Book Fact-Checking Services for Authors

Book fact-checking is the process of verifying every checkable claim in a manuscript, including names, dates, places, quotations, statistics, technical details and citations, against reliable sources. Our book fact-checking services give you an annotated manuscript and a source log, so errors are fixed before readers or reviewers find them.

A single wrong date or misquoted statistic can damage trust in a whole book. Non-fiction authors, memoirists and historical novelists all benefit from a second pair of eyes that is not attached to the draft. This service is part of our book editing services and sits alongside non-fiction editing and proofreading.

What our fact-checking service includes

• Claim extraction. A list of every checkable fact in your manuscript, marked in the text and grouped by type.
• Source verification. Each claim checked against primary or reliable secondary sources, with the source recorded.
• Quotation checks. Quotes matched to their original wording, speaker, date and context, so none are misattributed or trimmed unfairly.
• Annotated manuscript. Comments at each point where a fact is wrong, unclear, unsupported or open to dispute, with a suggested correction.
• Source log. A table of claims, sources and results that you can keep for your records or share with a publisher.

Who this service is for

• Non-fiction authors writing about history, science, business, health or current events
• Memoirists who want names, dates and places checked against records
• Historical fiction authors who want period detail to hold up
• Authors preparing a book for traditional publishers who ask for sources

How this service works

1. Share your manuscript. You send the final or near-final text and any sources you used.
2. Scope the check. We agree what to check, how deep to go and the timeline.
3. Verify and annotate. Our fact-checkers verify each claim and return an annotated file and a source log.
4. Resolve queries. You review the notes, we discuss unclear points and you update the text.

What does a fact-checker actually check?

A fact-checker checks anything a reader could verify: names and titles, dates and sequences, places and distances, numbers and calculations, quotations, historical events, scientific claims and references to other works. We do not judge your opinions or style. We confirm whether stated facts are accurate and whether your sources support them. Where sources disagree, we explain and let you decide how to word it.

How is fact-checking different from editing?

Copy editors fix grammar, style and consistency, and they flag obvious factual slips, but they do not research every claim. A fact-checker goes to the sources. The work is slower and more specific. We recommend fact-checking before final copy editing, so corrections do not create new errors. Our copy editing and line editing service then polishes the final text.

How do you handle memoir and personal recollection?

Memoir rests on memory, and memory is imperfect. We check what can be checked, such as dates, places, public events and documents, and we flag where your account conflicts with the record. We do not tell you what you remember. We suggest wording that is honest about uncertainty, such as how you recall an event. Our memoir editing service can then shape the story.

What about legal risks such as defamation?

A fact-checker can show where a statement about a real person is unsupported, which is a major source of risk. We are not lawyers and we do not give legal advice. If your book makes serious claims about living people or organisations, we recommend a legal review by a qualified lawyer. A careful source log makes that review faster and cheaper.

How long does fact-checking take and what does it cost?

The time depends on length and density. A narrative non-fiction book may take two to four weeks, and a book full of statistics and citations may take longer. We do not publish a price list, because cost depends on the number of claims and the depth of checking. Every project receives a free quote with a fixed price in writing before work starts.

How do you rank sources?

We prefer primary sources, such as original documents, official records, court filings, contemporaneous reports and the works quoted. Next come respected secondary sources, such as peer-reviewed research, established reference works and reputable news organisations. We avoid relying on a single source for a disputed claim, and we are cautious with websites that copy each other. Each result in the log shows where the information came from and how reliable we judge it, so you can see the basis for every change.

What can you do for a business or health book?

Books that give advice carry extra responsibility. We check statistics against the original study or report, confirm company details and dates, and test whether a claim has been oversimplified. For health and finance topics, we note where a claim should be softened or qualified, and we recommend review by a qualified professional for anything that could affect readers’ decisions. We do not give medical or financial advice ourselves.

Related services

• Book editing services
• Non-fiction editing
• Memoir editing
• Copy editing and line editing
• Textbook and educational publishing