Cleaner, helper, teacher? The role of proofreaders of student writing

As part of a larger interview based study of the beliefs, practices and experiences of 16 proofreaders of student writing in a university setting, this article reports informants' conceptualisations of their role. 'Proofreading' is defined for the purposes of this research as 'third party interventions (that entail some level of written alteration) on assessed work in progress'. Informants' descriptions were grouped using five metaphors to describe the proofreader's role: helper, cleaner, leveller, mediator and/or teacher. Although some informants did not identify with the proofreader as teacher metaphor, it turned out that proofreaders adopt a number of strategies to ensure their feedback is formative. The implications of the study are discussed, and further issues for research identified.