FAQs
“Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret.”
- Matthew Arnold
How exactly do we do what we do? What are our costs? How long does it take? Answers to your questions are here.
General
- What types of documents do you service?
- What sources do you use for your work?
- Do you check for academic style formatting and what styles do you use?
- Can I get a quote before agreeing to your service? If so, how?
- What can I expect when I am notified that my job is completed and is ready to be returned to me?
- Do I have to accept your changes to my document?
- How will I know what you have changed in my document?
- What is a “polished” proofread/edited draft? What is the benefit of receiving this type of draft?
- Do you offer rush service?
- Do you offer discounts for repeat customers?
- I’ve just referred a friend for your services; shouldn’t I get something for free?
- The document I want to send for editing is highly confidential. How can I be sure you will respect that confidentiality?
Proofreading
- What’s the difference between proofreading and editing?
- How long will it take to receive my proofread document?
Editing
- What kinds of editing does L Words do?
- What will my edited document look like?
- How long will it take to receive my edited document?
- How can I be sure your editors will do a good job?
- What precautions do you take against “over” editing?
Ordering
- Ok, I got my quote and I have decided to use L Words to edit my document. How do I place an order?
- How do you get my file(s)?
- How do I pay for my order?
- How will my order be delivered?
- Do you offer refunds?
Technical Concerns
- I think I deleted my delivered project! What do I do now?
- What about extended backup?
- What document formats do you accept?
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“I love being a writer. What I can’t stand is the paperwork.”
- Peter de Vries
General
What types of documents do you service?
We service an extensive range of projects, including (but not limited to): Personal
Applications/Cover Letters
Email Messages
Letters
Memos
Resumes
Websites
Works of fiction (novels, short stories, scripts)*
Academic (Students & Professors)
Admissions Applications
Dissertations
Essays
Research Articles
Journal Entries
Term Papers
Theses
Course Syllabi
Textbook Manuscripts
Grant Proposals
Conference Papers/Presentations
Curriculum Vitae
Small Business
Cover Letters
Email Messages
Legal Documents
Marketing/Ad Copies
Presentations
Press Releases
Reports
Websites
Business Proposals
Technical Manuals
Brochures
Annual Reports
Training Manuals
Newsletters
If your specific project is not currently on this list, please Contact Us and give us a few details about what you’re looking for. If we are unable to provide you with a quote for the service, we will refer you to one of our trusted affiliates.
* Note: L Words is not professionally affiliated in any way with the publishing industry. While we would love to see your work(s) publicly circulated to high acclaim, and will make every effort to ensure that your work is of publishing quality, we are not a publishing house.
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What sources do you use for your work?
At L Words , we recognize the importance of being lifelong learners in our vocation, and as such, we never tire of looking for the next great reference tool. However, our select group of old (and some new) favorites includes:
- Chicago Manual of Style (15 th edition)
- Elements of Style (4 th edition)
- Essentials of English (5 th edition)
- MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6 th edition)
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5 th edition)
- Scientific Style and Format: the CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers
- Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace (6 th edition)
- The Holt Handbook (6 th edition)
- The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (5th edition)
Do you check for academic style formatting and what styles do you use?
Yes, we check all academic documents for the specified style formatting. Styles used include: APA, Chicago, CSE/CSB, MLA, and Turabian. Customers must indicate their style preference at time of ordering. Please refer to our Services page for a detailed description of these formatting styles.
Can I get a quote before agreeing to your service? If so, how ?
Of course you can! We at L Words recognize that trusting us with your document is a considerable commitment and we’d like you to know what you’re getting into with as much detail as possible. Our quotes include rough estimates of the anticipated completion date of your document and the total cost before proofreading/editing (based on price per page fees outlined on our Services Page. Additionally, L Words is proud to be one of the only professional editing services to include a sample edit of your job. With every quote, expect a 1-2 paragraph sample of what you can expect your completed proofread/edited/rewritten document to look like. With L Words , you truly can “try before you buy!”
To Request a Quote : From the Contact Us page, complete the Contact form. Please be sure to leave us your information as well as a brief description and total page count of the document for which you wish to receive the quote. Next, provide us with your document via your desired method . Within 24 hours, you will receive a customized L Words quote for your project via the contact information you’ve provided. Should you decide to accept the quote, you may begin the Ordering process either directly through the website, or using the link conveniently provided with your quote.
What can I expect when I am notified that my job is completed and is ready to be returned to me?
