Copy-editing

Why would you want to use a technical copy-editing service?

• Scientific journals demand good English
• Clarity and conciseness of language is improved - gets the message across
• Company advertising and instructions need clarity
• Text is shortened (writers have a tendency to use too many words)
• Speeds up process towards publication - this is particularly an issue for PhD students who need to have papers published before presenting their theses
• Ease of reading for reviewers - they need to be kept happy!
• References will be presented in the correct format, plus there will be consistency between references in text and in bibliography

A copy-editor will check and amend spelling and punctuation, check grammar and usage, improve clarity of expression, ensure consistency in prose style, check consistency in layout and style, highlighting, but not correcting, areas of ambiguity and awkward phrasing.

In addition, depending on your needs, the copy-editor may also (on request), set up article according to author guidelines for intended manuscript, restructure (and not just highlight) text, where necessary, to eliminate ambiguities and awkward phrasing, check and format bibliography, adjusting length of text to comply with author guidelines.

If you write in English and are not as comfortable as when you write in your own language - but want your text to be as good as that of a native speaker - a language editor can help you.