How important would that be for a paper submitted for the first time (not as a second revision for which proofreading could be asked) to a journal?
Hi, Faysal. Recently, I submitted an article to a journal that asked for this Language Editing Certificate. But I know that my paper is fine, doesn't need editing. So I wrote back to the Chief Editor, informing him that I have taught English, besides Science, in secondary school for many years. I also informed him that my PhD thesis was sent to Australia, and I had an external examiner.
I was very happy because he replied very quickly that I may omit the Editing Certificate. This time I have met a reasonable and efficient editor.
Dear Miranda,
What! A journal actually has asked you to submit a Language Editing Certificate! Did they mention in their letter some particular name of an editing company?
In our country, doctors working in their private chambers usually ask for medical reports to be prepared by diagnostic centers of their choice, and in return the diagnostic centers pay the doctors some portion of what they earn! I hope, you have understood what I mean!
Dear Sir, They didn't mention any editing company. I could believe that they were sincere because I know the kind of Malaysian English that most university students use.
Very few of us actually have an external examiner. Thanks, Hemanta, for your concern.
As a specialist academic editor (& peer reviewer), I often get sent manuscripts that have been returned with reviewers comments about the language and structure. Quite often, the problem lies in the fact that ESOL authors either write as they speak (which is fine for oral communication, but looks very different as a written construction), or they use the same structures that they use in their native language (which don't necessarily transpose into written English).
If the research is sound, a competent academic editor will have no problems with any disciplinary-specific terms. They can therefore 'shape' your meaning into phrasing & structure that is familiar in such texts. Unfortunately, first impressions count. For example, Finnish does not have articles (the, a, an etc.). If any of these are left out in the English language, the result looks 'amateurish', despite the science & structure being otherwise sound (& the same goes vice-versa for translating English to other languages). All of our written languages are very unforgiving & understandable minor errors can completely misrepresent the abilities of the author. Also, there are authors that have impeccable English vocabulary and expression, whose work is simply not sound from an academic aspect. Fortunately, reviewers often tend to see through good or bad language & their judgements reflect the quality of the underlying work.
My advice is to a) be honest about your abilities (language and academic) & b) if you need assistance, use a proper academic editor for this type of work ( & not rely on straight forward translation or a purely language-based service). If your work is academically unsound however, using a routine language editor is simply a waste of money (especially for more highly rated journals). Get all the details in order, consult with colleagues, refine a 'final' draft & then send it to a specialist academic editor. They should make it sound in terms of language & clarity, check your academic structure, formatting and transitions, & give feedback/commentary on areas that may need further clarification, references etc., as well as an overall summary of how the work reads - as said above however, the rest is up to you ... it's your work :-)
Falcon Scientific Editing will be happy to edit your abstract for FREE so that you can determine what level of language editing service you require. Then, we can provide you with a quote for the remainder of your manuscript/paper. We also offer translation, illustration, and formatting services. Feel free to contact us at [email protected].
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I published all my papers with non-native speakers but I have never been asked to seek the help of a proofreader. I think its because all my manuscript underwent at least half a dozen circles of revision. My last article went through at least 10 circles.
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