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Terms & Conditions

These terms and conditions are written in plain English and set out how our products and services work and what you can expect from us.

By purchasing, booking, or using any of our services – including proofreading, coaching, mock vivas, writing programmes, and membership/community access – you agree to these Terms and Conditions.

Who We Are

“The PhD People” is the trading name of The PhD People Ltd, registered in the UK with company number 13517927.

Registered office:
The PhD People Ltd
C/O Zero Villa 532, 5th Fl The Grange
100 High Street
London, England
N14 6BN

Email: [email protected]

Definitions

For the purposes of these Terms:

  • Customer / Client: any person or organisation who contracts The PhD People to provide services.

  • Services: all services we provide, including (but not limited to) proofreading, mock vivas, coaching, writing sprints/programmes, courses, community and membership services, and any related products or add-ons as advertised on our website or agreed in writing.

  • Document(s): all documents the client sends to us, including Word files, PDFs, images, emails, and other media.

  • Contract: an agreement (written or implied) between The PhD People and the client to provide particular services.

  • Proofreading service: a service involving a proofreader checking a document for language and grammar errors and related elements as described in these terms.

  • Proofreading period: the date and time between an order being accepted (including payment and receipt of files) and the document being returned.

  • Proofreader: any person contracted or employed by The PhD People to carry out proofreading work.

Scope and Validity

  • These terms and conditions apply to all contracts between The PhD People and the client unless a more specific written agreement is signed (for example, a Proofreading Service Agreement).

  • If a separate, signed service agreement is in place (e.g. for proofreading), that agreement applies in addition to these Terms. In the event of conflict, the signed agreement prevails for that service.

  • If any provision of these Terms is held to be wholly or partially invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain fully effective.

  • If the interpretation of any provision is unclear, an explanation that is in the spirit of the provision will apply, including in situations not explicitly covered by these Terms.

  • If we do not strictly enforce a term at any time, this does not mean that term is waived or that we lose the right to enforce it later.

Formation of Contract and Payment

  • A contract is formed when you:

    • accept a written quote,

    • pay an invoice,

    • sign a service agreement, or

    • complete a purchase or booking through our website or payment link.

  • The services being offered will be described clearly so you can see what you are receiving. Any obvious errors or omissions in descriptions are not binding.

  • Payment in full is required before we start proofreading, add-on services, mock vivas, writing courses/sprints, or coaching packages, unless we have expressly agreed otherwise in writing.

  • In some cases, we may agree to take a deposit to secure a booking. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, deposits are non-refundable.

Prices and Discounts

  • Prices offered by The PhD People are currently exempt from VAT (or inclusive, if applicable and stated at checkout).

  • We may offer discounts on an ad hoc basis as gestures of goodwill. These do not constitute a new pricing scheme and may not be repeated.

  • For services based on word count, price and delivery dates are tied to the agreed word count. If the word count or scope changes, we may adjust the fee and/or delivery date.

  • We reserve the right to update our pricing at any time. New pricing applies to new contracts and renewals only.

Eligibility and Accounts (Online Services and Membership)

  • You must be at least 18 years old to purchase services or join our membership/community.

  • You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login details and must not share your account with anyone else.

  • Access to membership/community services is delivered through platforms such as Circle and email. You must keep your email address up to date so we can send important information about your account and services.

Membership Plans, Pricing, Billing and Automatic Renewals

This section applies to our membership and community services (e.g. The PhD People membership / writing club).

Pricing
Prices for membership plans and community-related events are displayed at checkout. Prices include any applicable taxes. We may update pricing from time to time; any changes will be communicated in advance and will apply from the next renewal unless otherwise stated.

Billing Cycles
We offer various plans. Some renew monthly, some annually, and some may begin with a trial or introductory period. The billing cycle for your chosen plan is shown at purchase.

Automatic Renewals
All membership plans renew automatically at the end of each billing period using the payment method you provide. By joining, you authorise us to take recurring payments until you cancel.

Promotional or Introductory Offers
From time to time, we offer discounts or trials. These offers are time-limited and subject to the specific terms shown at checkout. At the end of any promotional period, your membership continues at the standard rate unless you cancel beforehand.

Cancellations (Membership)
You may cancel your membership at any time via your online account or membership portal. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period.
For security and audit reasons, we do not process membership cancellations via email or informal messages.

Membership Refund Policy

28-Day Guarantee
New members receive a no-quibble 28-day guarantee. If you decide the membership is not right for you, you may request a full refund within the first 28 days of your initial subscription. This guarantee applies once per customer.

