Terms and Conditions

  1. These terms and conditions apply to any work done for the Client by Proofreading Works (PW).
  2. The Client is under no obligation to offer PW work; neither is PW under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.
  3. Proofreading Works will provide services as mutually agreed, confirmed in writing by the Client.
  4. The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by PW, using the PW’s own equipment.
  5. Samantha O'Hara, on behalf of PW, confirms that she is self-employed and is responsible for her own income tax and National Insurance contributions and will not claim benefits granted to the Client’s employees.
  6. The Client will pay PW a fee per hour OR per word OR an agreed flat fee for the job.
  7. The completed work will be delivered on or before the date agreed, for the agreed fee, which will be based on the description of the work required and the brief, both supplied by the Client.
  8. If, however, upon receipt of the item to be worked on or at an early stage, it becomes apparent that significantly more work is required than had been anticipated in the preliminary discussion/brief, PW may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline. This also applies if the documents or materials needed are received by PW later than agreed.
  9. Similarly, if, during the term of PW’s work, additional tasks are requested by the Client, PW may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.
  10. Any content created by PW as part of the editing/proofreading/writing process will become the copyright of the Client, unless otherwise agreed.
  11. The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the Client and its contractors without prior written permission.
  12. PW guarantees that any work subcontracted on behalf of the Client will be completed to the same standard, schedule and budget and with the same conditions of confidentiality.
  13. Refunds will only be given in extreme circumstances, such as the total failure to complete your work. Any refunds are at the sole discretion of PW.
  14. The fee schedule will be agreed via email before work commences.
  15. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, the Client and PW may keep on record such information (e.g. contact details) as is necessary. Either may view the other’s records to ensure that they are relevant, correct and up to date.
  16. The PW website uses cookies that allow PW to see how the site is used. The cookies cannot identify you. If you continue to use this site, PW will assume that you are happy with this.
  17. Either the Client or PW has the right to terminate a contract for services if there is a serious breach of its terms.
  18. PW may use the Client’s name in their promotional material.
  19. These terms are subject to the laws of England and Wales, and both PW and the Client agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.
  20. PW can terminate a contract at any time and for any reason. A specific reason would be the non-payment of payments due. Upon notice being given to you of the termination of the contract, you would be required to pay PW all sums due.
  21. If PW's time has been booked in advance and the Client cancels the work, PW reserves the right to retain the non-refundable deposit.
  22. PW aims to provide an accurate, thorough and reliable proofreading and editing service. Though we aim to provide the best service possible, we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy (simply because of human error).
  23. PW cannot be held responsible for direct, indirect, special or consequential losses or costs incurred by any errors remaining in your work, be they factual or grammatical. The final responsibility for errors remains with you.
  24. PW will not be held liable for errors or omissions caused by your failure to communicate your requirements clearly.
  25. PW shall not be liable for any delay or failure to perform any obligation under these Terms and Conditions and both parties shall be released from their respective obligations if the delay or failure is caused by any circumstances beyond both parties’ reasonable control, including, but not limited to, fire, explosion, flood, war (or similar events such as national emergency or civil unrest), industrial disputes, technical failure or any other similar event that renders the performance of obligations impossible.
  26. If there is a waiver or variation of any of these Terms and Conditions by PW at any time, then that will constitute a waiver or variation for the purpose of that particular transaction only and your obligations in respect of being bound by the remaining Terms and Conditions shall continue to be in full force, i.e. will continue to apply to you fully.
  27. If you breach any of the Terms and Conditions, you will be held fully responsible for any legal claim for expenses, liability and financial losses (including legal fees) incurred by PW, as caused by your breach.
  28. PW reserves the right to change the Terms and Conditions at any time without notice and without liability arising from such an action. Your use of the website and the company’s services will be deemed as acceptance of any amended Terms and Conditions.
  29. We advise you to regularly check the Terms and Conditions. PW has complete discretion to modify or remove any part of the website without warning and without any liability arising from such an action.
  30. PW reserves the right to alter pricing without notice, although any prices previously confirmed in writing will remain valid for 28 days from the date of the quotation.
  31. You acknowledge that information on the website may contain inaccuracies and errors and PW expressly excludes liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
  32. You agree that you will not use the website for illegal purposes and will respect all applicable laws and regulations. You agree not to use the website in a way that may impair the performance, corrupt the content or otherwise reduce the overall functionality of the website. You also agree not to compromise the security of the website or attempt to gain access to secured areas or sensitive information.

Academic Liability

In relation to the work of students:

  1. The mark you are awarded by your academic institution is not within PW’s control and PW cannot be held legally responsible for a lower than expected mark or grade in relation to any material returned by PW. While our aim is to ensure that your work is free from errors of spelling, grammar and punctuation and is consistent in style, we cannot guarantee that using our proofreading service will result in improved marks.
  2. We strongly recommend that you advise your tutor/supervisor that you have employed a proofreader.
  3. We recommend that you check that the use of a proofreading/copy editing service is permitted by your academic institution and, if so, whether it is a requirement that this be referenced in your work.
  4. Plagiarism (including collusion) and breach of copyright are very serious offences and there are usually severe penalties including permanent disqualification from your studies if plagiarism or breaches of copyright are proved to exist in your work. Avoiding plagiarism remains your responsibility at all times. PW does not check your document for any possible plagiarism issues.
  5. PW will not proofread your document in any way that breaches your academic institution’s potential rules concerning plagiarism and cheating. This means that, for example, PW will not rewrite your document or substantial parts of it, add text from anyone else's work and insert it into your document, paraphrase anyone else's work and insert it into your document or make any other change that would constitute plagiarism.
  6. You accept that PW will give you no other guidance about plagiarism, collusion and cheating.
  7. You accept that PW carries out a service that assists you in your academic work, but our service does not constitute professional academic advice.
  8. If PW has evidence to suggest that you are guilty of plagiarism, then we can immediately cancel the service and refuse to do further work for you.