10 Things your Academic Editor Might not tell you but you should know
Reading Between the Lines of Editorial Comments
"Reading between the lines" is a common English phrase that typically means what is not spoken (or written) can communicate in ways that words themselves cannot. Though there are distinct rules in the world of academic editing, your academic editor may not be overt in explaining every aspect of their editing approach. Your editor may assume you understand certain aspects of the academic editing process. Or, they may expect you to do a certain amount of work prior to and after editing. Your editor wants the final result to be an improvement of your own writing and not just a rewrite with your editor's comments blended in. 1. Fix what you can before you submit. You may be thinking it's your editor's job to catch any and all errors. After all, that's what you're paying them for, right? What your editor might not tell you is that he or she expects you to turn in your best draft at the start. This means you will have likely gone through your academic paper several times before you send it to an editor. Turn it in as if you are submitting directly to the publisher. This will show your editor that you take pride in your work and that you also value his or her time for what you cannot do on your own. 2. Your academic editor can tell if you didn't bother with spelling or grammar check. Regardless of the extent of academic editing services you've chosen, your editor will know if you have sent over a paper that hasn't undergone a basic automatic check for errors. Despite the fact that you are paying for a complete editing service, your editor would rather spend time focusing on editing the parts of your paper that are best left to human hands. 3. There is a difference between British and American English. You will want to make sure that you use an automatic American-based academic English editing or proofreading service prior to submitting your paper to a professional. Though some journals accept British English if it is consistent throughout your paper, most prefer American English. By understanding the differences in advance, you will allow your academic editor to focus on a more important aspect of your paper. 4. Editing can be more time consuming than writing itself. No matter how well your paper is written or how little it requires detailed academic English editing, editing takes time. A single sentence can take seconds to write. However, deciding if that sentence is even needed or if the best words were chosen can take minutes or even hours to determine. Evaluating the choice of words, the order of the content, transitional sentences, headings, and more demands focus and thought. Multiply this times dozens of sentences per page in a paper that is 25 pages or longer, and you can see how the editing process almost always takes more time than writing. 5. Respect your editor's criticism and comments. If you've taken the time to edit your paper and turn in your best draft, criticism or excessive edits may be hard to take. However, before you get offended and insist that your paper doesn't need all the changes that are suggested; remember that you have hired professional academic proofreading services for a reason. You want your paper to be free of any errors or areas for improvement before you submit it to a journal. And so does your academic editor. Trust that they know best, take a deep breath, and if needed ask them to clarify reasons for changes before you come to any conclusions. 6. Multiple edits on a similar concept probably mean there are unmarked errors. Since your editor will be limited on time, pointing out the same types of errors throughout your entire paper is counterproductive. Pay attention to repeated corrections or comments made at the beginning of your
paper and make sure you understand the reason behind them. Then, check your entire paper for the same types of errors whether or not your editor pointed them out. 7. Read between the lines of open-ended comments. Another thing to keep in mind is that your academic editor is on a timeline to complete edits and turn them back to you. Once you have your paperback, you will have more time to assess comments and make the needed changes. If you have planned accordingly, you will have a lot more time to make revisions before turning your paperback in (if you've chosen the option to receive re-editing services). An open-ended comment may seem like an optional suggestion and not a concrete edit. But what your editor is probably trying to tell you is that the particular area needs improvement. These types of comments may be in the form of a question or mention another part of your paper. Take each one seriously and ask yourself if there is any way you can improve on that part of your paper. Can you use a better example or connect the concept with a different part of your paper? What your editor doesn't say here may be just as important, so take the time to evaluate even the most obscure comments and decide if there is a need for change. 8. Read and understand all edits before you make any changes. Your editor probably won't take the time to explain why most edits or changes are needed. Though you can choose to make or ignore the changes without fully comprehending why you will learn more and avoid excess edits in the future if you understand the reasons behind them. 9. It's up to you to make changes, but be thankful nonetheless. As the author of your paper, you own the right to decide if you want to honor the edits made or ignore them. It is your choice to take or leave any or all edits. Regardless of what you decide, your editor still deserves and will appreciate your gratitude for the time he or she spent on your paper. 10. Print and read aloud before and after versions of your paper before turning it in. No matter how many changes you choose to keep or ignore, a good rule is to save before and after drafts in order to assess the changes in an objective manner. Yes, this can mean more time on your part, but you might not see the benefits to all edits without taking this step. Though academic editors and academic proofreading services offer different levels of editing detail, it's a good idea for you to keep these "unspoken" concepts in mind. These things will help you to understand and interpret the many aspects of academic paper editing services in order to use your editor's input and complete an excellent final paper.