If you ordered Proofreading or Editing services, your delivery will contain:
- Your original document
- The “marked-up” proofread/edited draft (color-coded)
- The “polished” proofread/edited draft (corrections merged into the document)
If you ordered Critiquing Services, your delivery will contain:
- Your original document
- The “marked-up” draft with editor comments
- A fully detailed critique of your document
If you ordered Rewriting or Ghostwriting services, your delivery will contain:
- Your original document
- The “polished” final draft of your document for your perusal and approval
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How will I know what you have changed in my document?
If your document was submitted electronically or via CD/DVD, L Words will provide two edited versions of your document. The first version uses the “Track Changes” function in Microsoft Word to show any changes made to your work. When compared with your original document, it should be easy to determine how your original document was altered, as all changes will be color coded and/or detailed for you. This option gives you complete control to accept or reject our changes as you see fit.
The second version, the ‘clean’ or “polished” copy, incorporates changes made to your document. Unless heavy editing or rewriting was required to complete your job, changes made may not be easily visible unless compared closely with your original document.
If your document was submitted in hard copy format, standard proofreading and editing symbols are used to suggest changes to your writing, along with handwritten comments in the margins to further explain the changes, advise or to make other constructive writing improvement suggestions. This revised draft will be accompanied by a separate sheet, “Key to Proofreading/Editing Symbols,” for your convenience.
What is a “polished” proofread/edited draft? What is the benefit of receiving this type of draft?
This draft is the polished version of your proofread/edited document, with the corrections already included for your convenience. The benefit of the polished draft is that all the painstaking, corrective work has already been done for you, in case you wish to submit your document with no further touch-ups on your part (i.e. to a conference, an employer, your teacher, etc). The polished draft is extremely useful in “rush” situations, when a deadline is just hours away, and you don’t have the time to go through the “Accept/Reject Changes” process.
Yes, we offer two types of rush service:
- Rush – 15-24 hour turnaround time, 40-page maximum, and
- Lightning – 8-15 hour turnaround time, 20-page maximum.
Please see our Services page for pricing and additional details.
Do you offer discounts for repeat customers?
Currently, L Words does not offer a special discount for repeat customers. However, all customers benefit from our Volume Discounts :
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Order our Editing service, and save 10% on documents over 15 pages
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Order our Proofreading service, and save 10% on documents over 20 pages
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Order our Critiquing/Review service, and save 10% on documents over 50 pages
For more details, see our Services page.
I’ve just referred a friend for your services; shouldn’t I get something for free?
First things first: THANK YOU! We recognize that our business thrives on the loyalty and referrals of our customers. When our customers share the word about services available through L Words , we gladly acknowledge their effort and express our gratitude in the best way we know how. If your referral leads to new business for us, and they specified you as the referrer, you can be sure to have a 15% discount on your next service!
The document I want to send for editing is highly confidential. How can I be sure you will respect that confidentiality?
L Words takes intellectual copyright, classified material and other forms of confidential documents very seriously. Each of our editors, staff members, and affiliates have signed confidentiality agreements with L Words and their bona fides have been established to our complete satisfaction. We have appropriate security measures in place in our physical facilities to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of information we have collected from you. Files you send us with YouSENDIt are only accessible through the clickable link generated for the recipient. All files stored by YouSENDIt are deleted upon expiration. Our servers are backed up daily and monitored by a physical security presence. Additionally, any material displayed on our website is done only with the express permission of the customer, and is protected by digital security features as well as a copyright watermark.
Please refer to our Privacy Policy for more details.
Proofreading
What is the difference between proofreading and editing?
In the publishing world, proofreading and editing are parts of a process by which a manuscript is checked for accuracy and consistency (copyedited), typeset, checked against the edited copy (proofread), and later bound and printed. Please note : L Words is not affiliated with any publishing organization . As such, the terms “proofreading” and “editing” are generally accepted (elsewhere than in the publishing industry) to indicate the following:
Proofreading – is basically, checking a document for grammatical correctness (e.g. spelling, agreement, etc.)
Editing – is proofreading plus checking the document for any ways of improvement (e.g. fact consistency, readability/flow, plagiarism check, adherence to any particular academic style, etc.)
How long will it take to receive my proofread document?
For your convenience, we’ve provided an estimate of turnaround times on our Services page. However, it is important to remember that each document and customer need is unique; therefore, for an accurate completion date estimate, please submit your document for a free quote by completing the form on our Contact page.
editing
What kinds of editing does L Words do?
