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Mar 30

How I wrote my PhD thesis in three months

By Academic papers, Lessons learned, PhD tips, Writing

Keyboard with academic hat to represent how I wrote my PhD thesis in three monthsUp until the end of my doctoral studies, I’d been a procrastinator. Completing an abstract for a conference would take me a week, drafting a literature review, a month. I liked writing but couldn’t focus on it when I had a deadline to meet. Any writing task was too much for me to handle in an efficient manner.

But writing my PhD thesis had to be different, I told myself when I could finally see the finish line. I couldn’t afford to procrastinate. My PhD scholarship was about to expire, I didn’t have the money for a prolonged stay in the UK, and I didn’t want to be on the island anymore. So, I decided I would leave Cardiff in three months, bought a one-way ticket back home, and then opened the folder “PhD stuff” on my laptop. It was thesis o’clock. Read More

Mar 15

Why give detailed instructions to your freelance language editor

By Editing, Freelance, Short and sweet

Not even the best freelance language editors can read their clients’ minds. Sure, experienced language editors can make an educated guess, but they can’t be sure what you want unless you tell them.

In this short post I will list the three main things to tell your freelance editor, especially if you’ve never worked with them before, to increase your likelihood of being happy with their service. Read More

Feb 24

How to respond to reviewers’ comments: A practical guide for authors

By Academic papers, Editing, English writing skills

An open envelope to represent how to respond to reviewers’ commentsIn February 2020, Nature announced that it would give authors the option to publish their referee reports and responses to reviewers. Though this change is only a trial for this journal, other Nature Research journals have opened the peer-review process. I applaud the effort of these and other journals to make peer review more transparent, and hope it will become a standard.

Whether you publish your referee reports with your paper or not, how you respond to reviewers’ comments on submitted articles is essential to publication. Read More

Feb 17

Is “et al.” singular or plural?

By Academic papers, Short and sweet, Writing

Et al. is a commonly used Latin abbreviation in scholarly writing, so most academics know what it means. If you don’t, a dictionary will give you the explanation.

But whether et al. is singular or plural is not always clear, even to experienced writers. An author may use a singular verb after et el.; another author may use a plural verb after et al. Are they both correct, or who is wrong and who is right? To help you understand how to use et al. in a sentence so it’s grammatically correct, let’s look at a few examples. Read More

Feb 07

What is structural editing in nonfiction?

By Definitions, Editing, Short and sweet

Structural editing of a nonfiction document is a level of editing that deals with the structure of the manuscript. This level of editing is also called substantive editing.

Some editors and authors consider substantive editing as belonging to developmental editing. Others use the terms substantive editing and developmental editing interchangeably.

Both levels of editing are concerned with the big picture of the manuscript rather than its grammar and spelling. But developmental editing can happen early during the writing process—even when you have only an outline—as well as in later stages. Its goal is to set the direction for the manuscript. In contrast, structural editing requires that you have a complete draft. Read More

Jan 25

Publishing economics papers: Advice from experts

By Academic papers, PhD tips, Writing

Open book with blue globe on top to represent publishing economics papers

If publishing economics papers in top economics journals is your goal, you need excellent writing skills, because the economics literature has high standards. So, you need to learn how to write economics research papers that present your results clearly and use flawless language. The following tips from economics researchers, writers, editors, reviewers, and faculty will help you write better economics articles for scholarly journals. Read More

Jan 15

What is developmental editing in nonfiction?

By Definitions, Editing, Short and sweet

If you are writing or planning to write a nonfiction book, chapter, or article, you may have heard that developmental editing is crucial for a writing project. But what is developmental editing in nonfiction? And should you work with a freelance editor on your manuscript?

In this short post I aim to answer these two questions so you know what to expect from developmental editing in nonfiction. Read More

Dec 28

References: Citing a paper when the authors have the same last name

By Academic papers, References, Short and sweet

When you must follow a certain referencing style, such as APA or Chicago, you’ll come across a tricky citation every now and then. Take, for instance, a paper whose authors have the same last name.

In this example three of the authors have the same surname:

The publisher suggests citing this paper as

Saeidi, Sayedeh Parastoo & Sofian, Saudah & Saeidi, Parvaneh & Saeidi, Sayyedeh Parisa & Saaeidi, Seyyed Alireza, 2015. “How does corporate social responsibility contribute to firm financial performance? The mediating role of competitive advantage, reputation, and customer satisfaction,” Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(2), pages 341-350.

But how do you cite this work in APA or Chicago? Read More

Dec 23

Placement of only: What’s the correct way of using only in a sentence?

