Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self-Editing is Critical

1. Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self- Editing is Critical EnagoAcademy is here to answer all your queries related to academic research and publishing.

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4. 8/30/2018 Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self-Editing is Critical - EnagoAcademy RejectYourOwnManuscript!WhySelf- Editing isCritical Last updated May 21,2018 ProfessorWahooofBigScienceUniversitywasconkdentashedroppedhismanuscriptintothepost.Writingthe paperwastheknalactofalengthyanddifkcultresearchproject.Heknewthatitwasanexcellentstudyandone thatwouldchangethenatureofhiskeld.Althoughhehadonlywrittenasingledraft,hewasnotworried.Why should he worry? The peer reviewerswould obviously see the importance of the work and accept it for publication.Unfortunately,whatseemedobvioustotheauthorwasacompletemysterytothereviewers.Weeks later,Dr.Wahoosatheavilyinhischairwiththerejectedmanuscriptinhislap.Hecouldnotbelievethathispaper wasrejected.Sohowdidthishappen? Dr.Wahoo’spaperwasrejectedbecausehewroteonlyasingledraft.Whilethesciencewasimpeccable,the writingwasflawed.Thereviewerscouldnotunderstandthestudy,therefore,itwasimpossibletograspits signikcance.Dr.Wahooshouldhaveself-editedhismanuscript. WhatDoesitMeantoSelf-EditaPaper? his/herownwriting.Multipledraftsareproduceduntilthemanuscriptisinthebestshapepossible.Thepaper Self-editingamanuscriptisexactlywhatitsoundslike.Afterwritinganinitial(krst)draft,theauthorthencorrects musteasilyconveytheauthor’sintentionstoanyreader.Submittingaself-editedandhighlyreknedpaperdoes https://www.enago.com/academy/reject-your-own-manuscript-why-self-editing-is-critical/

5. 8/30/2018 threethings: Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self-Editing is Critical - EnagoAcademy Itmakesthereviewers/editorsjobeasier Itallowsthereviewers/editorstobetterassessthepaper’svalidity Itincreasesthechanceofthepapergettingacceptedforpublication HowtoSelf-EditYourPaper Onceyouhavecompletedamanuscript,youmustnothurrytosubmitit.Yes,itwashardwritingit.However,you needtocontinueworkingonit.Afterall,yourgoalistogetthemanuscriptpublished?Anyeffortslesserthanthis willonlyincreasetheprobabilityofrejection.Byfollowingthebelowsteps,youcanimproveyourownmanuscript andhaveitinthebestpossibleshapeforsubmission. Print yourPaper Alwaysprintahardcopyofyourmanuscript.Youneedtoseeifwhatyouhavewrittenisdifferentfromwhatyou typedonthecomputer.Thiswillrefreshyoureyesandhelpyoubecome“detached”fromyourownwork.Quickly readthroughthepaperonce.Thentakeyourredpenandstartmarkingit. Take aBreak Afteryouhavecompletedthekrstdraft,takeabreakofatleastafewhours.Adayormoreisbest.Whenyou returntothepaper,youwillseeitwithafreshopinionandbelesslikelytoglossoverthetext.Itwillbeeasierto spot mistakes and sentences with troubles. Don’t attempt to completely revise the paper in one sitting. Take frequentbreaks.Keeprefreshingyourselfthroughouttheself-editingprocess.Giveyourselfseveraldaysora weektocompletetheprocessofself-editing. ReadyourPaperOutLoud Whenyoureadyourpaperoutlouditshouldsoundsmooth.Ifsomethingdoesnotmakesenseoryoustumble overit,markthesectionandmoveon.Whenknishedwithreadingthepaper,editthemarkederrorsandre-read. ImagineYouaretheReviewer Toeffectivelyself-edit,youneedtodisengageyourselfastheauthor.Youneedtoassumetheroleofapersonwho hasneverreadyourpaperbefore.Pretendyou’rethereviewerandyou’renothavingagoodday.Thiswillputyou inacriticalstateofmindtokndeveryflawpossibleneededtorejectthework. BeBrutal,BeRuthless worstenemy.Useyourredpenasaweaponandtrysomeofthefollowing: Thebesteditorsarethosethatbrutalizepaperswithoutmercy.Castyouregoasideandbecomeyourpaper’s https://www.enago.com/academy/reject-your-own-manuscript-why-self-editing-is-critical/

6. Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self-Editing is Critical - Enago Academy Don’tuseadverbsandadjectivesifpossible–Onyourhardcopy,markouteveryadverbandadjective.Add thembackonlywhentheyarenecessary. Reduceeachsentencetoitsessentialparts–Asentencehasasubject,verb,andobject.Trytokeepthe sentencesassimpleaspossible. Keepparagraphsshort–Avoidredundancy:onesentence,oneidea.Ifyouhavemorethankvesentencesin aparagraph,examineittoseeifitcanbeshortened. Avoid too many subordinate (dependent) clauses – Instead of writing, “When mice became stressed becauseoflackofsleep,weadministeredanantibiotictopreventsecondaryinfections.”Writethis,“We administeredanantibiotictopreventsecondaryinfectionsinsleep-deprivedmice.” Betheauthority.Don’tofferanopinion–Avoidsentenceswith“webelieve”,“itappears”,or“seemstobe”. Bestrongandstandbehindyourwriting.“Thecauseofresistantbacteriaistheover-useofantibiotics.” 8/30/2018 ReadyourPaperfromBacktoFront You’llbeamazedathowmanymistakesandproblemsyoucankndbyreadingyourpaperfrombacktofront.This slowsyourbraindownandkeepsyoufromglossingoverafamiliarwriting. Don’tRelyonSpellCheck Spellcheck is very useful and will knd most misspellings. However, it won’t knd words that are used inappropriately.“Theirisa25%probabilitythatantsofafflictedchildrenwillshowanaffect.”Sodonotrely completely onSpellcheck. Thereismuchmoretogettingapublicationthansimplywritingamanuscriptandsubmittingit.Theinitialwriting istheeasiestpart.Therealworkistoimprovethepapersoitclearlycommunicateswhatyouwant.Thisisdone throughself-editing.Soonceyouareconvincedwiththeself-editedmanuscript,youcansenditouttoothersfor review. Haveyouthoughtaboutusingaprofessionaleditingservice?ShouldnativeEnglishspeakershirecopyeditors? Letusknowyourthoughtsinthecommentsbelow! If you have any questions related to scientific editing services or manuscript services of Enago, please contact - orders@enago.com.  https://www.enago.com/academy/reject-your-own-manuscript-why-self-editing-is-critical/

7. 8/30/2018 REPORTING RESEARCH PUBLISHING RESEARCH IMPORTANT LINKS OUR SERVICES ABOUTUS EnglishEditingContactUs GLOBAL ENAGO Language& Grammar Selecting Journals PhDs & PostdocsSer vices GuestContributor Product & Ser vice Copy Editing ReviewsServices AboutEnago Academy Journal Guidelines Submitting Manuscripts Substantive Editing Services Ask aQuestion! Manuscripts& Grants Understanding Reviews Publication SupportServices Reference Management Understanding Ethics Proofreading Services Figures &Tables Enago Academy offers comprehensive and up-to-date resources for researchers, publishers, editors, and students to learn and sharetheirexperienceaboutresearchandpublishing. Enago AcademyalsoconductsworkshopsprimarilyforESLauthors,early- stageresearchers,andgraduatestudents.Ouradvancedworkshopmodulescatertotheneedsofresearcherswhowanttoknow moreabouttheissuespertinenttosuccessfulpublication.ReadMore Copyright © - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | PrivacyPolicy | Terms & Conditions| ContactUs  Proofreadingtips Leave a comment HowEditingServicesHelpYouImprove  Chances ofPublication https://www.enago.com/academy/reject-your-own-manuscript-why-self-editing-is-critical/

