Frequently Asked Questions
Do you always deliver in 24 hours?
Usually less. Sometimes much faster. But never more than 24 hours unless the document has more than 10,000 words.
24 hours no matter how long the document is?
If your document has more than 10,000 words, we need more time. You can use our estimator on the home page to find out how long it would take.
Do you accept orders on weekends?
Yes, the same 24-hour promise holds for weekends also.
Can you proofread technical documents and academic papers?
Yes. But if your document is too technical for our proofreaders to understand, we will immediately let you know and issue a full refund.
English is my second language. Can you proofread my writing?
Yes, of course. We receive many orders from ESL customers.
Can you proofread British English?
Yes, we have British proofreaders.
What if you take longer than 24 hours?
You will get a full refund and still get the edited document.
How do you deliver the edited document to me?
If you submitted a Microsoft Word file, we will email it back to you as an attachment. If you submitted a Google Doc, we will share an edited version with you and notify you via email.
Do you accept orders from outside of the US?
Yes, of course.
What if I’m not happy with your work?
Please email editor@painintheenglish.com. We’ll review your order immediately.
Can you proofread a document that Google translated?
In most cases, no, because we wouldn’t be able to understand what you originally meant. If we can understand it, we will proofread it, but otherwise we will reject your order and issue a full refund.
What is included in proofreading?
Unless you select “edit and improve” at the checkout, we will only correct grammatical and technical errors. We provide this option because many skilled writers do not want their writing altered. After all, “improvement” is subjective. On the other hand, the customers who are not confident of their writing skills, like ESL speakers, would want our editors to suggest better ways to write as a learning experience.
Do you use “Tracking” in Microsoft Word?
Yes, we do, so you can see what we edited.
Do you use the “Editing” or “Suggesting” mode in Google Docs?
We use the “Editing” mode because you can always see what we edited if you go to “Version history” under the “File” menu.
Do you directly edit my original Google Doc?
No. When you place the order, we create a copy of your document. We edit the copy and share it with you when we are done.
Can you conform to a specific style guide?
Yes, as long as the specified style guide is popular. Please let us know in the “special instructions” field at the checkout.
Can you proofread a PDF document?
No. PDF is not an editable file format. Please copy and paste your text into a Google Doc or Microsoft Word file before submitting your order.
