Legal

Terms of service

The terms on which ProofreadLab accepts and carries out work. Placing an order means accepting them.

Last updated: 2026-09-23

1. Who these terms are with

These terms are between you (“the client”) and ProofreadLab (“we”, “us”), based in New York, United States. They apply to every order placed through proofreadlab.com or by email.

2. What we provide

We provide language services: proofreading, copy-editing, developmental editing, formatting and translation, as described on the relevant service page and confirmed in your order.

We do not provide: authorship of your content; research, data analysis or verification of facts, sources or citations; guarantees of publication, acceptance, grades, funding or immigration outcomes; or legal, medical, financial or academic advice.

3. Academic integrity

Our editing improves the expression of work that is yours. We will not write content you intend to present as your own, sit an assessment for you, or alter data or findings. If your institution restricts the use of editing services, complying with that rule is your responsibility; we will provide a statement describing exactly what work we carried out if you need to declare it.

We may decline or stop an order that appears intended to misrepresent authorship, and may retain a proportionate part of the fee for work already done.

4. Your responsibilities

• You warrant that you own the document or are authorised to send it for editing, and that it does not infringe anyone's rights.
• You send the correct, final version of the file you want worked on.
• You give accurate word counts, deadlines and instructions.
• You answer editorial queries promptly; unanswered queries pause the delivery clock.
• You obtain any consent or approval needed before sending documents containing other people's personal data.

5. Quotes, orders and payment

A quote given by the instant quote engine is based on the information you enter and is confirmed once we have opened the file. If the word count or scope differs materially, we send a revised quote before starting; you may accept it or cancel at no charge.

Orders under USD 400 are payable before work begins. Larger projects and book-length work are payable in agreed stages. Institutions with an approved purchase order are invoiced on delivery, payable within 30 days.

Prices are stated in the currency you select. Any tax, duty or bank charge that applies in your country is your responsibility. We do not add card surcharges.

6. Turnaround and delivery

The delivery time you select starts when payment is confirmed and we have a file we can open. Delivery is by email or download link. Delays caused by an unreadable file, a wrong file, or an unanswered query pause the clock, and we tell you at once when that happens.

If we deliver late through our own fault, the remedies in our quality guarantee apply.

7. Revisions

Revisions of the work we delivered are free for 14 days after delivery. Revisions cover the text we edited; editing of newly written or substantially rewritten sections is new work at the normal rate, and we will always say which it is before charging anything.

8. Cancellation

• Before an editor is assigned: full refund.
• After assignment but before work starts: full refund less any payment-processing fee we cannot recover.
• Once work has started: a pro-rata refund for the part not yet edited, and you receive the completed portion.
• After delivery: the refund policy applies.

9. Intellectual property

You keep all rights in your document and in the edited or translated version. We claim no ownership, no licence to publish, and no right to reuse your material. Edits and translations produced for you transfer to you on payment.

The ProofreadLab name, logo, website design, illustrations and site text are ours and may not be copied or reproduced without permission.

10. Confidentiality

We treat your document as confidential and unpublished. The procedures — access control, signed agreements, scheduled deletion and the prohibition on third-party AI tools — are set out on the confidentiality page, which forms part of these terms. We will sign your institution's non-disclosure agreement on request at no charge.

11. Data protection

Personal data is handled as described in our privacy policy, which forms part of these terms.

12. Liability

We carry out our work with reasonable skill and care. Our total liability for any order is limited to the amount you paid for that order. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, including rejected submissions, missed funding, lost opportunities or reputational harm. Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.

You remain responsible for the final content of your document, including any change you accept or reject in the tracked file.

13. Conduct

We may decline or end an order, with a proportionate refund, where the work is unlawful, where a client is abusive to our staff or editors, or where continuing would breach these terms. Repeated chargebacks made without first raising a concern with us may result in our declining future orders.

14. Changes, governing law and disputes

We may update these terms; the version in force when you place an order is the one that applies to it. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, United States, and the state and federal courts sitting in New York have jurisdiction, without affecting any mandatory consumer protection you have where you live.

Before any formal step, please raise the problem with us at support@proofreadlab.com. Most disputes are a misunderstanding about scope and are settled in an email.