Your manuscript will be edited according to the 75 points in our check-list so that it can reach a quality level suitable for submission to an SCI indexed journal. These 75 points can also serve as a guide to authors when preparing their own manuscripts.
Manuscript Structure - 4 points
Structure Are all the basic sections included (e.g., Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion)? If not, what is missing? Is the thesis in the first paragraph? Does it make a clear argument? Is all content in the correct section? Was the content ordered in a way that was logical, clear, and easy to follow? That is, does the manuscript tell a story?
Section specific - 19 points
Abstract Can function as a stand-alone document We will check if a structured or unstructured abstract is required; a comment will be left if the format needs to be changed. Should usually be less than 250 words (or as specified by journal). If the abstract exceeds the specified limit, then it will be edited for language to reduce the word count as much as reasonably possible. Abbreviations will be avoided; abbreviations are only necessary if the term is used more than once in the abstract. Any abbreviations will be defined if used, though some journals specify no abbreviations in abstracts. Methods and Results should generally use the past tense Conclusions should generally use the present tense Document/manuscript contents/structure generally use the present tense "I" and "we" preferable to third-person and passive voice, though this can vary depending on the journal or field. Avoid synonyms to describe the same concept/thing Follows "code": B-P-M-F-C-R (Background info, Purpose, Methodology, Findings, Conclusions, Recommendations) Acknowledgements Support/funding Statement regarding conflict of interest, if necessary References As required by journal (edit only if requested by author/journal) Tables/Figures Editors will always edit table/figure captions
Placement of captions (above/below) Proper notation Punctuation (of text and as required by journal) Spelling and clarity of text within tables/figures (if this is specifically requested by the author) General: The goal is "readability" - 52 points
Conciseness
Phrases such as the following will be made more concise:
by using >> using In order to >> To red in colour >> red utilize >> use In spite of >> Despite On the basis of >> Based on
As a general rule-of-thumb, we will edit for short sentences to achieve maximum clarity.
Long sentences with a conjunctive verb separated into two sentences
“The results show that green tea reduces tumor growth; however, our study has a limitation…”
Would be changed to: “The results show that green tea reduces tumor growth. However, our study has a limitation…”
Repetitive and redundant sentences will be revised Consistency Spelling checked (US vs UK and technical terms) Punctuation (US vs UK, etc.) Nomenclature Section headings (journal standards followed if available) Citations in text Section headings (journal standards followed if available) Grammar Appropriate use of verb tense Appropriate use of passive voice when necessary (phases such as ‘The results demonstrate…’ will be avoided) Punctuation Verb usage checked Do all main verbs agree with the subject in person and number? Is the verb tense correct? Spacing between words/sentences Articles/Noun usage (this is a major obstacle for non native-English authors) Do regular plurals end in “s”? Are irregular plurals correct? Are articles (“a,” “an,” and “the”) used correctly? Does every pronoun have a clear referent? Sentence Structure Commas vs. Semicolons Commas used to set off phrases only when the information is non-essential Common Mistakes "Because of"/"due to" Proper use of "respectively" "Also," for "In addition," "Further," "Moreover," etc. Affect/effect Then/than And/or That/which Pronouns (its/it is, etc.) Capitalization: Do all proper nouns begin with a capital letter? Proper use of en-dash vs hyphen En-dash to indicate ranges of numbers (or occasionally words), i.e., replace the word ‘to’-e.g. Her college years, 1998?2002, were the happiest in her life. Clarity and accuracy of scientific expressions The meaning of sentences are clear and unambiguous Clear statement of research question No exaggerations about research findings Terminology and phrasing checked against similar manuscripts in the same field (e.g., using http://scholar.google.com and incorporating the editor's expertise in the field). Spelling of technical terms Abbreviations of technical terms/methods/etc. Statistical notation (significance values, test results, test names Capitalization of proper names/methods/procedures Nomenclature Chemical names Species names Generic or Tradenames (Tradenames at first mention in abstract/body only; tradenames avoided in title) Geographical location names Name of manufacturer and their location for scientific equipment; comment inserted for author if not present Journal requirements
Double check Instructions to Authors if target journal provided
