“I didn’t have time to write a short essay, so I wrote a long one!” This saying shows the importance of editing during the writing process. Editing is one of the most important functions. Many authors choose outside company to do the editing for them. However, It is difficult for them to pick a good editor from the pool of editing companies available on the internet. How can one differentiate the good editing companies from the bad. Here are 4 qualities you must look for in the editing companies you find the best.
1. Services tailored to your needs
Not all scientific editing services are the same. Professional, comprehensive scientific editing takes time and attention.
The service should not compromise your needs while ensuring a quick turnaround. The best scientific editing companies will be able to work to a budget and time frame that suits you best—without compromising the quality of your editing.
2. Make sure they have the experience you need
Your research has unique needs, and is likely to be written for a specific, specialist audience of expert peers. Your article is likely to be dense and full of complex information that is not meant for a general reader.
For that reason, it needs an editor who is an expert too. A general editor will be able to fix your grammar mistakes and punctuation, but they won’t be able to spot the typo in your equations or the incorrect use of subject specific terminology. Only a scientist in your field will be able to do this.
The best scientific editing companies employ editors who are trained scientists in a wide variety of fields as well as being excellent editors. These specialist editors will be able to give your paper the specific attention that it requires to ensure that no errors at all slip through.
In addition, these scientific editing companies employ editors who have experience of the scientific publication process, and know how to shape and guide your paper through submission and peer review with the least amount of stress.
3. They should offer what you need
There are a wide range of different services that are described by the umbrella term “scientific editing.” Editing includes everything from a substantive, structural edit that looks at the paper as a whole, to proofreading, which only corrects surface errors of spelling, grammar and punctuation.
One of the first steps in identifying the best scientific editing company is deciding exactly what you want and whether the company offers that service. If they only offer copy-editing, which addresses sentence level concerns, and you are worried that your literature review is badly organised, then they will not be able to meet your needs.
The best scientific editing companies offer a broad range of services, from language editing, to proofreading, to full edits. In addition, they also offer post-editing support so you can ask questions about the final document and aren’t left in the dark.
You should always be able to contact the company and discuss your unique requirements.
4. Ready to share a sample of their work
The best way to see whether a scientific editing company offers what you need is to look at a sample of their work.
The best scientific editing companies will have plenty of samples of what they do freely available and will be proud to show off their skills. Always check available samples to make sure that their work is meticulous, focused and expert.
