Some websites offer free services, but they are useful for basic corrections. If you think your paper need a more in-depth revisions, you should get an editing or proofreading service.
Here are my favorite services:
besteditproof.com
Lately, this website is the one I preferred the most. It is my number 1 choice. I would highly recommend their editors.
Here are the main reasons why I choose them:
· All of their editors have Ph.D. degrees, when you get the edited version you feel that someone in the field handled the paper.
· Their prices are cheaper and affordable than other companies.
· It is user friendly. You don’t have to log in or register to see the prices. Besteditproof.com provides price calculator to get instant quote.
· Click the following link to see your rates: https://besteditproof.com/new-order-step-1
· Certification: It is one of the best advantageous of this website. They provide a certification of editing on demand.
Grammarly Inc.
· They provide free service. I generally use this website when I need to check my papers for the basic grammar and spell checking.
· They provide an online grammar and spell checking against main grammar rules.
· They have extension too.
Writecheck.com
· When you especially need plagiarism check, writecheck can be your favorite one.
· When you want, they provide grammar checker and professional tutoring.
· As far as I am able to know, it is powered by Turnitin.
There are several good options ranging from a freelance editor to a company hiring expert editors.
For my Ph.D. dissertation, I contracted with a freelance editor from thumbtack . I liked the service they provided. Rankings of the editors or their short bios can be found on the website. You can review their feedback and pick the editor you like. You can contact, negotiate the price, discuss the details with the editor. You can use the mobile app if you want.
For my international publications, I generally hire editors from companies instead of freelances.
I recently used besteditproof.com and highly recommend the website. Its biggest advantage is providing affordable and foreseeable rates. The main reason why I chose them is that all of their editors have Ph.D. degrees and their prices are cheaper than the others. You don’t have to log in to see get a quote. You can simply get an online quote.
Most of the websites necessitate to log in to get a quote or check the calculated price. This can often be frustrating. However, for besteditproof.com there is no need to sign up. You can manipulate the quote and see all the alternatives by the type of service, delivery time, and word count. You can just put the word count, select the service type (editing or proofreading) and delivery time. Then you can see the price and if you want you can sign in and submit your paper. The best feature of this website that I like most is that they sent me a certification of proofreading.
As others have mentioned, resources such as Grammarly, ProWritingAid, or Microsoft Word’s built-in tools can provide a starting point for simple grammatical corrections. They are cost-effective, user friendly, and relatively efficient.
As a next step, I would recommend engaging with a friend, local colleague, or your graduate adviser. Even if their English language proficiency is similar to yours, a second pair of eyes can often help identify issues that the original author may have inadvertently overlooked. Some schools even offer in-house editorial support via the university library or student services. Ask around, you may be surprised by the options available in your personal network.
After you’ve exhausted these resources, if your budget allows, I would suggest engaging with a professional editorial service. A professional editor can enhance the word choice, logic, and clarity of your writing, increasing the likelihood for manuscript acceptance.
I’m the proud Founder and Managing Director for JournalEdit, a premium editing service. JournalEdit has been helping researchers worldwide with professional scientific editing since 2012. We have a global network of 300+ experienced scholars (PhD, MD) with expertise across medical, science, and engineering fields. All our editors are exclusively native English speakers and based in the US, UK, Canada, or Australia.
Our website: https://www.journaledit.com
Best wishes for a smooth and successful publication journey!