Digital Services and Access
Membership provides immediate access to digital content and live sessions. By accessing the Services, you acknowledge that the statutory 14-day cooling-off period for digital content does not apply, and that our voluntary 28-day guarantee replaces it.

Non-Refundable Circumstances (Membership)
Except for the 28-day guarantee or where required by law, we do not provide refunds for:

  • unused time, missed sessions, or lack of participation;

  • partial billing periods;

  • renewals or subsequent billing cycles;

  • changes in personal circumstances.

Errors and Legal Refunds
We will refund payments where required by law (for example, duplicate charges or processing errors).

Statutory Rights
Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory consumer rights.

Use of the Community and Code of Conduct

This section applies to membership/community services.

  • You must treat all members, moderators, and staff with respect.

  • We do not tolerate discriminatory, abusive, or disruptive behaviour.

  • We may suspend or remove access for misconduct at our discretion, without refund.

Members must:

  • keep community discussions confidential and not share internal discussions, screenshots or recordings outside the membership;

  • not share templates, downloads, recordings, or resources with non-members;

  • comply with any community guidelines we publish from time to time.

Live Sessions, Recordings and Transcriptions

This section applies to live online sessions (including membership sessions, workshops, mock vivas, coaching calls and other events).

  • We may record live sessions, including audio, video, chat, and Q&A.

  • We may generate automated transcripts and AI-assisted summaries from those recordings.

  • Recordings, transcripts and summaries are used to:

    • provide replays to clients/members;

    • improve service delivery and training;

    • maintain an archive of educational content;

    • support accessibility and quality assurance.

By attending a session which is marked or described as recorded, you give implied consent to being recorded. If you prefer not to appear, you may:

  • keep your camera off;

  • use an alias;

  • refrain from speaking;

  • watch or read replays or summaries instead, where available.

Recordings and transcripts are for client or member use only. You may not download, distribute, publish, or share recordings or transcripts externally without our written permission.

For full details of how we handle personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.

Events, Workshops, Retreats and Programmes

This section covers live or time-bound programmes such as workshops, intensives, retreats and writing sprints.

Booking Rules

  • Some events or programmes require advance booking or RSVP.

  • Limited-capacity events operate on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • Bookings are personal and non-transferable unless we agree otherwise in writing.

No-Show Policy for Included Events (Membership)

  • If you RSVP to an included (no-extra-cost) event and fail to attend twice within any rolling 30-day period, we may temporarily suspend your booking rights for 7 days.

  • You may still attend open/drop-in sessions during this period.

  • Booking rights resume automatically after 7 days.

Cancellation and Programme-Specific Refunds

  • Some programmes (such as writing sprints or courses) have their own specific refund terms. These will be clearly stated at the point of booking and apply in addition to these Terms.

  • For free or included events, you are expected to cancel your RSVP if you can no longer attend.

Changes to Schedules

  • We may change event times, facilitators, or content when required. We will give reasonable notice where possible.

  • We are not responsible for any travel, accommodation, or other costs you incur because of changes or cancellations.

Events Liability

  • Events and programmes are provided with reasonable care and skill, but we do not guarantee specific academic outcomes, grades, or productivity results.

  • You participate at your own risk.

  • Our liability in relation to any event or programme is limited to the price paid for that specific event or programme, except where UK law prohibits such limitation.

Attendance After Membership Cancellation

If you cancel a membership:

  • Your access to member-only sessions and resources ends at the conclusion of your current billing period.

If you attend any member-only sessions after your membership has ended, this will be treated as continued use of the services. In such cases, we reserve the right to:

  • reinstate your membership; and

  • backdate membership fees from the date your membership ended to the date of attendance, charged at the rate you were previously on.

By attending member-only activities after cancelling, you acknowledge and agree to these terms.

Proofreading Services – Scope and What’s Included

This section applies to proofreading services.

We follow the CIEP (Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading) Code of Practice, which sets ethical boundaries for professional proofreaders.

What’s Included (Proofreading)

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, proofreading includes:

  • correction of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax;

  • ensuring the text follows standard conventions of written English (UK or US), including footnotes, endnotes and appendices;

  • sentence-level rewording to improve clarity and fluency where needed;

  • comments where the meaning is unclear or confusing, so you can revise the text;

  • identifying likely incorrect word usage and suggesting alternatives;

  • consistency checks (spelling variants, hyphenation, capitalisation, punctuation, use of e.g./i.e./etc., quote mark style);

  • checking that chapter, table and figure numbering is sequential and consistent (but not creating these elements from scratch);

  • using Track Changes in Word (or equivalent) so you can see and review all amendments.