Like many editing services, L Words uses the “Track Changes” feature of Microsoft© Word and Adobe© Acrobat to suggest changes to your text. All changes are clearly marked in red font. No permanent changes are made to your body of work without your approval.
What will my edited document look like?
We tailor our editing services to our customers needs. You determine how thorough an edit we perform on your document. The choices are as follows:
“ Light” Edit – involves grammar, spelling, and punctuation correction in your document, as well as checks for fact accuracy and consistency. It does not include any discussion of plot or content of your document.
“ Medium” Edit – involves grammar, spelling, and punctuation correction, fact accuracy, consistency checks, and editor comments (either inserted into text or placed as notes after text) on plot and/or content of the document.
“Heavy” Edit – involves all of the above, plus plagiarism check and attached analysis of document content as well as your writing style.
Samples of each style of editing are available on our Portfolio page.
How can I be sure your editors will do a good job?
Our editors are experienced, committed professionals with academic qualifications who have met our stringent criteria for online editing. Our chief editor assigns each job to the editor best suited to the work involved. A rigorous quality control process is monitored to ensure timeliness, quality and service.
Additionally, all work done by L Words is backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee: If you are not satisfied with your edited draft, we will redo the work at no extra cost to you.
*Please note: resubmitting your draft will affect turnaround time. Work submitted for re-editing may not be held to the completion date indicated in your L Words quote for services.
* Please note: L Words cannot guarantee good grades or other academic or professional awards/recognition.
What precautions do you take against “over” editing?
Irrespective of the level of edit, our consistent priority is that your document always retains your unique voice, writing style, and personality. Our experienced editors are particularly sensitive to the need for special attention in this matter, and are committed to setting an even style and tone that enhances but does not change your individual written expression. As always, should you be any less than 100% satisfied with your edited draft, we will redo the work at no extra cost to you.
*Please note: resubmitting your draft will affect turnaround time. Work submitted for re-editing may not be held to the completion date indicated in your L Words quote for services.
*Please note: L Words cannot guarantee good grades or other academic or professional awards/recognition.
ghostwriting
ordering
L Words currently offers several different methods for you to send us your files:
YouSENDIt – By using this free service, you can send us a file up to 100MB for free. Simply visit www.YouSENDIt.com , fill out the form providing us with your name and email address, and click “Send It.” We will receive an email from you and will have your document in minutes
Email – We do offer you the option of sending your file via email attachment. But, please remember that usually, files over 2MB may take a considerable amount of time to send and may not send at all. Be sure to send your file and contact information to editor@lwordsediting.com .
Server Located – Some clients may already have access to a web-based server through their school, business, or ISP. If you happen to have a web accessible server, you may upload your document to your server, and email us the link to your document at editor@lwordsediting.com .
Snail-Mail – You may also use DHL, FedEx, UPS, or USPS to send us a CD, DVD, or printed manuscript to our mailing address, found on our Contact page . Please be aware that it could take several days before we receive your project. Be sure to send us an email at editor@lwordsediting.com at let us know your file is on its way. We are not to be held responsible for lost or damaged shipments; be sure to ALWAYS keep a backup.
How will my order be delivered?
L Words uses the same methods to return your edited project. When you place your order, you can specify your preferred delivery method:
YouSENDIt – Once your project is completed, we will send you a message in the same fashion with www.YouSENDIt.com . Once the file is available, you will receive an email and will have 7 days to download your file by clicking the link provided in the email. Offered for free.
Email – We also offer you the option of receiving your finished project as an email attachment. This option is only available if your finished project is smaller than 2MB. Offered for free.
Server Located – Our preferred method is offering you a direct download from our servers. When your project is completed, we will send you an email with a download link. You will have 7 days to download your file from our servers. This is the quickest and most secure delivery method we offer. Offered for free.
Snail-Mail – You may also choose for us to send you a copy of your project on CD or DVD. There is, of course, a nominal shipping fee associated with this option.
technical concerns
I think I deleted my delivered project! What do I do now ?
Not to worry, L Words utilizes the standard in backup procedures. We keep a copy of all projects in our office, as well as an off-site backup for 30 days. Just send us an email at info@lwordsediting.com with your order information, and we’d be happy to send your document again.
Currently, L Words does not offer an extended backup option. All files are guaranteed to be backed-up for at least 30 days.
What document formats do you accept?
Currently, L Words accepts any version of Microsoft © Word, Adobe © PDF, Microsoft © Notepad, and Corel © WordPerfect documents. If you aren’t sure about your document, please email us at info@lwordsediting.com for information regarding your file type.