MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION FOR RESEARCHERS
We make it right!
Precise Editing, founded at the turn of the century, provides editing and translation services to researchers who wish to submit their work to scientific journals that publish in English. Our mission is to further the dissemination of scientific data produced by non-native speakers of English, making such data available to the English-speaking world. Being based in Brazil, we naturally specialize in editing papers authored by Brazilian researchers and in translating scientific texts from Portuguese to English. The bulk of our experience has been in the medical field, so we are especially qualified to prepare manuscripts on topics related to the field of medicine, although we have, over the years, successfully handled papers from the fields of biology, botany, physics, chemistry, zoology, geology, meteorology and economics - just to name a few.
As every experienced researcher knows, editors of scientific journals tend to cast a more critical eye on manuscripts submitted by authors who live in countries where English is not the official language. Therefore, non-native speakers of English are held to a higher standard. That's where we come in, ensuring that the text is coherent, well-structured and free of errors. Even authors who have learned to speak English fluently might produce written English that is awkward, because the idiom of science is not taught in language schools, which typically focus on "Survival English" or "Business English". Through experience, all of the editors and translators at Precise Editing are fluent not only in English but also in the language of scientific texts.
We take great pride in our work. Obviously, journal editors accept or reject submissions on the basis of scientific merit. Nevertheless, when a paper we edited or translated is accepted for publication, we always feel that we might have given it that "something extra", essentially making the English disappear, thereby allowing the editor and the peer reviewers to focus on the science. In other words, we believe that we make a valuable contribution. Our clients agree. (See the Testimonials.)
Our style is collaborative, meaning that we involve the author(s) in the final stages of the process. Unlike other editing services, we do not charge for these "final edits" (as many as it takes to get it right), assuming that the changes made by the author(s) are related to our questions and comments. (See the FAQ page.)
Our objective is to help authors get their papers published, and we are always committed to achieving that goal.
About Us
After moving to São Paulo, Jeff accepted teaching positions at two different language schools, teaching Social Studies and English to children during the day while teaching English to adults in the evening. In his spare time, he also edited scientific manuscripts, principally medical texts, initially as pro bono work. His fame as an editor spread rapidly, and he began receiving so many editing requests that he was forced to choose between teaching and editing. He opted for the latter, and Precise Editing was born.
Initially, the focus was on editing scientific texts written in English. Clients appreciated the fact that Jeff would, in a sense, "pre-referee" their papers, calling their attention to flaws in the presentation of the data, in the structure of the manuscript, or even in the study design. The volume of requests became overwhelming, and other editors were brought on board to work under Jeff's supervision.
In 2004, by popular demand, the company branched out into the field of translation. Since then, we have translated over 2,000 manuscripts. Every translation involves a native speaker of the source language and a native speaker of the target language. This system ensures the highest degree of accuracy and elegance. The staff is composed primarily of Brazilians with a background in languages or literature, hand-picked for their proficiency in English and their attention to detail. Nevertheless, every paper, whether edited by a native speaker of English, edited by a native speaker of Portuguese or translated to English by a native speaker of Portuguese, undergoes a final review by a (different) native speaker of English.
Precise Editing has continued to grow. To date, we have edited or translated over 4,000 scientific texts. Our success can be attributed to the overall quality of our work, as well as to our collaborative style, extreme conscientiousness, and wide range of experience.
SERVICES
We offer the following services:
• Correction of spelling, grammar and syntax
• Verification of terms and their usage in the literature
• Restructuring, where necessary
• Standardization with the style and guidelines of the target journal
• Requests for clarification and suggestions for improvements
We offer translation from Portuguese to English and vice versa.
Our translations are literal where appropriate, non-literal where appropriate, and are adapted to reflect cultural differences, as needed. In addition, all of the features of our editing service are applied to the final product.
frequently asked questions
Question -
How much does Precise Editing charge for an estimate?
Answer -
Nothing - estimates are provided at no cost and with no obligation.
Question -
I've just gotten my manuscript back from Precise Editing. Why did I receive two copies?
Answer -
We will always send a rough draft, which allows the author(s) to see the changes that were made, together with a "clean" copy in which the author(s) can make their changes before sending it back for a final edit.
Question -
How much does Precise Editing charge for a final edit?
Answer -
Nothing. If the changes are related to the comments we made and the questions we posed during the initial edit, we will re-edit the paper as many times as necessary in order to clarify all of the relevant points. However, if significant amounts of new text have been added, we will issue a separate estimate for the editing/translation of the new content.
Question -
In the "edit" copy of my paper, I see a lot of words that are marked out and other words that are in a different color. What does all of that mean?
