I’m a quality assurance proofreader with 16+ years of experience. I check documents and publications before they go out into the world. It’s my job to see whether these written materials match my clients’ intentions for them.

My priority in every job is to find out what the client wants. QA proofreading is a balancing act between helping a text fulfil its purpose and avoiding unnecessary intervention.

My work often involves following the instructions in my clients’ style guides, brand guidelines, and master templates. It also draws on my experience and training. I have the UCSD certificate in copyediting and I studied proofreading with the Publishing Training Centre.

Texts worked on

I began freelancing in 2022, focusing on texts used in workplaces, education, and cultural settings. I’ve worked in UK and US English on a broad range of texts, including courses, model exam papers, corporate biographies, annual reports, product data feeds, and newsletters. I’m experienced with:

• PDF layouts (before and after the final design stage)
• PowerPoint presentations (before the design stage)
• Word (using tracked changes)
• Google Docs (suggest and edit modes)
• Excel (spreadsheets of non-numerical information)

I’m also an experienced cross-checker and fact-checker. I can compare details inside and outside of documents to ensure their accuracy.

In-house QA experience

I spent 12 years in-house as a quality assurance proofreader of confidential documents used by decision-makers. In that time, I adapted to changes in rules, format requirements, and work processes. My duties included:

• cross-checking sections
• checking the completeness of information
• looking for non-compliant wording
• checking details against other sources
• giving feedback

Helping clients get it right is very satisfying. I love to hear about new projects.

Proofreading for multi-author texts

I’m experienced in smoothing over the seams and rough patches in multi-author texts. This usually involves looking for:

• variations in spelling and tense
• uneven clusters of words
• contradictions in content
• errors caused by a complex production history
• deviations from the company’s brand or style 

When one person has combined their own writing with AI output, I can treat the text as if it were a multi-author document.

Proofreading for AI-assisted texts

I’ve been working on AI-assisted documents since 2023. I can read text closely to check that it makes sense and is internally consistent. If it’s requested, I can make small Plain English edits to sentences to give AI-assisted writing a more accessible style.

I can also look at the tone and feel of AI-generated text. For example, I may point out that one section of a document sounds inappropriately happy or sad compared to the surrounding pages. I’ll explain why I have this impression and you can use my feedback to make further changes.

Business enquiries

If you have a business enquiry, please use the website contact form. I welcome questions about all kinds of text.

You can find out more about my interests on my blog.