From The PhD Proofreaders To The PhD People

As we write this, it’s the 3rd of January. The start of a fresh year.

The new year is a time to reflect on past progress and to look forward to the future. That’s true for your PhD and it’s true for us here.

You’ve come a long way over the years, and so have we.

That’s why we’ve changed our name and given our website a refresh. We’ve been working hard on this for the last couple of months and are really delighted to finally share the results with you.

No longer are we The PhD Proofreaders.

We’re now The PhD People.

It’s a subtle change, but an important one. The new name reflects the fact that we’re all in this together. On this side of the curtain, we’ve all been where you are and are committed to making your PhD journey easier than ours was. On your side of the curtain, you’re not alone as you navigate your PhD and you’re part of a wider community of practice.

We’re PhD experts. You’re PhD students. Together, we’re The PhD People.

But why the change?

When we started out in 2017 we only offered PhD oriented proofreading. Hence the name The PhD Proofreaders. But over the years as we’ve worked with and listened to more and more students we saw the need for a more holistic array of support services. We saw how many PhD students needed extra support and guidance and how many were struggling in a silo of one.

That’s why we started to also offer things like coaching and supervision, workshops, writing intensives, mock-vivas, courses and templates to sit alongside our core proofreading service. All delivered by people who care.

But, the more we offered the more we outgrew our name and website. Proofreading is still at the heart of our work, but we are so much more than that now. So as we look to the future, it was clear we needed an update.

So it’s a new year, and a new us.

What effect will this have on me and my PhD?

Our logo and website may have changed, but our core mission remains the same: to offer all the support you need to write, structure and navigate your PhD. And we’ve only added – we haven’t taken away. That means all the services you previously used are all still available.

But there are a few improvements to point out:

1. Our new website – thephdpeople.com – has been redesigned to make it easier to navigate. Plus, it has much better search functionality, so you’ll be able to find exactly what you need.

2. The PhD Knowledge Base – home to hundreds of free PhD guides – has also been redesigned, to make it easier to find relevant writing guides and articles. The content is the same as before, it’s just much better organised.

2. All of the tickets for our Masterclasses and Writing Retreats are now managed on-site, rather than via Eventbrite. This means you can say goodbye to Eventbrite fees. The format remains the same. It’s just the sales process that has changed.

3. We now offer ‘off the shelf’ coaching and supervision packages to sit alongside our bespoke, open-ended coaching. These packages speak to the most common pain points of the PhD journey and are more finite and pre-defined in nature.

Our mission remains the same though: to be by your side throughout the PhD journey. We’re excited for what’s to come in 2025. Both for you and your PhD and for our organisation. We look forward to being there to support you on the ups and downs of the journey.

As always, if there’s anything at all we can do to help you please get in touch.

Max & The PhD People Team