What I care for
“Academic writing is a process of making intelligent choices, not of following rigid rules.”
― Helen Sword, Stylish Academic Writing
Spelling and grammar
The main focus of all my editing steps is on the fluency and readability of your paper. A prerequisite for making your work comprehensible, univocal, and conclusive, is the correct use of the English language.
Word choice
A decisive factor for the communication with your readers is the choice of words. While the accurate use of terminology is a must in scientific writing, an overload of jargon and acronyms leaves readers scratching their heads and should be avoided as much as colloquialisms. Striking a balance between clarity and precision is key to avoid alienation of your readers. I will inspect your manuscript for poor word choices, and make suggestions for replacing such words with appropriate alternatives to make your text accessible to a broad audience.
Tenses and tone
The appropriate use of tenses in a tricky chapter of academic writing, in particular for writers with a native language in which tenses are used in a way that differs very much from how tenses are used in English (i.e., Mandarin or Japanese). A fact that is not so well known is that the nuanced use of tenses not only gives your manuscript a natural tone, but also allows to tone down or emphasize specific aspects. In addition, I will attend to aspects that define the tone (or attitude) of your writing, and de-emphasize possible overstatements.
Title and abstract
The title is the most pivotal part of your paper and should be assembled with particular caution. The alliance of title and abstract will decide whether or not your audience (and, possibly, the journal editor) will read your paper and is thus critical in preventing desk rejection of your manuscript. Moreover, these introductory elements are ‘priming’ your reader to anticipate the content and intend of your paper. I will assist you to craft the title of your manuscript to align it with the information provided in the abstract. You can get some immediate help here: https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/1873-3468.14198
Style
An eloquent style enhances readability and paves the way towards acceptance of your claims. I will rework your manuscript to improve elegance, flow, and sincerity. This may include suggestions for the replacement of weak verbs with strong, dynamic ones, and avoidance of overuse of verbs derived from ‘to be’ or ‘to have’, which lessen the punch of your text. Also, I will also suggest replacements of generic, over-used, or uninspired words when adequate and necessary.
“When a sentence is made stronger, it usually becomes shorter. Thus, brevity is a by-product of vigor.”
― William Strunk, The Elements of Style
Conciseness
Shortening of a text is an effective means to invigorate your results, ideas, and concepts. As too many notes disturb the elegance of a melody, unnecessary words reduce vitality and strength of a text. Reducing the word count can be a tricky exercise. Examining your manuscript for redundant words and repetitive statements also helps to match the maximum word count limits of your target journal.
Softening or boosting claims
Soften or intensifying claims with hedges (e.g., suggest, may, possibly) and boosters (e.g., certainly, clearly, proves) is a powerful tactic to persuade your reader. Keeping the right balance between conviction and caution is a delicate operation. I will fine-tune the boldness of specific points, an operation that may need you feedback to avoid intrusive editing of your text.
“Hedges allow writers to anticipate possible opposition to claims by expressing statements with precision, caution, and diplomatic deference to the views of colleagues.”
― Ken Hyland , Applied Linguistic
Q&A
You have questions regarding the edits of your manuscript? I will answer your queries in a timely manner until you feel confident to submit your manuscript.
What I care for
“Academic writing is a process of making intelligent choices, not of following rigid rules.”
― Helen Sword, Stylish Academic Writing
Spelling and grammar
The main focus of all my editing steps is on the fluency and readability of your paper. A prerequisite for making your work comprehensible, univocal, and conclusive, is the correct use of the English language.
Word choice
A decisive factor for the communication with your readers is the choice of words. While the accurate use of terminology is a must in scientific writing, an overload of jargon and acronyms leaves readers scratching their heads and should be avoided as much as colloquialisms. Striking a balance between clarity and precision is key to avoid alienation of your readers. I will inspect your manuscript for poor word choices, and make suggestions for replacing such words with appropriate alternatives to make your text accessible to a broad audience.
Tenses and tone
The appropriate use of tenses in a tricky chapter of academic writing, in particular for writers with a native language in which tenses are used in a way that differs very much from how tenses are used in English (i.e., Mandarin or Japanese). A fact that is not so well known is that the nuanced use of tenses not only gives your manuscript a natural tone, but also allows to tone down or emphasize specific aspects. In addition, I will attend to aspects that define the tone (or attitude) of your writing, and de-emphasize possible overstatements.
Title and abstract
The title is the most pivotal part of your paper and should be assembled with particular caution. The alliance of title and abstract will decide whether or not your audience (and, possibly, the journal editor) will read your paper and is thus critical in preventing desk rejection of your manuscript. Moreover, these introductory elements are ‘priming’ your reader to anticipate the content and intend of your paper. I will assist you to craft the title of your manuscript to align it with the information provided in the abstract. You can get some immediate help here: https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/1873-3468.14198
Style
An eloquent style enhances readability and paves the way towards acceptance of your claims. I will rework your manuscript to improve elegance, flow, and sincerity. This may include suggestions for the replacement of weak verbs with strong, dynamic ones, and avoidance of overuse of verbs derived from ‘to be’ or ‘to have’, which lessen the punch of your text. Also, I will also suggest replacements of generic, over-used, or uninspired words when adequate and necessary.
“When a sentence is made stronger, it usually becomes shorter. Thus, brevity is a by-product of vigor.”
― William Strunk, The Elements of Style
Conciseness
Shortening of a text is an effective means to invigorate your results, ideas, and concepts. As too many notes disturb the elegance of a melody, unnecessary words reduce vitality and strength of a text. Reducing the word count can be a tricky exercise. Examining your manuscript for redundant words and repetitive statements also helps to match the maximum word count limits of your target journal.
Softening or boosting claims
Soften or intensifying claims with hedges (e.g., suggest, may, possibly) and boosters (e.g., certainly, clearly, proves) is a powerful tactic to persuade your reader. Keeping the right balance between conviction and caution is a delicate operation. I will fine-tune the boldness of specific points, an operation that may need you feedback to avoid intrusive editing of your text.
“Hedges allow writers to anticipate possible opposition to claims by expressing statements with precision, caution, and diplomatic deference to the views of colleagues.”
― Ken Hyland , Applied Linguistic
Q&A
You have questions regarding the edits of your manuscript? I will answer your queries in a timely manner until you feel confident to submit your manuscript.