FAQs

Most frequent questions and answers

What is the editing Workflow

  1. Request a quote
  2. Accept quote
  3. Register as a new author
  4. Submit order details and job files
  5. billing invoice prepared
  6. payment received (100%)

7.manuscript editing begins

  1. manuscript reviewed and proofed
  2. edited manuscript sent to author
  3. Questions and feedback

What is the difference between Essential Editing and Proofreading, Copyediting-Plus, and Structural Editing -Plus

These three services review the various areas of your document in different levels of detail — quality of language, general formatting, content and consistency in language style. Expanded Editing services are for documents that might have errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation, language accuracy, consistency in style and terminology. Copyediting-Plus services are for the documents that need review of the presentation style, consistency and terminology, logic and clarity, detailed language and grammar check. Structural Editing-Plus includes all features of Premium Editing and it also helps in strengthening your responses to journal reviewers’ comments with the help of a subject matter expert, and you will get all queries addressed and your manuscript revised until it is ready for publication.

You can find out more on our English Language Editing page.

What does Essential Editing & Proofreading include

  • reading the manuscript thoroughly & picking up all types of errors present therein,
  • making appropriate corrections of the errors, reviewing the manuscript for appropriate capitalization and punctuation,
  • checking the manuscript for consistent use of abbreviations,
  • checking the manuscript for correct documentation of references.
  • checking typing mistakes, missing words, punctuation, so forth by proofreaders. capitalization and

checking the manuscript with regard to its layout such as headlines, paragraphs, and illustrations for their correct dimensions and placement, type, etc.

What does Copyediting-Plus include?

  • This service includes everything provided in the Basic editing service
  • Requires deeper editing and double the amount of time of Basic editing to be spent on rewording, organisation or structure.
  • Required if: there are an above-average number of errors; or if you are submitting a first draft, or if your target journal has asked for a language revision
  • Expanded Editing-plus is required if English is your second language; or you’d like your editor to concentrate on specific sections requiring additional time.

What does Structural Editing-Plus include?

  • thorough and comprehensive revision of the manuscript content and incorporation of substantive changes to the text.
  • checking for language for spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation errors
  • rephrasing and revising sentence structure, improving word choice.
  • adjusting the text for make consistency and logic.
  • improving the organization and quality of communication.
  • eliminating repetitions, to ensure readability and flow and logical presentation of the authors’ ideas and making overall improvement of the manuscript.
  • fact checking to verify simple and obvious statement of facts about their accuracy.

If I have software translate my document into English, can you edit it?

Unfortunately, we do not accept documents translated using translation software for editing. These programmes translate word by word and do not understand the context of your writing and often just do not make any sense.  Further, these documents are frequently very difficult to understand and there is a high risk that any changes made could introduce errors into your text. This is especially true for scientific papers. Machine-translated documents can be easily identified by a native speaker. If you do your best to write the document in English, we will help edit it to improve your work. However, if you submit a Machine-translated document for editing, we We reserve the right to reject a paper and it will not be accepted for editing, as editing such documents is paramount to re-writing, which falls into another category of service and price range that is approximately 3-times higher than the cost of editing. Instead, we recommend that you have your article professionally translated. We will happily edit the translated document and help you with your submission.

Will you reduce the word count?

  • As part of our Basic Essential and Expanded packages we can reduce the length of your article by up to 10% to comply with journal guidelines. For the Expanded-plus package, word reduction will increase to up to 20%, where possible. Please indicate when you upload your article if you would like the editor to reduce the length of your article.

 Will you check the citations?

  • This is part of all Packages, this involves a check of your citations to ensure they are consistent and follow the structure favoured by your target journal. The citations are checked only for form and missing information, they will not be edited. Please use the citation formatting service for formatting of references.

Do you edit in British/US English styles

  • We edit in either American English or British English styles Please indicate your preferred language style when you submit your paper.

Do you edit PDF/Tex Files?

Yes, we do edit simple PDF text files, however, we do not format them. PDF files should be double spaced text only. We do not edit files in LaTeX format.

What if I want to make changes to my paper after you have edited it?

If you wish to make minor changes based on our suggestions, we will be happy to review them for free. If you need to add new content or rewrite many sections, we strongly recommend that you opt for re-editing support.

What happens if I am not satisfied with the work you have done?

In the unlikely event that you are not completely satisfied with the editing of your article then we will re-edit your article free of charge. Please contact Support, stating the reasons why you are not satisfied, giving as much detail as possible. We will then arrange for the article to be checked again until you are completely satisfied with your edited article.

What is the un-limited re-edits service?

The unlimited re-edits service covers any additional language editing needed on the same manuscript and for responses to reviewer comments. Responses to reviewer’s comments will be cross-checked to the revised manuscript. For extensive changes and prolific responses (>4000 words) in your responses to the editor you will be charged an additional editing fee.

