Scientific Editing Services

Obrizus Communications offers four levels of editing to meet the needs of all scientists:

Proofreading

My proofreading service is primarily for native English speakers who would like someone to go through their manuscripts, grants, or proofs in great detail before submission. I will go through all of your text and figures (excluding references) to make sure that consistent nomenclature and labeling are used and that they are free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. I will also check figures and tables for alignment and other issues to ensure that they are ready for publication.

Copy-Editing

My copy-editing service is directed toward non-native English speaking scientists. During copy-editing, words and sentences will be modified to give your document the clarity, flow, and tone of a document written by a native English speaker, without altering the scientific ideas presented. Your manuscript and figures will also be checked for consistent nomenclature, as well as correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. With this service, no alteration in the primary structure of the document will be performed (for example, paragraphs will not be moved to different sections, order of data presentation will not be altered, etc.).

Advanced Copy-Editing

Advanced copy-editing services are for those manuscripts that need more than just word and sentence changes. If your document needs to be cut to meet editorial requirements or if you are struggling with the order of presentation of your data and need an additional scientific perspective, then this service is the correct choice for you. I will perform the same services as in my traditional copy-editing, but I will also give suggestions as to how the document can be structurally modified to present the data as clearly as possible to the reader. This could mean a rearrangement in the order of figures or the moving of paragraphs to different sections (i.e. from the conclusion to the introduction) to improve the flow and clarity of your manuscript. Once the document has been returned to you, you may make your changes and re-submit it for one additional round of copy-editing of the final document to make sure that it is ready for submission.

Comprehensive Editing

My comprehensive editing service is an all-inclusive editing package for those scientists (typically non-native English speaking Principal Investigators) who need help editing not only grants and manuscripts, but also professional letters, emails, and other paperwork on a regular basis. This service includes all of the scientific editing and evaluation included with my advanced copy-editing service, but is performed on an unlimited number of documents for an annual fee that is paid for on a monthly basis. While the traditional use of this service is limited to the original work of a single PI, expansion of the service to include the work of additional lab members can easily be negotiated. Contact Obrizus Communications today to develop a personalized plan to meet all of your scientific editing needs.

How it Works

To get started, just email Obrizus a copy of your document and state the desired level of service. Once your document has been examined, a quote will be sent out specifying the time required and the price for the editing service requested. Once you have accepted the quote terms, editing will begin.

Document text will be edited in Word using the Track Changes function. If the meaning of a sentence cannot be determined, then a comment will be inserted to try to help clarify the text and provide suggestions for wording, if possible. Figures should be provided as PDF files. Any comments or changes in the figures will be listed in a Word document and sent to you as an additional file with your edited manuscript, so that you can make the necessary changes using your publishing software. When all of the editing is complete, your edited document and any additional documents will be emailed to you along with an invoice for payment (in US dollars).

Disclaimer

Please note that I will make changes to your document to improve the clarity and readability, but ultimately, you are responsible for confirming that the scientific ideas and conclusions presented are correct.