8. 8/30/2018 Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self-Editing is Critical - EnagoAcademy Last updated Jun 11,2018 Editing:MoreThanaWishListItem Preparing a research proposal can be hard enough these days—research fundsaren’t as plentiful, and the providersofthosefundsonlyseemtobeinterestedinsupportingworkthathasahighchanceofsubsequent publicationsinprestigiousjournals.IfEnglishisnotyournativelanguage,theprospectofaddingthecostofa professionaleditingservicetothatbudgetcan,therefore,seemtobeveryunattractive. So,youaddthatexpenseasa‘wishlist’itemandmakeotherplans.Maybeyoucouldhaveyourcolleaguesreview your paper whose English prokciency is better than yours? Perhaps Microsoft’s spelling and grammarcheck functionsand/orGoogleTranslatewillbeyourlastresorttosaveyoufromanyembarrassingmistakes? Such rationalizations can make sense when you are facing budgetary or even time limitations in delivering a researchpaper.However,thedangerhereisthatsuchshort-termeconomicmeasurescandolong-termdamage. UneditedPapersareRarelyPeerReviewed Often, a poorly written manuscript is outrightly rejected at the time of submission without the peer review process.Thejournaleditormaykndthatyourmanuscriptdoesn’tadheretothestructureorwritingguidelinesof thejournal. Moreover,iftheeditorsendsyourpaperforreview,thosepeerreviewersmaywellresenttheexpectationthat theyarebeingaskedtocheckmorethanthemethodologicalaccuracyofthepaper(theyareunpaid,remember!) andrejectthepaperwithouttheinvitationtoresubmit. EditingCanSaveYoufromProfessionalEmbarrassment Englishisthepreferredlanguageofscienceanditisaharshreality.CriticsandhistoriansmayarguethatLatin, French,German,andRussianhaveequalclaimsonascientikclegacy,buttheSciencecommunicationispreferred inEnglish.AttemptingaDIY(do-it-yourself)approachtoeditinginanon-nativelanguagecansometimesleadto embarrassingresultsorunnoticedmistakes. Letushavealookatfewexamples. ClairollaunchedanewhaircurlingironcalledMistStickinGermanywithoutrealizingthatmistisGerman slang formanure. Mercedes-BenzenteredtheChineseautomarketwithalocalizedbrandnameofBensithattranslatedto ‘rush todie’. TheAmericanDairyAssociationclearlyavoidedanyprofessionaleditingwhentheassociation’s‘GotMilk?’ advertisingcampaignwastranslatedforSpanish-speakingcountriesinto‘AreYouLactating?’. ProfessorPaulMayattheUniversityofBristoltracksadifferentapproachtothepotentialmisuseof thatarealittletoo‘colorful’forthis blog. languagebyrecording‘MoleculeswithSillyNames’suchasMoronicAcid,FurfurfylFurfurate,andothers https://www.enago.com/academy/reject-your-own-manuscript-why-self-editing-is-critical/

9. 8/30/2018 Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self-Editing is Critical - Enago Academy TheAboveHumorHasaSeriousMessage Whilethesillynamesmayrepresentanattempttoprovokesomemildrebellionagainstacademicstandards,the commercialexamplesabovehadrealandexpensiveconsequencesforthecompaniesinvolved.Ifyouconsiderthe tensofthousandsofdollarsinvestedinaggressivemarketingcampaignsandadvertisements,allofthatseemsto bewastedasaresultofeitheroverconkdenceinthelanguageskillsofsomeoneinthemarketingdepartment,ora budgetarydecisionofnotto‘waste’moneyonaprofessionaleditor! Intherealmofscientikcresearch,dollarscannowgetjustasbig.Theriskis,therefore,justasgreat.Forinstance, asignikcantpieceofresearchworkcangounnoticedor,worsestill,receivesinfamyforasimpleandunintended errorineditingand/ortranslation.Aprofessionaleditingserviceis,therefore,awiseandnecessaryinvestment.  Proofreadingtips If you have any questions related to scientific editing services or manuscript services of Enago, please contact - orders@enago.com. REPORTING RESEARCH PUBLISHING RESEARCH IMPORTANT LINKS OUR SERVICES ABOUTUS EnglishEditingContactUs GLOBAL ENAGO Language& Grammar Selecting Journals PhDs & PostdocsSer vices GuestContributor Product & Ser vice Copy Editing ReviewsServices AboutEnago Academy Journal Guidelines Submitting Manuscripts Substantive Editing Services Ask aQuestion! Manuscripts& Grants Understanding Reviews Publication SupportServices Reference Management Understanding Ethics Proofreading Services Figures &Tables Enago Academy offers comprehensive and up-to-date resources for researchers, publishers, editors, and students to learn and sharetheirexperienceaboutresearchandpublishing. Enago AcademyalsoconductsworkshopsprimarilyforESLauthors,early- stageresearchers,andgraduatestudents.Ouradvancedworkshopmodulescatertotheneedsofresearcherswhowanttoknow moreabouttheissuespertinenttosuccessfulpublication.ReadMore Copyright © - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | PrivacyPolicy | Terms & Conditions| ContactUs  https://www.enago.com/academy/reject-your-own-manuscript-why-self-editing-is-critical/