Answer -
The "edit" copy is the rough draft and should be used only as a reference. When editing, we use the Word feature known as "Track Changes", which shows all additions and deletions. The way in which those are displayed depends on the settings in your personal copy of Word.
Question -
Will Precise Editing submit my paper to the journal?
Answer -
No. Submission is ultimately the responsibility of the authors, although we are always willing to answer any questions that arise during the submission process.
Question -
All of the references in my bibliography were copied from PubMed and therefore do not need to be edited. Will I be charged for the editing of those?
Answer -
No. When we estimate the cost of editing or translating a paper, we never include the bibliography in the character count. The accuracy of the references is typically the responsibility of the author(s). However, if we notice that your bibliography is not in the style requested by the target journal, we will call your attention to that fact.
Question -
Can I send only the "most important" parts of my paper to be edited?
Answer -
We do not edit partial papers. All parts of a paper are important, and it's crucial that the manuscript be consistent and coherent throughout.
testimonials
"Há alguns anos atrás, antes mesmo da ‘Precise Editing’ ser criada recebi em minha sala a visita de um simpático ‘americano’ . . . oferecendo os seus serviços de edição . . . para trabalhos científicos a serem publicados no exterior. Como já há algum tempo vínhamos necessitando esse tipo de serviço, logo solicitamos os préstimos do Jeff. Devemos ter sido um dos primeiros a utilizar esses serviços prestados por ele. Desde então, temos sido um cliente constante e satisfeito com os trabalhos realizados. Nossos trabalhos não recebem mais a sugestão de revisar o Inglês. Com muita competência e tato o Jeff de vez em quando faz algumas sugestões técnicas, intrínsecas ao trabalho e não relacionadas ao Inglês, e que uma vez incorporadas ao texto são muito bem aceitas pelos Editores e/ou Revisores do trabalho. Portanto, após todos esses anos estamos plenamente satisfeitos de termos feito a opção pelo Jeff e pela ‘Precise Editing’ em nos auxiliar nos serviços que envolvam a língua Inglesa."
"A few years ago, before ‘Precise Editing’ even existed, a nice ‘American guy’ visited me in my office . . . offering his services as an editor . . . of scientific articles to be published in international journals. Because we had long been in need of this type of service, we soon requested his assistance. We were probably one of his first clients. Since then, we have called upon him constantly, and we have always been quite satisfied with the service he has provided. The editors of journals to which we submit our manuscripts no longer ask us to have someone edit the English. With great competence and tact, Jeff occasionally makes technical suggestions, intrinsic to the study (unrelated to the English), which, once incorporated into the text, are quite well received by the journal editors and peer reviewers. Therefore, after all these years, we continue to be fully satisfied with our decision to choose Jeff and to engage the services of ‘Precise Editing’ in assisting us when our work involves the use of English."
Jackson C. Bittencourt, MD, PhD
Professor of Neuroanatomy
Laboratory of Chemical Neuroanatomy
Dept. of Anatomy ICB/USP
São Paulo, Brazil
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"A Precise Editing vem trabalhando junto ao Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia por mais de seis anos e, ao longo de todo esse período, sempre mostrou profissionalismo, competência e pontualidade. As revisões editoriais e traduções, de excelente qualidade técnica, realizadas pela equipe de Jeff Boyles, constituem fator de imensa importância para o crescimento e difusão internacional, que o nosso Jornal tem apresentado em anos recentes."
"Precise Editing has been working with the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology for more than six years. Throughout that time, the Precise Editing team, led by Jeff Boyles, has always been professional, competent, and punctual. The revisions and translations they have provided, which have been of excellent technical quality, have constituted a factor of immense importance to the growth and increased international visibility that our Journal has achieved in recent years."
José Antônio Baddini Martinez, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Pulmonology, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine
Editor-in-Chief of the Brazilian Journal of Pulmonology
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"Aproveito esta oportunidade para testemunhar a minha satisfação com o trabalho de vocês. Nestes mais de 7 anos utilizando seus serviços tenho ficado muito bem impressionado com o trabalho de vocês na revisão de artigos já elaborados em inglês, nas versões do português para o inglês e traduções do inglês para o português. Na verdade, acredito que muitas vezes vocês vão muito além da minha expectativa, já que além das correções ou versões propriamente ditas, aprendo com vocês novos termos técnicos e o seu uso adequado de acordo com o contexto. Assim, recomendo fortemente o trabalho de vocês sempre que posso."
