Before training as a proofreader and copy-editor, my work experience included classical concert promotion, conference administration, government funding for the arts, and arts administration. All my roles required a keen eye for detail, excellent written skills and reliable delivery to agreed deadlines.
I work on a Mac, and usually edit Word documents or PDFs. I'm also happy to proofread on paper using BSI proofreading symbols.
I have experience of proofreading or copy-editing various types of material, including:
Some examples:
Proofreading
My clients have included Taylor & Francis, Colourpoint Books, Newgen Publishing UK (formerly Out of House), Queen's University Belfast, Open College Network Northern Ireland, Radius Housing, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Genesis Design, Acis Productions, Belfast Music Society, Full Proof, ClarityEnglish, and individual academics and postgraduate students.
What others say:
'I just want to say thank you so much – your comments and suggestions throughout the PDF are so clear and well considered. I particularly appreciate some of the comments that show how closely you were reading the different sections and also working to fact check and support what the authors are trying to get across.'
Jennie Guy, Fire Station Artists' Studios, 2020
'Just a note to say that I passed my viva yesterday. They were very complimentary about the writing style thanks to you!'
David Law, 2020
'Pam proofread and copy-edited some of my research proposals and academic articles. She is knowledgeable, meticulous and reliable. Pam quickly grasps both the scope and style of a text and responds accordingly. Her suggestions are always spot on.'
Christian Ferlaino, 2019
'I am so relieved to see some of your comments...you’ve nailed a few sentences that I’ve always felt were incredibly awkward, but I was stuck on how to fix them. Not only have your corrected things, but I love how you pointed out why the writing was strange. It’s like a masterclass in writing, and I think it will really help me to avoid pitfalls in the future. ...What you have done so far has truly been so helpful! ...I can’t thank you enough.'
Jessica Cawley, 2018
'I’m a concert pianist and campaigner for music by women. After writing a book about Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, I saw I needed professional help to firm up the shape. I found Pam through the internet; she stated a fair fee and time plan. On her advice, I added in some cultural background and we ended up with a 23,500-word book. Not only did she copy-edit, she sorted out overlaps between chapters, pointed out factual inaccuracies, and formatted the references and footnotes. Her advice was always clearly expressed. I think it became a better balanced and grounded book; her clarity and detailed observations helped give it a professional feel, and me the confidence to publish.'
Diana Ambache, 2018
'I met Pam Smith seven weeks before the deadly deadline of a PhD submission. I was demented, driven daft by my own run-on sentences, unruly punctuation, fecked-up formatting and a bewildering bibliography.
Pam was an editor extraordinaire. She tackled my verbosity and made sure every word pulled its weight, every sentence was a unit of sense and every paragraph contained an idea expressed in a syntax to rock the box of an examiner.
After putting manners on my bibliography, Pam tic-tacked between my in-text references and works cited to double check for inconsistencies. She even pointed out errors in the spellings of French sociologists and Russian culture theorists!
I am delighted to recommend the proofreading services of Pam Smith. Her craftwomanship and attention to detail helped me finish my final draft and walk into my viva like I owned the room. Pam is a gift.'
Dr. Rachael Hegarty, 2017
'I finished all the corrections you sent and it is simply AMAZING. I am not being superficial and I am truly impressed…’
Olivier Pasquet, PhD student at the University of Huddersfield, 2017
'We have used Pam Smith’s proofreading and editing services for a wide range of our clients and have always been pleased with her work. She is diligent, thorough and reliable. We highly recommend you try Pam’s services.'
Nick Jones, MD, Full Proof, 2017
'Pam is an experienced and meticulous proofreader, and ensures that all our print materials have been produced to an extremely high standard. ... She also prepares all BMS policy documents, and writes our corporate and business plans. ... She is always thorough and demonstrates excellent attention to detail.'
Ciara Burnell, Chair (2012–16), Belfast Music Society, 2016
'Pam was regularly called upon to produce papers and public reports which could clearly identify issues that were pertinent to the policies of the Arts Council. Her ability to produce concise and comprehensible papers was completely reliable – so much so that other organisations also engaged her separately to undertake major reports for them. ... Clear thinking, strategic intelligence, verbal concision – those would be three important attributes which I would associate with Pam’s capabilities.'
Philip Hammond, former Director of Performing Arts, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, 2016
'Pam proofread my PhD thesis. She came highly recommended and from the outset was professional and personable. She worked hard and very closely with me to ensure that the grammar and references were consistent and correct. When I submitted my thesis my supervisor could not find any grammatical errors. I recommend Pam unreservedly.'
Neale, PhD student at the University of St Andrews, 2016
I work on a Mac, and usually edit Word documents or PDFs. I'm also happy to proofread on paper using BSI proofreading symbols.
