Language revision

Last changed: 23 February 2023

On this page you will find information about language revision - how to order and what to do before you send a document for revision.

How to order language revision

Shorter texts intended for all staff/all students/everyone at an SLU site can often be revised in-house, see Ordering in-house revision below.

Any other revision must be ordered under the national coordinated framework agreement for language services. As a public authority, SLU is obligated to use this agreement. See Ordering revision under the framework agreement below.

Please note that we do not have the resources to assist individual researchers or doctoral students with revision, and we do not revise texts translated with Google Translate or similar tools.

Different levels of revision

You can order four different levels of language revision under the framework agreement.

Level 1 - proofreading

The simplest form of revision, where the reviser only checks for errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling. This is normally the last step in the writing process, a final check of the text.

Level 2 revision

The reviser proofreads the text and in addition checks style and tone of voice, sentence structure, coherence and cohesion.

Level 3 revision

A level 3 revision includes levels 1-2, and in addition the reviser may suggest changes to the document structure such as rearranging paragraphs, or adding/moving subheadings.

Level 4 revision

A level 4 revision involves making more substantial edits to a text e.g. to adapt it to a new target group.

Time and cost?

For in-house revision, delivery times will vary depending on workload and the scope and quality of the text. At especially busy times, such as the beginning and end of a semester, allow at least a couple of weeks. There is no charge for in-house revision.

If you are ordering language revision from the framework agreement, you need to allow sufficient time for the supplier to find the reviser most suitable for your text. Delivery times are normally 5-10 working days, but this is negotiated for each order.

Revision is charged on an hourly basis. A more thorough revision means 3-4 pages/hour. For proofreading, expect a reviser to do 8-10 pages/hour. These figures are estimates and will vary depending on the quality of the text. Under the current framework agreement, revision is SEK 800/hour for texts in English.

 

Ordering in-house revision

Contact the language coordinator for more information. If you email, please

  • use a descriptive subject line explaining what you need revised. Example: Write 'Revision of department strategy' rather than just 'Revision';
  • state when you need the revised document back - see also Time and cost.

Before you send your request, read the information under Before you send your text for revision below.

Ordering from the framework agreement - re-opened competition

For revision of texts in English, the framework agreement provides a procedure known as re-opened competition. This means that you send a request to all four framework suppliers asking for a quote. You need to include information such as:

  • When you need the revision back and when the supplier will get your text.
  • When you need the suppliers' quotes.
  • How the text will be used - for article manuscripts, give the name of the journal. For a presentation, describe the audience - how familiar are they with the subject?
  • Any requests regarding the reviewer profile.
  • What level of revision you wish to order. If you are not sure, ask for level 2. Make sure you also read the section Before you send your text for revision.
  • Which criteria you will base your decision on, e.g. delivery times over price or vice versa.

The framework suppliers for revision of texts written in English are:

There is a form for requesting a quote (only available in Swedish). Remember to send a purchase order from the Proceedo e-purchasing system to confirm the order.

Before you send your text for revision

Please read the information below before sending a text for revision.

  1. Send your text in an editable format. This normally means Word, Excel or Powerpoint. You will then get your file back with tracked changes to allow you to see all proposed changes before accepting them.

  2. You can also send a pdf file for revision, but it is not ideal. The proposed changes will then be added as comments in the pdf file. This is a more time-consuming, and therefore more costly, procedure. You will also need to enter any changes yourself in the original file. An option could be to save the pdf as Word, even if Word was not the original format. If you do, make sure to enclose the pdf as well for reference and check that the Word file is correctly formatted.

  3. Make sure you send the final version of your document. Making changes once the reviser has started working is costly and time-consuming.