Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self-Editing is Critical - Enago Academy

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

ENAGO ACADEMY Enago Academy offers comprehensive and up-to-date resources for researchers, publishers, editors, and students to learn and share their experience about research and publishing.

Enago Academy also conducts workshops primarily for ESL authors, early-stage researchers, and graduate students.

Our advanced workshop modules cater to the needs of researchers who want to know more about the issues pertinent to successful publication.

ENAGO Enago is the trusted name in author services for the global research community. Since 2005, we have worked with researchers in more than 125 countries improving the communication of their research and helping them to achieve success in publication.

We have offices in Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Istanbul, and New York. Enago operates globally with regional teams supporting researchers locally.

Enago is the preferred partner for many leading universities and research organizations worldwide. In addition, we also collaborate with prominent publishers and societies to overcome regional challenges.

8/30/2018

Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self-Editing is Critical - Enago Academy

Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self- Editing is Critical Last updated May 21, 2018 Professor Wahoo of Big Science University was conkdent as he dropped his manuscript into the post.

Writing the paper was the knal act of a lengthy and difkcult research project. He knew that it was an excellent study and one that would change the nature of his keld. Although he had only written a single draft, he was not worried. Why should he worry? The peer reviewers would obviously see the importance of the work and accept it for publication. Unfortunately, what seemed obvious to the author was a complete mystery to the reviewers. Weeks later, Dr. Wahoo sat heavily in his chair with the rejected manuscript in his lap. He could not believe that his paper was rejected. So how did this happen?

Dr. Wahoo’s paper was rejected because he wrote only a single draft. While the science was impeccable, the writing was flawed. The reviewers could not understand the study, therefore, it was impossible to grasp its signikcance. Dr. Wahoo should have self-edited his manuscript.

What Does it Mean to Self-Edit a Paper? is/her own writing. Multiple drafts are produced until the manuscript is in the best shape   possible. The paper Self-editing a manuscript is exactly what it sounds like. After writing an initial (krst) h

must easily convey thecorrects author’s intentions to any reader. Submitting a self-edited and highly rekned draft, the author then paper does https://www.enago.com/academy/reject-your-own-manuscript-why-self-editing-is-critical/

4/6

8/30/2018

Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self-Editing is Critical - Enago Academy

three things:

1)It makes the reviewers/editors job easier 2)It allows the reviewers/editors to better assess the paper’s validity 3)It increases the chance of the paper getting accepted for publication

How to Self-Edit Your Paper Once you have completed a manuscript, you must not hurry to submit it. Yes, it was hard writing it.

However, you need to continue working on it. After all, your goal is to get the manuscript published? Any efforts lesser than this will only increase the probability of rejection. By following the below steps, you can improve your own manuscript and have it in the best possible shape for submission.

Print your Paper Always print a hard copy of your manuscript. You need to see if what you have written is different from what you typed on the computer. This will refresh your eyes and help you become “detached” from your own work. Quickly read through the paper once. Then take your red pen and start marking it.

Take a Break After you have completed the krst draft, take a break of at least a few hours. A day or more is best.

When you return to the paper, you will see it with a fresh opinion and be less likely to gloss over the text. It will be easier to spot mistakes and sentences with troubles. Don’t attempt to completely revise the paper in one sitting. Take frequent breaks. Keep refreshing yourself throughout the self-editing process. Give yourself several days or a week to complete the process of self-editing.

Read your Paper Out Loud When you read your paper out loud it should sound smooth. If something does not make sense or you stumble over it, mark the section and move on. When knished with reading the paper, edit the marked errors and re-read.

Imagine You are the Reviewer To effectively self-edit, you need to disengage yourself as the author. You need to assume the role of a person who has never read your paper before. Pretend you’re the reviewer and you’re not having a good day. This will put you in a critical state of mind to knd every flaw possible needed to reject the work.

Be Brutal, Be Ruthless w

 

orst enemy. Use your red pen as a weapon and try some of the following:

The best editors are those that brutalize papers without mercy. Cast your ego aside and become your paper’s

https://www.enago.com/academy/reject-your-own-manuscript-why-self-editing-is-critical/

5/6

Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self-Editing is Critical - Enago Academy

8/30/2018

Don’t use adverbs and adjectives if possible – On your hard copy, mark out every adverb and adj ective. Add them back only when they are necessary.

Reduce each sentence to its essential parts – A sentence has a subject, verb, and object. Try to keep the sentences as simple as possible.

Keep paragraphs short – Avoid redundancy: one sentence, one idea. If you have more than kve sentences in a paragraph, examine it to see if it can be shortened.

Avoid too many subordinate (dependent) clauses – Instead of writing, “When mice became stressed because of lack of sleep, we administered an antibiotic to prevent secondary infections.” Write this, “We administered an antibiotic to prevent secondary infections in sleep-deprived mice.”

Be the authority. Don’t offer an opinion – Avoid sentences with “we believe”, “it appears”, or “seems to be”. Be strong and stand behind your writing. “The cause of resistant bacteria is the over-use of antibiotics.”

Read your Paper from Back to Front You’ll be amazed at how many mistakes and problems you can knd by reading your paper from back to front. This slows your brain down and keeps you from glossing over a familiar writing.

Don’t Rely on SpellCheck Spellcheck is very useful and will knd most misspellings. However, it won’t knd words that are used inappropriately. “Their is a 25% probability that ants of afflicted children will show an affect.” So do not rely completely on Spellcheck.

There is much more to getting a publication than simply writing a manuscript and submitting it. The initial writing is the easiest part. The real work is to improve the paper so it clearly communicates what you want. This is done through self-editing. So once you are convinced with the self-edited manuscript, you can send it out to others for review.

