A range of services exists for ESL authors seeking to publish in English-language journals.

On the expensive end of the spectrum are editors who work one-on-one with authors, guiding a paper from the beginning, helping to organize it and examine the science presented as well as to edit the language. These editors can suggest appropriate journals to submit to and might even provide feedback in the author’s native language.

On the other end of the spectrum are editing services that strictly edit the language of the paper, leaving the rest up to the author. Many of these companies use freelance editors to do the bulk of the work, with managing editors checking over the papers. The company may brag about its editors’ PhDs. In my experience, the freelance editors are paid rock-bottom prices at many of these companies; this is important to you because the editor will be working as quickly as possible to try to salvage the rate of pay. There is no back-and-forth communication between the author and editor, so the editor must guess at the meaning of confusing sentences. The managing editor, while trying to provide additional correction, might introduce errors into the paper.

I provide a service in the middle of these extremes. I will carefully edit your paper, correcting the language and grammar line by line. I often leave comments explaining my edits, with the goal of helping the author hone his or her craft. If I cannot understand the meaning of a sentence, I will offer suggestions. If there is the slightest chance of changing the meaning of your work, I will leave a comment asking you to confirm my changes. You’ll have the chance to ask about my edits or to provide additional explanation.

Having your paper edited by a native English speaker will remove one barrier to getting it published, giving it a greater chance of “getting in the door.” Please contact me for a sample edit and a quote for your project!