Tips and Resources
Here are some tips and resources for authors and editors that I hope you find helpful.
For Authors
Most authors and editors use Microsoft Word to create and edit documents. Learn how to use the Track Changes feature to accept or reject edits and review comments to make the revision process go smoothly.
Wendy Laura Belcher, a former editor, has written an excellent summary of how to hire and work with an academic copyeditor, addressing such topics as the value of editors, expectations of speed and pricing, and the different levels of editing.
The Editorial Freelancers Association Editorial Rates webpage shows the results of a survey, completed in 2024, on rates charged by members of the organization. This webpage gives potential clients an idea of the range of rates charged by freelance editors.
The Academic Phrasebank, University of Manchester, is a helpful resource for academic writers, providing prompts for the structure and content of research manuscripts.
Scientists and clinicians should be careful to use consistent and conventional gene and protein names and formatting to ensure reader comprehension. This resource, by BioScience Writers, gives helpful reminders of the correct formatting for genes and proteins.
Click on the link above to download a PDF containing resources to help you choose the right journal for your research.
The resources are Think! Check! Submit!, the Directory of Open Access Journals, the Journal/Author Name Estimator, the Master Journal List for the Web of Science, and Journal Citation Reports.
When choosing a journal, make sure to confirm the journal’s aims and scope, article types, and word counts match your work.
For Editors
The Editorial Freelancers Association provides self-paced courses and webinars on editing and freelancing, with discounts for members.
The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) launched their Certificate in Medical Editing in January 2024. This certificate gives beginner and mid-level editors training in skills and knowledge specific to medical editing, such as style and word usage, inclusive language, reducing word count, working with multilingual authors, and editing tables and graphs.
The AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (11th ed.) is a popular style used for publishing medical and scientific content.