PhD and MPhil Proof Reading Support

Standard Terms and Conditions

Scope and Status

1. These terms and conditions apply to any work done for the Client by PhD Proof Reading Support, also referred to in this document as “PPRS” “we”, “our” and “us”.

2. The Client is under no obligation to offer PPRS work; neither is PPRS under any obligation to accept work offered by the Client.

3. Any work agreed and carried out by PPRS will be under a Contract for Services and is not intended to create an employment relationship between any PPRS representative and the Client.
 

Services and Costs

4. PPRS will provide service(s) as mutually agreed, confirmed in writing by the Client.

5. The work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by PPRS, using PPRS’s own equipment.

6. Completed work will be provided with all suggested changes clearly marked using comment boxes (found in up-to-date versions of Word).

7. The Client will pay PPRS an agreed flat fee for the job. 

8. A deadline for the completion of the work will be agreed by email.

9. 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.

10. If, however, upon receipt of the document 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, PPRS may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline and/or may not be able to take the work on at all. This also applies if the documents or materials needed are received by PPRS later than agreed.

11. Similarly, if, during the term of PPRS’s work, additional tasks are requested or more content is sent by the Client, PPRS may renegotiate the fee and/or the deadline.

12. If additional work on the same matter is required after the work is completed, an additional fee of 50% of the original agreed fee will be payable by the Client, unless otherwise agreed.

13. If the Client requests a second proofread, the Client must first redraft the document. Two-thirds of the original price per 1,000 words will be payable for this Service.

Payment Terms

14. For all documents, 100% of the total fee must be paid before work commences. Payment can be made by debit/credit card using Stripe. 

Termination

15. Either the Client or PPRS has the right to terminate a Contract for Services if there is a serious breach of its terms.

16. PPRS can terminate a contract at any time and for any reason, including but not limited to: document is unintelligible, document is not in English, non-payment of fees due; aggressive, abusive or inappropriate behaviour towards a PPRS representative. Upon notice being given to you of the termination of the contract, you would be required to pay PPRS all sums due.

17. You can cancel the contract at any time before work has begun, namely before full documents and payment have been provided to PPRS – at no charge.

18. If you wish to cancel the contract after work has begun then you must notify PPRS in writing. You will be billed for the work that has been completed up to that point at the per-word rate. The partially completed work will be sent to you.

19. These terms are subject to the laws of England and Wales, and both PPRS and the Client agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

Liability and Errors

20. In the case there are significant proofreading errors, we will offer a re-review of the document. If after the re-review significant errors are still detected then we will reach a mutual agreement as to a partial refund.

21. PPRS aims to provide an accurate, thorough and reliable proofreading service. Although we aim to provide the best service possible, we cannot guarantee 100% accuracy (simply because of human error) and occasionally we may not correct errors.

22. PPRS 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.

23. PPRS will not be held liable for errors or omissions caused by your failure to communicate your requirements clearly.

24. We are confident that we will provide you with a high-quality service; however, should you wish to make an official complaint, you must do so within 14 working days of having received the edited document back from us. PPRS will respond to your complaint as quickly as possible.

25. PPRS 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. In the case of illness or sudden unforeseen unavailability of the PPRS proofreader, PPRS will notify the Client as soon as reasonably practicable and offer a refund if the agreed deadline cannot be met. 

27. If there is a waiver or variation of any of these Terms and Conditions by PPRS 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.

28. 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 PPRS, as caused by your breach.

29. Each of the paragraphs of these Terms and Conditions operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.

30. PPRS 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.

31. We advise you to regularly check the Terms and Conditions. PPRS has complete discretion to modify or remove any part of the website without warning and without any liability arising from such an action.

32. PPRS 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; prices on work agreed and being undertaken will not be affected.

33.  Documents sent by email must be the FINAL version you want proofread. Once we email confirming document and payment have been received and we start proofreading, we will not proof read any newer drafts unless this has been expressly agreed in writing.

Academic Liability (Students)

34. We recommend that you check that the use of a proofreading service is permitted by your academic institution before engaging our services and, if so, whether it is a requirement that this be referenced in your work. PPRS will not check each academic institution’s policy on proofreading and accept no liability if you fail to make adequate enquiries.

35. Plagiarism (including collusion) and breach of copyright are very serious offences and there are usually severe penalties if plagiarism or breaches of copyright are proved to exist in your work. Avoiding plagiarism remains your responsibility at all times. PPRS does not check your document for any possible plagiarism issues for the standard proofreading service.

36. The mark or grade you are awarded by your academic institution is not within PPRS’s control. PPRS cannot provide advice or guidance on predicted grades and PPRS cannot be held legally responsible for a lower than expected mark or grade in relation to any material returned by PPRS after proofreading. 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.

Copyright and Confidentiality

37. Any content created by PPRS as part of the proofreading process will become the copyright of the Client, unless otherwise agreed.

38. The nature and content of the work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than the Client and the Client’s contractors without prior written permission.

39. PPRS may use the Client’s name in their promotional material, but will gain the Client’s express consent before doing so.

Data Protection and Website Cookies

40. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, the Client and PPRS 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.

41. We will use the personal information you provide to us to:
(a) provide the Services;
(b) process your payment for such Services.

42. The PPRS website uses cookies that allow PPRS to see how the site is used. The cookies cannot identify you. If you continue to use this site, PPRS will assume that you are happy with this.

43. You acknowledge that information on the PPRS website may contain inaccuracies and errors and PPRS expressly excludes liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.

44. You agree that you will not use the PPRS 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.