What happens if I need further edits after the journal has reviewed my paper?

This is a natural part of the peer review process. Your target journal may recommend further changes after peer review. However, it can be difficult to interpret and apply these recommendations. Our Expanded Editing service offer a 60% discount on re-editing your paper to accommodate the reviewers’ recommendations and any changes you made. If you choose the Expanded Editing-Plus service, the first re-edit of paper will be free for up to 1 year and you will receive free checking and editing with manuscript with feedback on your responses to Reviewers. We reserve the right to charge for further re-editing if the changes are extensive (changes >30% or increase in word count >20%) or if you have made changes to comply with a different target journal’s guidelines. To submit your paper for a re-edit, please contact us for detailed instructions.

What if my manuscript is rejected for language errors after you edit it?

  • To our knowledge, this has yet to occur. However, if your manuscript is rejected specifically due to language errors, AB will edit it again for free. AB pledges to work with you until you are completely satisfied.

 

Can you edit my cover letter?

To edit your cover letter, we will need you to supply your draft letter, information about your target journal and the full article to be submitted.

Please let us know if your article has already been submitted and undergone peer review. If this is the case, please also send on any reviewer comments so that the editor can refer to these when editing your cover letter

As part of our publication support services, we also will prepare a cover letter for you addressed to the editor of the target journal.

Editing of responses to reviewers

We will edit your responses to the reviewers’ queries before you re-submit

The following details will be performed:

Interpret the reviewer’s comments,

Make desired revision of the response written by the author

Check the response for correct tone, and perform English editing

Edit the cover letter to be submitted with the response

Clearly communicate and assess the point-wise response to reviewer’s queries

Please send the reviewer comments, your responses, along with the revised manuscript so that the editor can edit your reply appropriately.

Note this service does not include writing the response to the reviewer and/or changing the text. The authors are responsible for applying a first round of edits in response to the reviewer’s queries.

Do you issue an English editing certificate?

Yes. We issue a certificate of English editing if we have edited your entire manuscript. Please indicate this requirement when you submit your work.

Do I need to acknowledge Agreed Biomedica Services in my paper?

Where an author has received editorial assistance, it is common practice to acknowledge the name of the individuals or company who provided that service, after obtaining their agreement, in your manuscript. If you would like to acknowledge our English Language editing services please include the following sentence on your Acknowledgement ssection: ‘This manuscript was edited for English Language by Agreed Biomedica Inc. Editing Services (www.agreedbiomedica.com)’.

What does the manuscript formatting service include?

The target journal formatting service includes the following:

  • Formatting of the full manuscript in accordance with the author’s guidelines of your target journal. Please provide the URL address when requesting the service.
  • Ensures the desired line spacing and margins of the journal, line numbering and page numbering, and page size.
  • Adjusts the citations, references, and layout of the document to match the requirements.
  • All figures and tables are placed where indicated in your manuscript file, and titles and legends are standardized to match the requirements provided. Figures and tables will be placed in separate files if requested by the journal.
  • if available, the word template of the journal will be applied for the submission to ensure correct formatting according to the journal standard.

 

Can you format theses or dissertations?

Yes, we are able to format theses or dissertations if university/institution guidelines are provided or based on the required style guide.

 

My manuscript contains tables. Should I order artwork preparation instead of manuscript formatting

Yes, if you would like assistance formatting tables, please use our Artwork Preparation services. Journals require that tables be submitted in a text format (usually Microsoft Word). If you would like help formatting your tables according to journal guidelines, please provide Excel or Word-editable files containing your tables. Furthermore, if you would like tables formatted and exported as images for use in presentations and posters, we can do this as part of our Artwork Preparation service.

 

What is the journal recommendations service?

The recommendations service provides a report with 3 or 4 suggested journals that could be a good fit for your manuscript. Please add any of your journal requirements (eg, impact factor, non-open access vs open access) to the comments box when submitting your manuscript.

Journals are selected based on the content of your article, your desired readership and your target journal impact factor, striking the right balance between impact factor and likelihood of acceptance. We will prepare a report listing journal name, the URL, the URL of the author guidelines, scope of the journal the reasons why the journal is suitable (examples of previous similar articles the journal has published), the journal Impact Factor, ISSN, where the journal is abstracted and indexed, how many issues per year, or any other factors you specify. Providing you with a detailed report of the features of at least 3 suitable journals allows you to make an informed decision regarding the best journal for your manuscript.