By English writing skills, Grammar, Short and sweet

In spoken English or informal writing, the placement of only is rarely an issue, so go with your ear. Here is an example:

Tea only tastes good when I’m sad. Tea tastes good only when I’m sad.

Both sentences have the same meaning: I like the taste of tea only when I’m sad.

In academic writing, though, be careful with the placement of modifiers to avoid introducing ambiguity and attracting criticism from reviewers.

Does the placement of only in a sentence matter?

Read More

Nov 26

Things your freelance editor should tell you

By Editing, Freelance, Tips

If you’ve never hired a freelance editor before, you may not know what to expect if you choose to work with one. You may be concerned about what editing entails, how the editor works, how you’ll pay for editing services, and more.

Getting your questions answered before you hire a freelance English editor will give you peace of mind that your manuscript is in the right hands. Although no two independent editors are alike, there are some things any freelance editor should tell you from the get-go. Read More

Oct 15

What’s the best way to improve a presentation?

By Lessons learned, PhD tips, Short and sweet

You can improve a presentation by paying attention to the choice of illustrations, text, fonts, colors, and all the other details of a slideshow. Make sure every element is visible, the text is free of errors, and the colors don’t send the wrong message.

But the best way to improve a presentation is to show it to someone who has no idea about the topic of your presentation, ask them what they think about it, and use their feedback to tweak the presentation. Read More

Oct 07

What’s the best way to edit LaTeX files with “track changes”?

By Academic papers, Editing, Short and sweet

You wrote your manuscript in LaTeX and now want to send it to a freelance editor. But what’s the best way to edit LaTeX files with “track changes”? Ideally, you want to see the changes so you maintain control of the revision process.

One of the best ways to edit LaTeX with “track changes” is to create a PDF from LaTeX and ask your freelance editor to mark up the PDF using the Comments tool in Adobe Reader or Acrobat. Here are three other methods I use when clients ask me to edit LaTeX manuscripts: Read More

Sep 30

PhD dissertation to book: Roadmap and advice for authors

By Books, PhD tips, Writing

Magician hat with a book coming out of it to represent the PhD dissertation to book transformation

An example of a PhD dissertation to book metamorphosis that became a New York Times bestseller is Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are. Thanks to the traveler who left a copy of this book in a hotel in Corvara, Italy, because it inspired me to write this article on PhD-based books.

Why get your PhD published as a book? For many reasons. You may want to make the most of the effort you’ve put in during your doctorate. Or your breakthrough discovery must reach a wider audience. No matter your motivation, write it down. It will serve you as a reminder later, when revising your manuscript gets tough.

Let’s discover what it takes to turn a PhD thesis into a book so that you know what to expect if you choose to go down this road.

Read More

Sep 29

In short, what is copyediting?

By Definitions, Editing, Short and sweet

The answer to the question, “What is copyediting?” will differ slightly depending on who answers it. But all freelance editors will likely say that copyediting (or copy-editing) is a type of editing.

Copyediting means correcting a manuscript’s grammar, spelling, punctuation, usage, and style and ensuring that the document follows the recommended style guide.

You should also know that in publishing jargon, the raw manuscript is the copy, so editing the manuscript is copy editing, or copyediting. Some people refer to copyediting as line editing or manuscript editing. Read More

Sep 26

5 Ways to get free manuscript editing services for nonfiction

By Academic papers, Editing, Tips

In most cases, asking a professional editor for free manuscript editing services is a surefire way to get your email marked as spam.

But what if you genuinely need nonfiction editing services and can’t afford them? Who can edit your nonfiction manuscript for free? If self-editing is not an option, try the following ways to get free editing services for nonfiction manuscripts. Read More

Sep 03

How much does proofreading cost?

By Academic papers, Proofreading, Short and sweet

If you’ve decided to hire a freelance proofreader to proofread your PhD thesis or research paper, you may be wondering if you can afford the cost of proofreading services. So, how much does proofreading cost?

English proofreading rates

The cost of proofreading services varies from one service provider to the next. But comparing proofreading rates isn’t always easy. Although many proofreading agencies and freelance proofreaders publish their rates online, some companies charge other fees (such as a project fee or taxes) or have a minimum order size.

To be able to compare apple to apples, ask for proofreading quotes from the freelance proofreaders or companies you’re considering. Read More

Aug 22

How much does English language editing cost?

By Academic papers, Editing, Short and sweet

If you’ve never had an academic manuscript edited by a professional, chances are you know little about editing rates. So, how much does English language editing cost?

English language editing rates for academic manuscripts

Academic editing rates vary a lot from one service provider to the next. Here’s what some of them charge for editing 9000 words as of March 2024 (I used Xe.com for currency conversion where needed): Read More

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