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Editing

May 19

How to reduce economics manuscript word count to meet journal guidelines

By Academic papers, Editing, PhD tips

Pair of orange scissors cutting a sheet of paper to symbolize reducing economics manuscript word count

“Please forgive the long letter; I didn’t have time to write a short one.”
― Blaise Pascal

When preparing a manuscript for submission to a top economics journal, word count can be a problem if you haven’t written specifically for that journal. For example, a job market paper or a PhD thesis chapter needs to undergo a metamorphosis before it becomes journal ready.

How do you shorten an economics manuscript so you don’t alter its content or your odds of a smooth review?

Reducing manuscript size doesn’t require an editor’s professional skills or experience, so it’s something you can do yourself. It does, however, require time, patience, and motivation. But with some tips, reducing the length of an economics manuscript gets easier.

Following these steps should help you reduce word count so your economics paper meets the submission requirements of your target journal. 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

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 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 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

Apr 28

Academic editing tips for research scientists

By Academic papers, Editing, Tips

Book with golden halo to represent academic writing tips and halo effectLong time ago, when I earned my living as a research fellow, I thought reading academic editing tips was a waste of time. I wasn’t a writer, and scholarly writing wasn’t prose. My paper had to communicate the results of my research, and it had to be free of mistakes, but the writing style wasn’t important.

Now, as a freelance English editor, I know the quality of the language does matter. It can influence referees’ impression of a paper and, in turn, the editorial decision of the journal editor.

One reason might be a psychological bias called the halo effect. This is “the phenomenon whereby we assume that because people are good at doing A they will be good at doing B, C and D”, as The Economist explains it.

The reverse phenomenon is called the negative halo. It may lead some referees—those who do not try to combat this unconscious bias—to assume that a poorly written paper contains less-than-perfect science.

Many scientists know about this bias and do their best to combat it. However, even when they make a purely unbiased, objective decision when evaluating a manuscript, journal editors appreciate well-written papers. That’s because good writing has two powerful qualities: clarity and effectiveness.

In this guide I’m discussing several academic editing tips that can help you improve your manuscript and its likelihood of being accepted for publication. Read More

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