I have experience of proofreading or copy-editing various types of material, including:
- Books
- Magazine articles
- CD booklets
- Concert and festival programme books
- Online examination papers
- Corporate documents, including annual reports, corporate plans and marketing materials
- Public events programmes
- Conference programmes and proceedings
Some examples:
Proofreading
- Grier, Musical Notation in the West (CUP, 2021)
- Collins, Lateness and Modernism: Untimely Ideas about Music, Literature and Politics in Interwar Britain (CUP, 2019)
- DeLamater and Collett, Social Psychology, 9th edn (Routledge, 2018)
- Greenhalgh, Music and Singing in the Early Years (Routledge, 2018)
- Macken, Binding Space: The Book as Spatial Practice (Routledge, 2018)
- Labuta and Matthews, Basic Conducting Techniques (Routledge, 2018)
- Stillwell (ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Census Resources, Methods and Applications (Routledge, 2017)
- In Sara Levy’s Salon (The Raritan Players, Acis Productions, 2017)
- Fanfare and Filigree (Kleine Kammermusik, Acis Productions, 2017)
- Confluence (Ensemble Collina, Acis Productions, 2017)
- 10 Festival programmes for the BMS International Festival of Chamber Music (2009–present)
- Corporate marketing materials for Queen’s University Belfast and others
- PhD theses
- Numerous articles for The Parliamentary Review (for Full Proof)
- Numerous articles for InTheSnow magazine
- Corporate Plan 2013–2016 (Belfast Music Society)
My clients have included Taylor & Francis, Colourpoint Books, Newgen Publishing UK (formerly Out of House), Queen's University Belfast, Open College Network Northern Ireland, Radius Housing, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Genesis Design, Acis Productions, Belfast Music Society, Full Proof, ClarityEnglish, and individual academics and postgraduate students.
What others say:
'I just want to say thank you so much – your comments and suggestions throughout the PDF are so clear and well considered. I particularly appreciate some of the comments that show how closely you were reading the different sections and also working to fact check and support what the authors are trying to get across.'
Jennie Guy, Fire Station Artists' Studios, 2020
'Just a note to say that I passed my viva yesterday. They were very complimentary about the writing style thanks to you!'
David Law, 2020
'Pam proofread and copy-edited some of my research proposals and academic articles. She is knowledgeable, meticulous and reliable. Pam quickly grasps both the scope and style of a text and responds accordingly. Her suggestions are always spot on.'
Christian Ferlaino, 2019
'I am so relieved to see some of your comments...you’ve nailed a few sentences that I’ve always felt were incredibly awkward, but I was stuck on how to fix them. Not only have your corrected things, but I love how you pointed out why the writing was strange. It’s like a masterclass in writing, and I think it will really help me to avoid pitfalls in the future. ...What you have done so far has truly been so helpful! ...I can’t thank you enough.'
Jessica Cawley, 2018
'I’m a concert pianist and campaigner for music by women. After writing a book about Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, I saw I needed professional help to firm up the shape. I found Pam through the internet; she stated a fair fee and time plan. On her advice, I added in some cultural background and we ended up with a 23,500-word book. Not only did she copy-edit, she sorted out overlaps between chapters, pointed out factual inaccuracies, and formatted the references and footnotes. Her advice was always clearly expressed. I think it became a better balanced and grounded book; her clarity and detailed observations helped give it a professional feel, and me the confidence to publish.'
Diana Ambache, 2018
'I met Pam Smith seven weeks before the deadly deadline of a PhD submission. I was demented, driven daft by my own run-on sentences, unruly punctuation, fecked-up formatting and a bewildering bibliography.
Pam was an editor extraordinaire. She tackled my verbosity and made sure every word pulled its weight, every sentence was a unit of sense and every paragraph contained an idea expressed in a syntax to rock the box of an examiner.
After putting manners on my bibliography, Pam tic-tacked between my in-text references and works cited to double check for inconsistencies. She even pointed out errors in the spellings of French sociologists and Russian culture theorists!
I am delighted to recommend the proofreading services of Pam Smith. Her craftwomanship and attention to detail helped me finish my final draft and walk into my viva like I owned the room. Pam is a gift.'
Dr. Rachael Hegarty, 2017
'I finished all the corrections you sent and it is simply AMAZING. I am not being superficial and I am truly impressed…’
Olivier Pasquet, PhD student at the University of Huddersfield, 2017
'We have used Pam Smith’s proofreading and editing services for a wide range of our clients and have always been pleased with her work. She is diligent, thorough and reliable. We highly recommend you try Pam’s services.'
Nick Jones, MD, Full Proof, 2017
'Pam is an experienced and meticulous proofreader, and ensures that all our print materials have been produced to an extremely high standard. ... She also prepares all BMS policy documents, and writes our corporate and business plans. ... She is always thorough and demonstrates excellent attention to detail.'
Ciara Burnell, Chair (2012–16), Belfast Music Society, 2016
'Pam was regularly called upon to produce papers and public reports which could clearly identify issues that were pertinent to the policies of the Arts Council. Her ability to produce concise and comprehensible papers was completely reliable – so much so that other organisations also engaged her separately to undertake major reports for them. ... Clear thinking, strategic intelligence, verbal concision – those would be three important attributes which I would associate with Pam’s capabilities.'
Philip Hammond, former Director of Performing Arts, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, 2016
'Pam proofread my PhD thesis. She came highly recommended and from the outset was professional and personable. She worked hard and very closely with me to ensure that the grammar and references were consistent and correct. When I submitted my thesis my supervisor could not find any grammatical errors. I recommend Pam unreservedly.'
Neale, PhD student at the University of St Andrews, 2016
Open Book (1988) by Guy Diehl. Reproduced with the kind permission of the artist.
Copyright © 2016/2021 Pamela Smith
Copyright © 2016/2021 Pamela Smith