What’s Not Included (Proofreading)

Unless explicitly agreed in writing, proofreading does not include:

  • writing or generating content for you (e.g. references, abstract, table of contents);

  • structural edits or re-organisation of material (e.g. reordering chapters or major sections);

  • detailed feedback on argument strength, content quality, or academic rigour;

  • stylistic rewrites to improve “academic tone” beyond basic clarity and correctness;

  • systematic formatting of references, bibliographies, tables, figures or layout;

  • reducing overall word count or editing for concision across the whole text;

  • reformatting or editing in-text references or bibliographies unless otherwise stated.

We may:

  • highlight errors in quoted material but not change quotations (unless they are your own translations, which should be clearly marked);

  • note tense inconsistencies but not correct them unless they are clearly incorrect.

If text is unclear, we will leave comments asking for clarification rather than guessing your meaning.

Proofreading – Communication During the Service

To ensure smooth delivery:

  • You must respond promptly to requests for clarification or additional information, both before and during the proofreading period.

  • We cannot complete the service as intended without your timely input.

  • Delays or missed return dates caused by late responses are your responsibility and may lead to a revised delivery date or additional charges.

If you provide clarifications after we return the document, we may agree to check the clarified sections free of charge, provided you clearly highlight the changes (e.g. using Track Changes). We will not re-proofread the entire document again unless a new agreement is made.

Proofreading – Right to Decline or Cancel Work

We reserve the right to cancel or refuse work if:

  • the document is not suitable for proofreading (e.g. extremely poor quality, not in a language we work with, non-academic where academic work was assumed);

  • there is evidence of fraud or plagiarism;

  • the client becomes unco-operative or fails to meet agreed requirements.

If there is evidence of fraud or plagiarism:

  • no refund will be given; and

  • where possible, we reserve the right to inform the relevant institution.

If a document is unsuitable due to poor quality, we may cancel the contract and provide a refund, minus reasonable administration costs and any work already completed.

We will notify you promptly if we decline or cancel work, and issue a refund where appropriate, minus any completed work or incurred costs (such as contractor and admin fees).

Proofreading – Turnaround Times

  • A proofreading period (turnaround time) will be stated on our website or in our quote and confirmed upon payment.

  • The proofreading period begins when payment is approved and we receive the final document.

  • We will make reasonable efforts to return the document on or before the agreed deadline.

  • If we are unable to do so, we will inform you as soon as possible and agree a revised delivery date.

  • We are not liable for delays caused by technical issues beyond our control (e.g. email failures, file corruption, internet outages).

Proofreading – Document Retention, Confidentiality and Privacy

  • Your document will be stored securely for up to 90 days after delivery for quality assurance and administration, after which it will be permanently deleted from our systems, unless lawfully required for longer.

  • Our proofreaders are contractually required to delete local copies within 7 days of completion.

  • We sometimes use password-protected, cloud-based backup storage. If you prefer us not to use cloud storage, you must let us know in writing before work begins; we will then use local encrypted storage instead.

  • We will not use your work for training, marketing, case studies or AI tools.

  • The nature and content of your work will be kept confidential and not disclosed to anyone other than The PhD People and our contractors without your prior written permission, unless required by law.

For full details of how we handle personal data, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Proofreading – Customer Satisfaction and Refunds

If you are dissatisfied with a proofreading service:

  • You must notify us by email within 7 working days of receiving your proofread document.

  • You must clearly state your concerns and how they relate to the agreed scope of work.

Our process is:

  1. We will first review your concerns.

  2. If we deem them legitimate and within scope, we will offer a free re-proofing of the text (or relevant sections).

  3. If you remain dissatisfied after re-proofing, and your concern still falls within the agreed scope, we may issue a full or partial refund for that service.

Refunds will not be issued if:

  • the complaint is outside the scope of the agreed service;

  • you have changed the text substantively after proofreading without consulting us;

  • you do not clearly state your concerns;

  • we have fulfilled our obligations under the agreed scope and these Terms.

Any refund made is considered a full and final settlement of any grievance relating to that service.

We make no guarantee about the outcome of any exams, assessments, grades, viva, thesis submission or academic/professional decisions made by others on the basis of our work.

