Hi, I wondered if anyone out there in the forum had used professional proof-readers prior to submission.

I am considering one for my resubmission but they are more pricey than I had thought.

I may use one if I can't get friends/family to give my work a read thru. However, before you go any further check your university doesn't have strict rules on using copy-eds/proofers (I think B/ham and Cambridge are two that forbid it).

This is the only list I can find that is drawn up by a university that lists proofers:
http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/management/external/els/pdf/proofreaders.pdf

The costs vary widely, and depends just how good or bad your writing is.

Oh, thanks I will check on the rules before committing myself to anything.

If you have some spare cash, you may want to think about proof-reading software. I've just bought Whitesmoke and whilst it's not perfect, it's better than Word. I bought the complete version which is pricey (thank you Mr Visa) but I figured it will be a good investment in the long term. It's proved pretty useful so far. It's a pity it can't write it for you though ;-)

I bought StyleWriter (£130). Whilst it is not perfect, its considered to be the best proof reading software on the market. Still got to use a bit of common sense though.