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Hello I have a Chinese friend and colleague who is in the first year of her PhD programme at the University of Durham and needs to improve her English writing skills. I suggested that she explore opportunities for proof-reading support. Is there anyone on this list from 'Durham' who can suggest what provision is already available in this area? Many thanks Best wishes Margaret ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr Margaret MacDougall Medical Statistician and Researcher in Education Centre for Population Health Sciences College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Teviot Place Edinburgh EH8 9AG Tel: +44 (0) 131 650 3211 Fax: +44 (0) 131 650 6909 E-mail: [log in to unmask] http://www.chs.med.ed.ac.uk/cphs/people/staffProfile.php?profile=mmacdoug On 19/05/2014 16:26, Anna Seabourne wrote: > > Dear all > > I thought you may be interested to see the policy here at Leeds, > available on the web here: > http://www.leeds.ac.uk/qat/documents/policy/Proof-Reading.pdf > > Interestingly, this bans outright all proofreading by third-parties > (friends, other students, family or professional proof-readers). The > situation is slightly different for research students. In our > proofreading workshops (and individual consultations) we used to > suggest that people use a friend, preferably in a different > discipline, to check, but no longer. > > We do have a page about ‘drafting and fine tuning’ and the .pdf on > Revising, Editing and Proofreading on this page is a regular > supplement to our workshops (recently altered to remove the > recommendation to ask for help…). > http://library.leeds.ac.uk/skills-writing#activate-drafting_and_fine_tuning > > From the other side: as I am now part time (working on a PhD), I > recently considered supplementing my income by offering proofreading > services (not to Leeds students!!), so signed up at > http://www.freelancer.com/, citing ‘academic writing’ (meaning > ‘support for…’) and ‘proofreading’ as skills. I’ve since unsubscribed > from the service, but for a while it gave me tremendous insight into > what is out there for our students to access. I had message after > message detailing bids for work writing assignments from scratch. Many > were from the US, but a significant number were from students in the > UK wanting assignments done. The usual fees were very low, I suspect > because those who are bidding are the highly educated English speakers > in majority world countries. > > The ban has the beauty of simplicity, but hides the murky reality or > the ‘elephant in the room’ as Gordon puts it. Students from privileged > backgrounds will still use family (= those paying the fees, I add > cynically), and those with the money can afford to pay external > services. Turnitin will pick up neither. > > More problems than solutions, I’m afraid. I do like Lancashire’s > approach, it seems so much more pro-active and positive. > > Best wishes > > Best wishes > > Anna > > PLEASE NOTE: I work one day a week for Skills@Library, my usual > working day is Monday. If you have any urgent enquires, please contact > Skills@Library: http://library.leeds.ac.uk/skills-contact > > Anna Seabourne > > Skills Adviser > > Skills@Library > > 15 Blenheim Terrace > > Leeds LS2 9JT > > Ext 36977 > > T 0113-3436977 > > F 0113-3434095 > > E [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > > http://library.leeds.ac.uk/skills > > http://www.facebook.com/skills.library > > http://twitter.com/lucubrat > > *From:*learning development in higher education network > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *Lynne Gornall > *Sent:* 19 May 2014 15:21 > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: International students are turning to proofreading > agencies to get support > > Thanks for the extremely useful guidelines and protocols Liz. > > *From:*Austin, Elizabeth M [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > *Sent:* 19 May 2014 13:35 > *To:* Lynne Gornall; [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > *Subject:* RE: International students are turning to proofreading > agencies to get support > > I very much with Lynne’s position and arguments. Here is what is > happening at Essex > > -we have devised guidelines and protocols in relation to > ’proofreading’ of degree course work. The guidelines are designed for > use by for students, staff and proofreaders themselves. See > http://www.essex.ac.uk/proofreading/ > > -the same web page hosts a register of local proofreaders (who have to > attend a briefing meeting on the protocols and must agree to abide by > them). > > -Essex no longer allows other forms of ‘proofeader’ advertising e.g. > on noticeboards or University email lists. > > -we hold (fairly!) regular local proofreader networking events at > which they can compare and discuss problems and experiences. > > I recently attended a one-day event in Holland convened by SENSE (the > Society of English-Native-Speaking Editors in the Netherlands). They > are preparing for an increase in the number of degree courses which > will start to be taught through the medium of English. It was an > extremely interesting event, and we at Essex would like to run > something similar. Would that be a good idea? Would many be interested > in attending? > > Best wishes > > Liz Austin > > Essex University > > Director, University Skills Centre > > *From:*learning development in higher education network > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *Lynne Gornall > *Sent:* 19 May 2014 12:04 > *To:* [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > *Subject:* Re: International students are turning to proofreading > agencies to get support > > Hi all > > I agree with Gordon (Scruton) . We had a very similar discussion about > proofreading on this list in February and this was my contribution then: > > Who in their right mind would submit an abstract/journal article etc, > without having it proofread in some capacity? Personally, I have an > accomplished scholar (my partner) available to proofread my writing > when needed - am I breaking any rules if I let him proofread my > work? International students who arguably need proofreading the > most, are least likely to have access to a native speaker within their > own 'community of practice' and are therefore at a significant > disadvantage. Here at the Lancashire Business School we run a > supervised, peer language advice service to try and redress the > inequality and to provide work-type experience to volunteer language > advisors. We train volunteers and get them to agree to a simple code > of conduct roughly as follows: > > Advisors can: > > *Discuss and revise written mistakes in spelling, punctuation, word > choice, and basic grammar/sentence structure > > *Advise that other revisions may be necessary and refer to academic > development tutor > > Advisors cannot: > > *Edit paragraph structure and organisation of material > > *Alter, or offer comment on, the content of students' work. > > In relation to dissertations, I advise students to get their work > professionally proofread if they do not have any family or friends who > can look at their work. I do not recommend specific proof reading > services but do direct students to SFEP > http://www.sfep.org.uk/default.asp who have a code of conduct, > accreditation etc. > > Cheers > > Lynne > > Lynne Gornall FHEA > > Senior Lecturer > > Lancashire Business School > > Student Support team (Postgraduate & International) > > Greenbank 061 > > Ex 4615 > > *From:*learning development in higher education network > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] *On Behalf Of *Gordon Scruton > *Sent:* 19 May 2014 11:45 > *To:* [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > *Subject:* Re: International students are turning to proofreading > agencies to get support > > Hi all, first time posting here so hope I'm doing this correctly. > > My feeling on proofreading is that it is a no-brainer - everyone > should be instructed on how to do it and getting a second pair of eyes > to look through the work before submission is just good sense (there > can't be that many of us who haven't done exactly this with our own > dissertation/thesis/journal articles/chapters/monographs/etc.). > However, when it comes to the next step on the ladder, the buying of > essays, I completely agree with the quote that closes the Guardian > article /"If you can't be bothered to write your own essays, you > shouldn't be at university."/ and having 'no time or inspiration' > isn't any sort of an excuse. > > That all said, there's that uncomfortable half-step between the two - > professional proofreading. I've done some paid proofreading for > international students and have justified it to myself as being about > the clarity of the message - I've never understood the subjects being > written about so there was no way I could correct or 'improve' the > content. I also made sure that I used the 'track changes' facility > which meant students had to actively approve of any corrections. (I'd > like to point out that I don't do paid proofreading now in my current > job as I feel it would present a conflict of interest.) > > However, I do think that the international students (and some of the > home students) are disadvantaged in this system. The international > students rarely have friends, family or colleagues to read over their > work and help them polish it up so this necessitates buying this > service. Likewise, some home students may not have friends or family > that they trust to proofread their work well. So it can become about > two things: > > a) How much money you've got. > > b) Who you know. > > Unfortunately neither of these things are related in any way to > academic achievement or ability, so there is a problem. > > The reality of the situation is that professional essay writers are > out there and some students will use them because they just don't want > to do the work themselves. I would agree with the sentiment in > Guardian article that universities probably aren't doing enough to > address this issue (likely because it is still an elephant in the room > for many of us). My impression is that we could certainly cut the > number of paid-for essays if university could provide proofreading > services to students that would undercut the professional proofreaders > and bring about more scope for regulating the issue. If a university > isn't going to offer a 'legal' option for students, then we can't be > surprised when we start receiving professionally written essays. > > I recently recommended the setting up of a student proofreading > service during a university-wide online brainstorming event. My > proposal was that a proofreading service, run out of the Students' > Union, could be a place students could get their work checked by other > students. Applying to be a proofreader would give you access to a > short proofreading training course - which hopefully would help to > improve the proofreader's own work - and this volunteer work would be > something else for students to put down on their CVs. You could even > provide further incentives by having awards for best proofreading, > etc. based on feedback. > > There would always be givers and takers in systems like these > regardless of what rules you put in place, but what I'd like to see is > for this issue of proofreading/copywriting to be tackled and, if > possible, for a current weakness and area of criticism to be changed > into something that could be recognised as a strength of the > university system. I'm not convinced that my idea completely hits the > mark here, and probably no single solution will. However, it's > important to think hard about providing more legitimate avenues of > support that can effectively compete with other methods available we > would like to be rid of. > > Gordon > > On 19 May 2014 10:20, David Peters <[log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: > > I work at MMU and this is an issue I often come across for both home > and international students. > > For international students we offer a series of 10-week classes named > ELSIS (English Language Services for International Students) This is > designed to help these students get to grip with > > the area of language they might be struggling with. There is no > ‘proofreading’ offered at these classes but students can arrange a > one-to-one tutorial with an ELSIS tutor who will look at their > > work with them, usually only a page or two, and will show them where > the mistakes are and even correct them. The point being that the > student sees where they are making errors and therefore > > knows where they need to improve. > > As I said, increasingly I’m also noticing ‘home’ students making > requests for this service which I believe suggests students’ lack of > belief in themselves and their talents/ability. > > In one-to-ones and skills classes I teach, I try to emphasise the > importance of proofreading and offer helpful tips and advice > > ‘Home’ students are also offered a series of further writing classes. > Again there is no ‘proofreading’ as such but students are encouraged > to see the editing/proofreading stage as a crucial component of the > writing process, > > not one to be skipped. > > David Peters|Student Support Officer| Humanities, Languages and Social > Science > > > Room G17, GM atrium (opposite central stairwell) > > To provide feedback on the Student Support service offered by David, > follow this link: > > http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JFD7QH3 > > *Phone*: +44 161 247 6459 <tel:%2B44%20161%20247%206459> > > *Web*- www.hlss.mmu.ac.uk/student-support > <http://www.hlss.mmu.ac.uk/student-support> > > *From:*learning development in higher education network > [mailto:[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>] *On Behalf > Of *Kim Shahabudin > *Sent:* 16 May 2014 16:42 > *To:* [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > *Subject:* Re: International students are turning to proofreading > agencies to get support > > I was one of the people quoted here so, to give a bit more detail, > here is the actual reply I sent. (I should say that I wasn't unhappy > about the quote that was chosen - it seemed to me to be fair and > well-contextualised.) > > Proof-reading is an important part of academic writing and also a > transferable skill that students can benefit from later in their > careers. We see independent learning as crucial to our students’ > development and offer support and guidance > <http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/studyadvice/StudyResources/Writing/sta-proof.aspx>[http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/studyadvice/StudyResources/Writing/sta-proof.aspx] > on how to make their proof-reading more effective. We do not recommend > professional proof-readers because of the danger that intended meaning > may be changed. > > Students for whom English is not their first language also have > access to additional language support through our International > Study and Language Institute, which offers In-Sessional English > Support and a Self-Access Language Learning Centre. We advise > international students who are not confident about their academic > writing to ask a fellow student, who is a native English speaker, > to read through their work with them. This way they learn, > self-correct and gain more confidence in their language skills at > the same time. Friendships from ‘thank you’ dinners often develop > this way, all adding to the student experience. > > I do agree that it's something home students fairly regularly ask for > too. In some ways, it's more of a problem, because they just send it > home for their parents to proofread (and on the way they often rewrite > and edit...). The international students don't usually have that > luxury which is why their needs are more transparent. > > That said, we do offer advice to home students on developing their > academic writing. We also emphasise the importance of proofreading and > editing as part of the writing process. If I was being harsh, I'd say > why is it okay for students to ask someone else to proofread for them, > when it's not okay to ask someone else to do their research for them - > they're both essential aspects of the academic process? > > But obviously I am not going to be harsh, because it's Friday > afternoon, the sun is shining, and I'm about to go home. > > Kim > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > Dr Kim Shahabudin, FHEA, Study Adviser, Study Advice & Maths Support > > 1st Floor, University of Reading Library, Whiteknights, PO Box 223, > Reading, RG6 6AE > > (0118 378 4242/4614 :www.reading.ac.uk/studyadvice > <http://www.reading.ac.uk/studyadvice> twitter: @unirdg_study > > Please note that I now work part-time and am not usually on campus on > Mondays. > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > *From:*learning development in higher education network > [[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>] on behalf of > Gordon Asher [[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>] > *Sent:* 16 May 2014 15:54 > *To:* [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > *Subject:* International students are turning to proofreading agencies > to get support > > Interesting article – wondering what others experiences are? Mine are > that this is not limited to international students – though certainly > this is by far the largest cohort > > Perhaps particularly unsurprising, when at UWS we do not offer any > English language support for undergraduate (and limited for > postgraduate) students. > > Am regularly asked by students – both home and international – to > proofread their work – and have to explain that this is not part of > the service we offer. > > Glasgow University offers (and charges for – though below ‘market’ > rates) an ‘essay checking service’ - > http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/mlc/languagecentre/efl/in-sessionalsupport/essaycheckingservice/ > > *International students are turning to proofreading agencies to get > support* > > http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2014/apr/09/international-students-proofreading-academic-writing-support > > Best > > G > > Work like you don't need money > Love like you've never been hurt > and dance like no-one's watching > > "Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate > integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system > and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the > means > by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and > discover how to participate in the transformation of their world." > Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed) > > "Before acting on this email or opening any attachments you should > read the Manchester Metropolitan University email disclaimer available > on its website http://www.mmu.ac.uk/emaildisclaimer " > > > > -- > > Gordon Scruton > > Learning Support Tutor (FHSS) > > Institute of Criminal Justice Studies > > St George's Building > > University of Portsmouth > > Tel: +44 2392 845 743 > > Twitter: @ICJSStudySkills <http://twitter.com/ICJSStudySkills> > > Web: http://bit.ly/1c35LSO >