Pamela Smith
Trading as: psproofreading
Based in:
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Professional memberships
Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) – Professional member Editors’ and Proofreaders’ Alliance of Northern Ireland (EPANI) – Member
Educational qualifications
BA (Hons), Music – Durham University PhD, Music – Durham University ISM Diploma in Management – Queen’s University Belfast
Training and professional development
Plain English for Editors (Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP), 2020) Editing Fiction (Publishing Training Centre (PTC), 2020) Editing Illustrations (PTC, 2019) Advanced Copy-Editing (PTC, 2019) Copy-editing Headway (CIEP, 2018) Grammar at Work, Publishing Training Centre (PTC, 2018) Progress in Editorial Skills (PTC, 2017) Editing with Word (CIEP, 2016) Proofreading 2 (CIEP, 2016) Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning (Merit) (PTC, 2015)
Languages
Conversational French
Experience
Full-time parliamentary reporter for Hansard, the Official Report, at the Northern Ireland Assembly since 2021, and freelance proofreader/copy-editor since 2016. Prior to becoming a professional editor and proofreader I had a 25-year career in the music business in Northern Ireland. Former employers include the Ulster Orchestra (education/outreach) and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (music officer); I also worked as a freelance consultant for, among others, the Arts Council (Ireland) and Queen’s University Belfast. I have worked as a freelance concerts manager for Belfast Music Society for the past 12 years. My music background allows me to offer an editing specialism covering all periods of Western classical music history, opera, choral music, contemporary music and electroacoustic/computer music. My other proofreading/copy-editing work has ranged from academic books on arts and humanities subjects to magazine articles on outdoor pursuits. I have also worked on marketing materials and policy documents for a wide variety of UK-based businesses and organisations, including proofreading copy for websites.
Services offered
Proofreading, copy-editing, proofreading music.
Media
Books, magazines, websites, postgraduate theses, marketing materials, corporate documents, concert programmes, CD booklets/liner notes, music scores.
Subject areas
Music, arts, humanities, social sciences, management, leadership, governance, corporate, general non-fiction.
Clients include
Cambridge University Press, Taylor & Francis, Newgen Publishing UK, Colourpoint Press, Queen’s University Belfast, Open College Network Northern Ireland, Radius Housing, Diocese of Down and Connor, Full Proof, Acis Productions, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, individual academics and postgraduate students.
Examples of work undertaken
Proofreading: Grier: Musical Notation in the West (CUP, 2021) Collins: Lateness and Modernism: Untimely Ideas about Music, Literature and Politics in Interwar Britain (CUP, 2019) DeLamater and Collett: Social Psychology (Routledge, 2018) Greenhalgh: Music and Singing in the Early Years (Routledge, 2018) Macken: Binding Space: The Book as Spatial Practice (Routledge, 2018) Labuta and Matthews: Basic Conducting Techniques (Routledge, 2018) Stillwell (ed.): The Routledge Handbook of Census Resources, Methods and Applications (Routledge, 2017) In Sara Levy’s Salon (The Raritan Players, Acis Productions, 2017) Fanfare and Filigree (Kleine Kammermusik, Acis Productions, 2017) Confluence (Ensemble Collina, Acis Productions, 2017) Policy documents for the Diocese of Down and Connor, including a handbook on safeguarding and child protection (2018) Corporate marketing materials for Ford Masters Apprenticeship Programme, Olam Cocoa, Queen’s University Belfast and others (2017–18) Online examination papers (ClarityEnglish, 2016) PhD theses for students at various universities, including St Andrews, Huddersfield, Oxford, Cork, Trinity College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (City, University of London)
Copy-editing: Numerous articles for The Parliamentary Review (for Full Proof, 2018) Magazine articles for InTheSnow and LoveTheMountains (for Full Proof, 2016-2020) Festival programmes for the BMS International Festival of Chamber Music (2009–2021)
Testimonials
‘I just want to say thank you so much – your comments and suggestions throughout the PDF are so clear and well considered. I particularly appreciate some of the comments that show how closely you were reading the different sections and also working to fact check and support what the authors are trying to get across.’
Jennie Guy, Fire Station Artists’ Studios, 2020
‘Just a note to say that I passed my viva yesterday. They were very complimentary about the writing style thanks to you!’
David Law, 2020
‘Pam proofread and copy-edited some of my research proposals and academic articles. She is knowledgeable, meticulous and reliable. Pam quickly grasps both the scope and style of a text and responds accordingly. Her suggestions are always spot on.’
Christian Ferlaino, 2019
‘I am so relieved to see some of your comments…you’ve nailed a few sentences that I’ve always felt were incredibly awkward, but I was stuck on how to fix them. Not only have your corrected things, but I love how you pointed out why the writing was strange. It’s like a masterclass in writing, and I think it will really help me to avoid pitfalls in the future. …What you have done so far has truly been so helpful! …I can’t thank you enough.’
Jessica Cawley, 2018
Additional information
Updated August 2022.
As a full-time Hansard reporter, my availability for freelance proofreading and copy-editing projects is now limited mainly to the months of July and August each year.