"I would like to take this opportunity to express my satisfaction with your work. I have been availing myself of your services for more than seven years, and, in that time, I have been quite impressed with your editing (of articles in English) and translation (of articles from Portuguese to English and vice versa). In fact, I believe that you have often exceeded my expectations. Beyond making the necessary corrections or translations per se, you have, at times, enlightened us regarding the newest technical terms and their appropriate usage in various contexts. Therefore, I can, and often do, wholeheartedly recommend your work."
Euripedes Constantino Miguel
Full Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of São Paulo School of Medicine
Adjunct Associate Professor at Yale University
Adjunct Associate Professor at Duke University
Reseach Consultant for Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard University)
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"Tive a oportunidade de utilizar os serviços da Precise Editing por algumas ocasiões. Certamente a qualidade e o profissionalismo da empresa são marcantes. As dificuldades para publicação em periódicos internacionais vão além do mérito científico de um trabalho. Passam pela obediência as rigorosas normas editoriais e pela fluência no Inglês. Certamente, por mais que estejamos aptos a escrever e ler em Inglês no nosso dia a dia, a versão e o suporte editorial feitos pela Precise tornam nosso texto mais adequado e pronto para uma submissão de sucesso.”
"I have engaged the services of Precise Editing on several occasions. Certainly, the quality and professionalism of the company are impressive. The difficulties of publishing in international journals go beyond scientific merit. Manuscripts are also judged according to rigid editorial guidelines and on the basis of fluency in English. Despite our aptitude in reading and writing English on a daily basis, the translation services and editorial guidance provided by Precise Editing have undoubtedly made our manuscripts more appropriate for submission and more likely to be accepted for publication."
Evaldo Stanislau Affonso de Araújo, MD, PhD
Viral Hepatitis Laboratory / LIM-47
Department of Infectious Diseases
University of São Paulo School of Medicine Hospital das Clínicas
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"Meu artigo foi aceito pela revista Vaccine. Agradeço-lhes muito a colaboração e espero continuar contanto com o apoio de vocês."
"My article was accepted for publication in the journal Vaccine. I am very grateful for your collaboration, and I hope to continue to rely on your assistance."
Eliseu Alves Waldman
School of Public Health
University of São Paulo
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"O paper já foi aceito pela revista. O paper anterior que o Jeff corrigiu, já está publicado. Parabéns."
"The journal accepted my paper. The paper that Jeff corrected earlier has already been published. Kudos."
Dr. Robson Azevedo Dutra
Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro
RESOURCES FOR AUTHORS
If you still haven't selected a “target” journal, or if you would simply like to learn more about style and norms for preparing manuscripts for medical journals, go to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors website:
http://www.icmje.org/index.html#prepare
https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/manuscript-preparation/
Many journals require that “keywords” (“key words” or “descriptors”) be taken from the National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list:
https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/search
Authors can also browse the MeSH list in Portuguese, Spanish, and English on the site Descritores em Ciências da Saúde (DeCS):
https://decs.bvsalud.org/decs-atual/
When building a bibliography for papers related to the field of medicine, authors should locate and copy (“Cite”) their references from PubMed:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
That will ensure the accuracy of the references.
However, it might thereafter be necessary to alter the style of the bibliography to suit that of the target journal.
For authors working in fields other than medicine, there are a number of comprehensive databases available (for a fee) from Thomson Scientific:
https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en/products-services.html#t=productsandservices&sort=relevancy
If your institution does not subscribe to these services, you might need to copy bibliographic data from the individual journals cited. Otherwise, do a Google search for the reference you need, but beware of copying references from other articles in which they were cited, rather than from the website of the journals in which they were published. You might find that you have copied other authors’ typographical errors.
ONLINE MEDICAL DICTIONARIES AND REFERENCE MATERIALS
- Dictionary of Cancer Terms
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/
- Oxford Reference: Medicine and Health
https://www.oxfordreference.com/page/medicineandhealth/medicine-and-health
- Farlex (compendium of medical dictionaries)
https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/
- International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD)
https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/classification-of-diseases
- International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses: STAGING SITE
https://cms.ictv.global/
- A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia
https://medlineplus.gov/encyclopedia.html
- Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary
https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical
- Pathology Outlines
https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/
- Gene/protein names: nomenclature and formatting guidelines
https://www.biosciencewriters.com/Guidelines-for-Formatting-Gene-and-Protein-Names.aspx
https://academic.oup.com/molehr/pages/Gene_And_Protein_Nomenclature
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genome/doc/internatprot_nomenguide/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7494048/
https://www.genenames.org/
SI UNIT RULES AND STYLE CONVENTIONS
http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/checklist.html
and
http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000058.htm
CONTACT US
E-mail: details@teamprecise.us