Have you thought about using a professional editing service? Should native English speakers hire copy editors? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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/

6/6

8/30/2018

REPORTIN G RESEARCH

PUBLISHING RESEARCH

IMPORTAN T LINKS

Language

Selecting

PhDs & Postdocs Ser English vices Editing

& Grammar

Journals

Journal G

Submitting

uidel ines

Manuscripts

Manuscript s

Understanding

& Grants

Reviews

Reference M

Understanding

anagement

Ethics

Figures & Tables

OUR SERVICES ABOUT US

Product & Ser vice Copy Editing Reviews

Ser vices

Ask a Question!

Substantive

GLOBA L ENAGO

Contact Us Guest Contributor About Enago Academy

Editing Ser vices Publication Suppor t Ser vices Proofreading Ser vices

Enago Academy offers comprehensive and up-to-date resources for researchers, publishers, editors, and students to learn and share their experience about research and publishing. Enago Academy also conducts workshops primarily for ESL authors, early- stage researchers, and graduate students. Our advanced workshop modules cater to the needs of researchers who want to know more about the issues pertinent to successful publication. Read More Copyright © - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us 

Proofreading tips

 Leave a comment

How Editing Services Help You Improve Chances of   Publication

https://www.enago.com/academy/reject-your-own-manuscript-why-self-editing-is-critical/

7/6

8/30/2018

Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self-Editing is Critical - Enago Academy

Last updated Jun 11, 2018

Editing: More Than a Wish List Item Preparing a research proposal can be hard enough these days—research funds aren’t as plentiful, and the providers of those funds only seem to be interested in supporting work that has a high chance of subsequent publications in prestigious journals. If English is not your native language, the prospect of adding the cost of a professional editing service to that budget can, therefore, seem to be very unattractive.

So, you add that expense as a ‘wish list’ item and make other plans. Maybe you could have your colleagues review your paper whose English prokciency is better than yours? Perhaps Microsoft’s spelling and grammar check functions and/or Google Translate will be your last resort to save you from any embarrassing mistakes?

Such rationalizations can make sense when you are facing budgetary or even time limitations in delivering a research paper. However, the danger here is that such short-term economic measures can do longterm damage.

Unedited Papers are Rarely Peer Reviewed Often, a poorly written manuscript is outrightly rejected at the time of submission without the peer review process. The journal editor may knd that your manuscript doesn’t adhere to the structure or writing guidelines of the journal.

Moreover, if the editor sends your paper for review, those peer reviewers may well resent the expectation that they are being asked to check more than the methodological accuracy of the paper (they are unpaid, remember!) and reject the paper without the invitation to resubmit.

Editing Can Save You from Professional Embarrassment English is the preferred language of science and it is a harsh reality. Critics and historians may argue that Latin, French, German, and Russian have equal claims on a scientikc legacy, but the Science communication is preferred in English. Attempting a DIY (do-it-yourself) approach to editing in a nonnative language can sometimes lead to embarrassing results or unnoticed mistakes.

Let us have a look at few examples.

Clairol launched a new hair curling iron called Mist Stick in Germany without realizing that mist is German slang for manure.

Mercedes-Benz entered the Chinese auto market with a localized brand name of Bensi that translated to ‘rush to die’. language by recording ‘Moleculesclearly with Silly Names’ as Moronic Acid, Furfurfyl Furfurate, and The American Dairy Association avoided anysuch professional editing when the association’s ‘Got others Milk?’ advertising campaign was translated for Spanish-speaking countries into ‘Are You Lactating?’. that are a little too ‘colorful’ Professor Paul May at the University of Bristol tracks a different approach to the potential misuse for this of blog.

 

https://www.enago.com/academy/reject-your-own-manuscript-why-self-editing-is-critical/

8/6

8/30/2018

Reject Your Own Manuscript! Why Self-Editing is Critical - Enago Academy

The Above Humor Has a Serious Message While the silly names may represent an attempt to provoke some mild rebellion against academic standards, the commercial examples above had real and expensive consequences for the companies involved. If you consider the tens of thousands of dollars invested in aggressive marketing campaigns and advertisements, all of that seems to be wasted as a result of either overconkdence in the language skills of someone in the marketing department, or a budgetary decision of not to ‘waste’ money on a professional editor!

In the realm of scientikc research, dollars can now get just as big. The risk is, therefore, just as great.

For instance, a signikcant piece of research work can go unnoticed or, worse still, receives infamy for a simple and unintended error in editing and/or translation. A professional editing service is, therefore, a wise and necessary investment. 

Proofreading tips

If you have any questions related to scientific editing services or manuscript editing services of Enago, please contact - orders@enago.com.

REPORTIN G RESEARCH

PUBLISHING RESEARCH

IMPORTAN T LINKS

Language

Selecting

English PhDs & Postdocs Ser vices Editing

& Grammar

Journals

Journal G

Submitting

uidel ines

Manuscripts

Manuscripts

Understanding

& Grants

Reviews

Reference M

Understanding

anagement

Ethics

Figures & Tables

OUR SERVICES ABOUT US

Product & Ser vice Copy Editing Reviews

Ser vices

Ask a Question!

Substantive

GLOBA L ENAGO

Contact Us Guest Contributor About Enago Academy

Editing Ser vices Publication Suppor t Ser vices Proofreading Ser vices

Enago Academy offers comprehensive and up-to-date resources for researchers, publishers, editors, and students to learn and share their experience about research and publishing. Enago Academy also conducts workshops primarily for ESL authors, early- stage researchers, and graduate students. Our advanced workshop modules cater to the needs of researchers who want to know more about the issues pertinent to successful publication. Read More Copyright © - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Contact Us

 

https://www.enago.com/academy/reject-your-own-manuscript-why-self-editing-is-critical/

9/6