 

Do you follow guidelines for journal section:

Only suitable journals which we consider comply with ethical publishing guidelines which are transparent on their websites will be proposed

Only journals satisfying the following criteria will be suggested:

  • Journals with clear publication and ethics policies and guidelines on their website
  • Clearly defined authorship criteria set out within Author Guidelines on the website
  • Clear information on how articles are selected
  • Author fees clearly stated
  • Clear statement of journal ownership together with details of any Governing Body
  • Details of peer-review process
  • Details of Open-Access policy
  • Details of the Editorial Board
  • A website which carries contact details, including full address of head office
  • A member of an ethical publishing standards body (e.g. COPE).

 Use of the journal selection service does not guarantee publication as this is the decision of the journal editor.

 

What does Journal submission support include

Check whether the language is publication ready

Check if the paper is formatted according to journal guidelines

Create author account on the journal website

Complete the entire journal submission form and submit the manuscript

Provide all details clearly

Monitor progress of submission

Correspond with journal editor

Can you help me place my order?

If you have questions about how to place your order, you can contact us. We will be happy to answer your questions

 

My English is not very good, and I need to have it perfect in this document. Can you help?

Our ESL service can make sure that your English is correct and sounds like a native speaker. Our editors are also experienced ESL teachers. We will also give you feedback and suggestions to help you improve your writing.

 

Will my document be edited by a native-English speaker?

Editing will be done by experts in the English language with years of professional experience in the field of English editing and proofreading and in the scientific filed of yur sivvu. Our editors have  two or more degrees, over 15 years of professional experience, and are published authors.

 

Will my document be edited in UK English, US English, and Canadian English?

The English style will be matched to your target journal. By default we edit in American English, as most journals publish using this style. However, specify what type of English we should be using when you place your order.

 

I live in another country. Can you still edit and proofread my document?

Yes! We accepts documents from all over the world. All you need is a valid credit card, PayPal, or PIONEER account and you can use our services. If you are unable to pay with one of these direct and easy methods, we also accept wire transfers, but please note that these may cause delays in your order being processed. For more details on wire transfers, please contact Customer Support prior to submitting your document.

 

Can you translate my document into English for me?

We can only accept documents written in English in order to provide our editing services. We are not a translation company, and does not translate documents from other languages into English. However, your English document does not have to be perfect, as we have experience in handling ESL writing and can provide the support and editing you need in order to produce a high-quality English document. 

If I have software translate my document into English, can you edit it?

Unfortunately, we do not accept documents translated using translation software for editing. These programmes translate word by word and do not understand the context of your writing and often just do not make any sense.  Further, these documents are frequently very difficult to understand and there is a high risk that any changes made could introduce errors into your text. This is especially true for scientific papers. Machine-translated documents can be easily identified by a native speaker. If you do your best to write the document in English, we will help edit it to improve your work. However, if you submit a Machine-translated document for editing, we We reserve the right to reject a paper and it will not be accepted for editing, as editing such documents is paramount to re-writing, which falls into another category of service and price range that is approximately 3-times higher than the cost of editing. Instead, we recommend that you have your article professionally translated. We will happily edit the translated document and help you with your submission.

 

What if I’m not satisfied with the work that was done?

We guarantee our work and are serious about customer satisfaction. Please provide feedback directly to us using the SUPPORT SERVICES, and we will look into your issue immediately. We will work with you until you are satisfied with our work.

 

What type of ESL documents do you edit?

We can help you with all types of documents.

  • English Dissertation, Thesis, or Proposal Editing
  • English Academic Editing
  • English Admissions Essay Editing

 

I want to become a better writer in English. Can you help?

We can provide suggestions to help you improve as a writer. When you submit a Word document, all the changes that the editor makes can be seen in the _TRACKED_REVISED copy of your work. You can review these to see how the editor has improved the writing. In addition, the editors will provide helpful suggestions to improve your document and they can offer tips to make your writing better. Editors will also provide you with a short summary of the changes that they’ve made to the document. You can find this summary in the “Editor Notes” section.

What does spoken English for presentations include?

    • Note: this service can be bundled with Language editing of the oral presentation
    • Practice of your presentations to become more confident
    • Checking your pronunciation to make sure your audience understands you correctly and your message gets across clearly
    • Coaching sessions are given over WhatsApp/Zoom and can be divided into as many 30 min sessions as required. Minimum lesson is 1 hour.

What does the Figure/Table Preparation service include?

We will prepare your figures to meet the requirements of your submission guidelines. They will be sent to you set to the correct size, resolution, and layout.

 

Will you create graphs if I send raw, unanalyzed data?

We are not able to prepare graphs from raw, unanalyzed data under the artwork service. Please send final results in the form of graphs and figures. If you wish to have custom figures or schematics prepared see our custom figure service.

 

What file types do you accept?

We are currently able to process the following file types:

  • DOC, DOCX (Microsoft Word)
  • PPT, PPTX (Microsoft PowerPoint)
  • XLS, XLSX (Microsoft Excel)
  • AI, AIT (Adobe Illustrator)
  • PSD, PDD (Adobe Photoshop)
  • EPS (Various Programs)

 

If your file type is not on this list, you can export it as an EPS file and send it to us. We will then advise you on the best way to export your figures into one of our recommended file types.

