No matter how talented the writer may be, any piece of written work will benefit from the attention of another pair of eyes. In all areas of communication, copy-editors and proofreaders are essential in order to ensure that texts are error-free, consistent and – most importantly – actually say what they are supposed to say.

Spelling and grammar checks in software will provide a speedy but unrefined guide to potential problems in a written piece. They will always be innacurate when it comes to dealing with such relatively straightforward issues as, for instance, homophones: do you mean 'there' or 'their', or perhaps 'they're'? Spell checkers will not always be able to tell, and for more complex language issues they are practically useless.

On the right, throughout this site, are some amusing – and alarming! – examples of the errors even careful professionals can produce. We are all prone to mistakes that can leave us looking amateurish – and cost us money, jobs or worse.

I provide copy-editing and proofreading services to clients at all levels, from publishers to small businesses and individuals. I've carried out work for newspapers, websites, magazine and book publishers, government departments and large corporations. If you have text-based material that needs to be well-written, clear and professional-looking, I can help, by either proofreading documents that require a final polish, or by offering my copy-editing skills to rewrite, structure and streamline written work until it becomes as fluent and elegant as it can be.

I am based in Glasgow, having recently relocated from London. However, I am able to provide services to authors and publishers across the UK.

If you have arrived here seeking information on how to become a proofreader or copy-editor, you will find a more suitable site at www.copyediting.co.uk.