Readability – This may be the most important part !

If the peer reviewers and editors find themselves struggling to make sense of your ideas, they may get frustrated and this will colour their impressions of your paper. And they may do something perfectly natural: put down your manuscript and pick up another one. A certain number of papers are rejected without getting any further than this. To make sure the editor keeps reading, your paper must be:

• Clear and comprehensible
• Accessible
• Engaging
• Compelling

So what will we do for you?

Offer you fresh eyes !

We begin by reading your paper for comprehension, coherence and readability. Whenever we come across a passage that is unclear or the meaning is ambiguous, we post a remark or a question in the comment bubbles. After the first round of editing, we will send you back the paper so you can accept or reject the modifications we have made so far and respond to these queries. Based on your answers, we will revise the problematic passages in the second round.

Our clients often tell us that this is the most important part of the service. It's an ongoing dialogue during the entire editing process!

Style and tone: your research findings may be fascinating, but if you express them in an abstruse style nobody will read your paper. The writing should be compelling, engaging, and aimed at your target audience. We reformulate sentences so they flow better and make them sound "naturally" English.

Vocabulary: more than just words !

• Semantics: do your words mean what you think they mean?
• Is the terminology accurate? Does it suit the context?
• Do you use a lot of jargon or acronyms? Do you explain your terms to non-specialists? Is your paper accessible to a range of readers?
• Register: are the words and expressions that you use archaic, stilted or just too familiar?
• Is English your native language? Have you unwittingly fallen in the trap of using false cognates (faux-amis) that leave readers scratching their heads?

Format: Does your publisher have their own house style? We apply their recommended format to your manuscript.

References: Different publishers follow different referencing systems (APA, Harvard, MLA, MHRA, etc.). The formatting must be consistent throughout the paper.

And — this goes without saying — we work on the obvious areas too:

• grammar
• syntax
• spelling
• punctuation
• typographical errors

Your paper will still have to go several rounds with the journal's reviewers, but at least they will be focused on the content, not the form.

And now you're well on your way to getting your work published!

⇒ Information on pricing and turnaround times