 

Can you format images?

If you included an image within a figure, you will need to send this separately as the highest possible resolution file. We are unable to make changes to brightness, contrast, or color balance, and we do not crop images.

Can I edit my figure after it has been formatted?

We strongly recommend that you send us the final version of your figures for formatting because you may not have access to the appropriate software to make changes to your figures once they are in their new file format. If a figure does not meet your expectations, we will work with you to correct the issue.

How do I submit my paper for editing?

Upload your paper via our online system. Register for an account here or log in to existing account to upload your paper. When you log in you will be taken to the ‘My Papers’ section. Click on ‘Submit a Paper’. You will be asked to give some information about the paper and the service you would like to use, read, and agree to our Terms and Conditions and finally upload your paper.

When will I receive my edited document back?

This depends on the service you order, and the length of the document, and if you request a rush service. We may not be able to accommodate rush services for very long documents. In general, the following are turnaround times for editing and proofreading, but this will vary with availability and workload, you will be given a turnaround time with your order:

  • RUSH 24 h service for papers <3000 words
  • 4-day service
  • 1-week service
  • 2-week service (only for lengthy documents)

Do you edit references?

Yes, we do edit references, and this is included as part of our normal editing service. Please note that your references will count towards the total word count. You can also choose to exclude references if you wish. Note that if references are excluded from the edit, this will include checking of in-text citations.

References will be edited for compliance with the correct format of your chosen journal. However, our editors will not rewrite the actual format between, for example, Harvard and Vancouver styles. If you do require this service, we offer reference formatting as part of the Charlesworth Flexible services.  

Many authors choose to use reference management software such as Mendeley or Endnote to generate their citations and references. However, we do not edit your references using these programs. In these cases we will not be able to edit the references, as any changes would be overwritten if the citations or references are regenerated later. We recommend that you remove the reference management software before supplying your manuscript for editing if you would like the editor to work on your references. In alternative, will provide an unlinked reference list incorporating the changes to be made to the references, which you can use to update your reference manager to incorporate the changes.

How do I get a word count for my document?

In MS Word, go to the Review tab or Tools menu and select Word Count. If you’re doing a word count for an academic paper, be sure to check the option to include footnotes and endnotes in the word count

Please note: We do double-check word counts on the documents that we receive, but to ensure that there are no delays in processing your order, please make every effort to give us an accurate count. If there is a section that you do not want us to check, please mention this in the “Special Instructions” field of the order form. Note that if references are excluded from the edit, this will include checking of in-text citations.

 

What types of files do you accept

Currently, we accept most PC and MAC-compatible word-processing files. We do not edit PDF files as we can’t actually make the changes directly to the text. If you want us to edit a PDF file please send us the original .doc or .docx file that was used to generate the PDF.

We accept the following file types:

  1. Text formats: Microsoft word, Rich Text Format, Pages
  2. Figure formats: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Powerpoint, PDF, Adobe Illustrator

 

You will receive an email when you submit your paper, to confirm the turnaround time and once your paper is completed and ready to be downloaded. If you wish to change the priority of your paper, please contact us and we will be happy to help.

 

How will my file be delivered?

Once you have received your edited file, check through the edits made, which will be clearly marked using Word’s Track Changes feature. If you agree with the changes, you can Accept the changes using the Review tab. Go through any comments that the editor has added and make amendments to the text. If there are any points raised by the editor that you would like to have clarified, please contact us and we will contact the editor on your behalf.

 

 

Is there anything I need to prepare before I submit my paper?

Please review the instructions for authors for the journal to which you want to submit your manuscript, to ensure you have followed their guidelines exactly.

What types of content are covered by the service?

We edit a full range of content types, including:

  • Journal manuscripts
  • Abstracts for congresses and meetings
  • Books and book chapters
  • Proceedings and conference papers
  • Theses, Dissertations
  • Study protocols

If your content type is not included here, please contact us to discuss it.  

We cover a full range of academic disciplines in  Medical Sciences and Life Sciences. Please see the list of specialties we have experience in editing here:  

When will you not edit my paper?

There are several reasons why we may not be able to edit your paper:

  • The file is corrupted or the text is not easily editable (e.g., most of the text is contained in text boxes or pictures, or the file contains a virus, or you have submitted a file type not that is supported for editing as PDF or Latex).
  • Your manuscript has been translated using automatic software such as Google Translate.
  • Payment is not received in a reasonable amount of time. If you know in advance that payment may take some time, for example, due to bureaucracy at your institution, please contact us to let us know. It may be possible to return your edited paper to you early if you provide evidence that payment has been made.