Since there are so many proofreading companies operating today, it’s not that easy to separate the strong ones from the weak ones. However, if you are interested in hiring a qualified person to provide professional proofreading services or book proofreading services, then you can follow these few simple steps to ensure you find the best one for the job.

The first step involves letting go of a particular thought you are likely to have at the outset of your journey to find a proofreader, which is: “I would really like to find a proofreader for my paper, but I want them to be an expert in my field”. Although it is certainly not going to have a negative effect if the person providing your professional proofreading services maybe a specialist in computer science, biology, or any other field that connects with yours, it is essential to recognise that it is also unlikely to have a positive effect. This is because, by definition, proofreaders do not address content, the strength of your arguments, or other technical matters; instead, they focus narrowly on catching inconsistencies and errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Therefore, there are many proofreaders you can hire who are not necessarily subject matter experts, but who can provide excellent services that meet all of your needs.
The second step is to use all available digital tools to find the most reliable, effective, and efficient proofreader you can. One way to do this is to start with Google, the well-known search engine, and to type in a related query. Once you have done this, do not select the provider for professional proofreading and editing services or book proofreading services that appears first in Google’s list of search results; instead, open a new tab and start looking for some reviews (or any other form of so-called “electronic word of mouth). You’ll quickly find that many of the most professional-looking service providers actually have an extremely poor reputation, while a significant proportion of the companies that do not rank highly in Google’s search algorithm are well-respected for their reliability and effectiveness. A brief side note is that, if you want to work with a freelancer rather than a proofreading company, you can do so by following all of the above, but instead of focusing on a company, you will be focusing on an individual. As such, you can check-out their LinkedIn profile as a valuable source of electronic word of mouth.
The final step is perhaps the most obvious, but most people usually start with it – and so it’s important to get everything the right way around! The basic idea of this step is to begin interacting with the freelancer or company you have identified as a potential candidate for your proofreading work. This allows you to collect information from them about their suitability, availability, and so on, but – even more importantly – it allows them to gather information from you (i.e., about your requirements). All of the best proofreading companies and freelancers will be helpful at this stage, and – in almost every case –they will let you know if their book proofreading services or other professional proofreading services are not suitable for you. Similarly, you can use the information you gather to determine whether the freelancer or proofreading company is a good fit for your document type.








