Meet Annie

If you need a professional proofreader then you’re in the right place.

You might be an author, business, publisher or student – you will find out if we’re a good match by reading my ‘What I Do’ page.

Qualities of my proofreading service

You are guaranteed:

training and professionalism – see my qualifications below
integrity – you are offered fair Terms & Conditions, within the CIEP Code of Practice
consistency – your writing style is analysed for all matters of inconsistency
quality – a high standard of efficient error-checking.

Here is a blog post I wrote for the CIEP having reviewed their bank of proofreading exercises:

The CIEP’s proofreading exercises: a preview

Here’s why I am qualified to check that your writing is error free. My training certificates follow below:

Courses & Qualifications

Certificate_ DCE_How to Mark Up PDF Proofs

proofreading certificate

I have completed these trusted and respected CIEP training courses (most recent first):

July 2022: Denise Cowle’s course – How to Mark Up PDF Proofs (see certificate above)
May 2022: CIEP Editing Digital Content (particularly useful in my services for educational publishers)
Oct 2021: CIEP Word for Practical Editing
CIEP annual conferences (2021 [online], 2020 [online], 2019, 2018, 2017) CIEP conference 2021
Dec 2020: CIEP Copyediting 1: Introduction
May 2020: Completion of CIEP Proofreading mentoring scheme (mentoring from an APM CIEP member). (See certificate above.)
May 2019: SfEP North East Mini Conference in Newcastle
Nov 2018: Educational Publishing Development Day EducPub CPD Certificate
Feb 2018: ‘Getting work with non-publishers’ (workshop)
Oct 2017: SfEP ‘References’ Course (online) Certificate References Course
May 2017: SfEP ‘Proofreading Progress’ Course (online)

At the beginning of freelancing …

A retired classroom teacher, I started my freelance proofreading business in January 2017, when I suffered health issues.

I began as an Entry Level Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) in January 2016. I upgraded to Intermediate Member by training and gaining experience as a proofreader and editor.

My background …

I graduated in the late 80s with a BEd degree (Primary Education), having grown up in Paisley, near Glasgow. Hence the Scottish name for my blog. Have you read any of my blog posts yet?

On graduation, I ventured ‘South of the Border’ – eek – to begin teaching. I taught in classrooms in Essex, until 2015. Now I use my marking and marketing skills to freelance with my own business. With MUCH enthusiasm.

If you are a fellow editor or teacher, I post a monthly blog called #TallTartanTalks (Was #TallTartanTells) about my business experiences. Read my weekly tips about my experiences on LinkedIn by searching for the hashtag #TallTartanTips. If you follow my hashtags, you won’t miss any of my tips or blog posts.