The terms here may be supplemented by more specific terms in a separate contract or Proofreading Service Agreement. 

Coaching Services

This section applies to one-to-one coaching, consultation or advisory sessions outside membership.

  • Coaching sessions may include Zoom calls, email support, or feedback on drafts, as agreed in advance.

  • Payment is required in full before coaching commences, unless otherwise agreed.

  • Coaching is not academic supervision, legal advice, financial advice or therapy.

  • We do not guarantee specific outcomes (e.g. thesis completion by a certain date, grades, publications, or job offers).

Scheduling and Cancellation (Coaching)

  • Sessions must be scheduled in advance.

  • Unless otherwise stated, cancellations or rescheduling requests must be made at least 48 hours before the session.

  • Late cancellations or no-shows may result in the session being forfeited without refund.

  • Any unused coaching time in a time-limited package (e.g. within a 4-week programme) will expire at the end of that programme unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Writing Sprints, Courses and Programmes

This includes the 4-Week Writing Sprint, Thesis Bootcamp and similar programmes.

  • Any one-to-one coaching included in a writing sprint or programme may be used for Zoom calls, email support, or feedback on drafts. Unused coaching time expires at the end of the 4-week programme.

  • Participants may request a full refund within the first two weeks of a four week programme, or the first day of a four day proogramme, if they feel it does not meet expectations, provided they have attended the majority of live sessions up to that point. No refunds are issued after this period. .

  • Respectful behaviour is required in all workshops, writing sessions and communications. Disruptive behaviour may result in removal from the programme without refund.

  • All course materials, templates and resources are for personal use only and must not be distributed, copied or shared without written consent.

  • We are not liable for any indirect or consequential losses arising from participation in the writing sprint or similar programme.

Mock Viva Services

This section applies to mock viva (practice viva) services.

  • The mock viva is a practice examination lasting approximately 60–90 minutes. It is intended for preparation and confidence-building only and does not guarantee any particular outcome in your actual viva.

  • Sessions must be scheduled at least 2 days in advance.

  • Cancellations or rescheduling requests must be made at least 48 hours before the scheduled time.

  • Refunds are not available for mock vivas unless cancellation is made at least 48 hours in advance.

  • Failure to attend without prior notice results in forfeiture of the session fee.

Confidentiality and Behaviour (Mock Viva)

  • All discussions and feedback during the mock viva are treated as confidential by us, subject to our legal obligations and Privacy Policy. We are not responsible for breaches of confidentiality by third parties.

  • Feedback is based on the examiners’ subjective judgment and does not guarantee specific grades, outcomes, or decisions in your actual viva.

  • Participants are expected to engage respectfully during the session. Inappropriate behaviour may result in immediate termination of the session without a refund.

Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by UK law:

  • Our services (including membership, events, proofreading, coaching, mock vivas, and programmes) are provided with reasonable care and skill but “as is” and without guarantees as to specific outcomes (such as grades, completion dates, viva success, publications, or employment).

  • We are not liable for:

    • errors introduced after our work is delivered;

    • changes you make to documents without consulting us;

    • unreviewed feedback or unimplemented suggestions;

    • decisions made by academic supervisors, examiners, institutions, publishers or employers.

Our total liability for any claim relating to a specific service is limited to the amount paid for that service.

We are not liable for indirect or consequential losses, including but not limited to:

  • loss of profits, income or opportunities;

  • academic delays;

  • reputational damage.

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability for:

  • death or personal injury caused by our negligence;

  • fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation;

  • any other liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited.

It is your responsibility to ensure:

  • your institution permits the use of professional proofreading, coaching or similar services; and

  • you comply with all institutional rules on declaring or using such support.

Communications and Marketing

If you:

  • sign up to download a template or similar resources

  • subscribe to our blog or mailing list, or

  • provide your email through a form, quiz, or booking,

We may contact you from time to time with product suggestions, updates and offers. You can opt out of marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link or emailing [email protected].

Service-critical emails (e.g. booking details, invoices, important updates) will still be sent as needed.

Changes to These Terms and Applicable Law

  • We reserve the right to amend or supplement these Terms at any time.

  • Changes take effect upon publication on our website. Continued use of our services after changes are published constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

  • All legal relationships between the client and The PhD People are governed by the laws of England and Wales, regardless of the client’s country of residence.

  • Any disputes will be dealt with in the courts of England and Wales, unless mandatory local law requires otherwise.

Contact

For questions about these Terms, services, invoices or data protection, please contact:

Email: [email protected]