Terms and Conditions

The following Terms and Conditions are provided so that both James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) and you (the Client) both have an upfront and honest understanding of what is involved in the process of working together.

1. General Overview

a. These terms and conditions apply to any work done on behalf of you (the Client) by James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services).

b. James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) will provide proofreading services agreed upon by himself and you (the Client).

c. You (the Client) are under no obligation to offer James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) work; neither is James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) under any obligation to accept work offered by you (the Client).

d. Any commissioned work will be carried out unsupervised at such times and places as determined by James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services), using his own equipment.

e. The work will be carried out solely by James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services). He will not subcontract academic proofreading projects, or parts of projects, to third parties.

f. James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) confirms that any commissions secured through this website (jwcopywritingservices.com) are liable to income tax and National Insurance contribution in accordance with UK law.

g. The Contract of Service requires that you (the Client) have read, understood and agreed to these Terms and Conditions.

h. In these Terms and Conditions, the term ‘working days’ does not include weekends (Saturday / Sunday) or any UK Bank Holiday. See the UK Government’s website for more information on upcoming Bank Holidays.

2. Project Terms

a. You (the Client) understand and accept the following Project Terms:

• Any documents sent for the purposes of proofreading should be emailed to jwcopywritingservices@gmail.com
• The length of document sent for the purposes of proofreading should not be less than 2,000 words, nor should it exceed 80,000 words. These word counts are inclusive of footnotes and / or endnotes, as required
• All documents sent for the purposes of proofreading to James Wills should be a Microsoft Word document
• James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) will proofread the document and make edits using Microsoft Word’s Track Changes function – no other function(s) or software will be used

3. Estimations (quotes), Fees and Timescales

a. An estimate (quote) of fees for work will be provided by James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) following you (the Client) providing the exact word count of the document in need of being proofread. This word count must include any footnotes and / or endnotes, as required (see Paragraph 2(a)).

b. Once you (the Client) sign the Contract of Service and agree to the fee, it is non-negotiable, unless you (the Client) extend the word count of the job or request additional services. In this case, a revised estimate (quotation) and job-completion date will be negotiated between you (the Client) and James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services). 

c. James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) charges a fee of £5.00 per 1,000 words. Any words above or below 1,000-word boundaries are charged pro rata.

d. Payments to James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) must be made in full by you (the Client) before any proofreading commission commences.

e. Payments to James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) are to be made by automated credit transfer (BACS). If this payment method causes you (the Client) a problem, you must inform James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) immediately. James Wills’s (Academic Proofreading Services) BACS details will be stated on your (the Client’s) estimate (quote) and your invoice.

f. Unless otherwise agreed, the estimate (quotation) is for one pass of your (the Client’s) academic document by James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services). Additional passes are deemed as new projects, the terms of which will need to be agreed separately.

g. Timescales for completion are as follows, based on the total number of words in the document (inclusive of footnotes and / or endnotes, as required):

• Between 20,000 and 80,000 words: no more than twelve (12) working days
• Between 6,000 and 19,999 words: no more than five (5) working days
• Between 2,000 and 5,999 words: no more than three (3) working days

h. James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) takes no responsibility for you (the Client) missing an agreed submission deadline with your educational provider.

4. Copyright, Indemnity, Errors and Citations

a. Any content in documents sent via email to James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) by you (the Client) for the purposes of proofreading is owned by you (the Client).

b. In this respect, you (the Client) agree to indemnify James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) of any and all responsibility for arguments made or content of the document sent, academic or otherwise.

c. You (the Client) agree to indemnify James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) of any and all responsibilities arising from the submission of this document at any educational establishment (including all universities and colleges). This indemnity includes first (or any subsequent) marks or grades given, any and all accusations of plagiarism, and feedback given by any individual, academic or otherwise.

d. Any content created by James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) as part of the proofreading process will become the copyright of you (the Client) upon receipt of the document, unless otherwise agreed.

e. James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) agrees to make every effort to ensure that any proofread document shall be returned to you (the Client) free of errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar (UK English). However, he stipulates that you (the Client) review the document before submitting it for any assessment purposes by an educational provider in accordance with their respective Assessment Policy. Ultimate accountability for the document’s content, format and written style rests entirely with you (the Client).

f. It is your (the Client’s) responsibility to fact-check the document, ensuring that any and all citations from secondary sources, data from previous studies, use of referencing systems, or claims made (academic or otherwise) are correct. No claim for compensation due to any negative effect on you (the Client) can be made against James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services).

5. Cancellation

a. Except in the circumstances described in Paragraph 5(b) and Paragraph 5(c), once you (the Client) agree to the Contract of Service, neither you (the Client) nor James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) can cancel the commission for said proofreading services.

b. If, in the unlikely event that you (the Client) are touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), you (the Client) should contact James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) to discuss specific terms of cancellation. James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) aims to be fair and helpful at all times. If cancellation is agreed, within seven (7) days, James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) will refund any already paid fees for his services to you (the Client), minus work already completed, charged pro rata (see Paragraph 3(c)).

c. If James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) is touched by extraordinary or difficult circumstances (e.g. family crisis, illness, bereavement), he will contact you (the Client) in writing at the earliest opportunity. Within seven (7) days, James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) will refund any already paid fees for his services in full to you (the Client).

6. Confidentiality

a. The nature and content of your (the Client’s) work will be kept confidential and not made known to anyone other than James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) without prior written permission.

b. James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) will not, under any circumstances, upload your (the Client’s) document to external websites or distribute them to third parties unless specifically authorised to do so in writing by you (the Client).

c. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998, James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) may keep, on record, your (the Client’s) information (e.g. contact details) as is necessary to process and fulfill any commission. Please see James Wills’s (Academic Proofreading Services) Privacy Policy for more details.

7. Testimonials and Acknowledgements

a. James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) may ask for a testimonial from you (the Client) when work has been completed. This testimonial could be included in his portfolio, marketing information, or used on his website and respective social media channels.

b. There is no requirement for you (the Client) to mention James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) in any acknowledgements section of your academic work, or in any corresponding section should that work go on to be published. However, you (the Client) agree that James Wills (Academic Proofreading Services) will have the opportunity to review any such mention prior to publication, or to decline being mentioned if he so wishes.

8. Applicable Law

a. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of England.

9. Variation

a. These Terms and Conditions shall not be varied except by agreement in writing.