Why Professional Article Editing is Needed

Professional academic article editing refers to revising a researcher’s journal article manuscript to improve clarity, readability, and overall flow. Academic article editing also focuses on correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation. A professional academic article editor often offers suggestions for the writer and helps make sure that in-text citations are presented correctly and consistent throughout the manuscript.

When editing an academic manuscript, a professional academic editor focuses on the language used, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax. The editor also considers word usage, repetition, and inconsistencies in the manuscript. The researcher writing the academic article should always let the editor know which style guide the manuscript should follow before submitting the document for editing. Other information that the researcher needs to provide up-front is whether the document needs to follow US or UK English and any other requirements, such as in-text citation formatting for the particular journal to which the manuscript will be submitted. Professional academic article editors can do a better job with the document when the instructions are clear prior to starting to edit the document.

Most professional academic article editors will edit the reference list included in the manuscript if those references are included in the word count, but researchers need to confirm this with the academic article editor prior to submission. Editing references is time-consuming and it can be hard to organize and format the list of references consistently, so it is helpful to have a professional editor review this section of your manuscript. Researchers should also provide the academic article editor with information on how the references should be formatted for the target journal.

In most cases, professional academic article editors like to communicate with the writer during the editing process. The editor may send queries to the client or add comments within the manuscript. This communication helps the editor do a better job and keeps the client involved in the process of academic article editing. The professional academic editor you choose should always be available for questions during and after the editing process, but the writer should also be reasonable with requests. Manuscripts must go through several rounds of revisions before being submitted for consideration for journal publication, which is something that some writers misunderstand.

When professional academic article editors work on a manuscript, it is helpful to use the Track Changes tool. This allows the writer to see what the editor has added or removed, and the writer can then choose to accept or decline each of the changes made. It is important for writers to understand how to use Track Changes to accept or reject the editor’s revisions as well as how to review and delete any comments the editor inserted. Editing is an important step in writing, submitting, and publishing an academic manuscript. Even the most established researchers have their work edited and proofread. If you're in the earlier stages of academic writing, our professional writers can help with rewriting and paraphrasing.