are aiming to send to proofreaders. They are often booked out right now, but will be able to allocate space to you in 6-8 weeks. This was how I got my first choice!
4. Contact them one at a time with an approximate word count and estimated date you will be sending it to them. Confirm they are available first. Then, ask them to send you a quote. The quote is based on word count and discipline so you will need to be able to give them a rougn word count idea for the quote. The cap for funding for proofreading is $1200 at my uni.
5. You can then send the quote to your School of Graduate Research and get it approved. You are encouraged to check your budget beforehand ito make sure you have the funds available.
6. When you submit your document to the proofreader, my supervisor also recommends completing the “intention to submit” form for SGR at that point. This is usually done 4-6 weeks beforehand.
Melissa Smith 