Frequently Asked Questions
Editing
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Our editors are PhD candidates and post-docs from the top research universities in the U.S. They are all native English speakers, and must meet rigorous selection standards. Read more about their qualifications on the Our Editors page.
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Standard editing is performed by one subject-area expert editor, and approved by a managing editor. Any spelling, grammar, or word usage errors will be corrected, but your editors will not try to improve the style or flow of your paper as they would a Premium submission. You will not receive an editing summary, and all Standard submissions are eligible (but not guaranteed) to earn an editing certificate.
Premium editing is performed by two subject-expert editors, and approved by a managing editor. In this process, the first editor will correct spelling, grammar, usage and punctuation errors. The second editor will alter sentences that sound awkward or unnatural, and may point out portions of the document that are vague, confusing or need to be rewritten. Premium editing also includes a letter from the senior editor, which will address any concerns or comments that the editors may have about your paper. Because our Premium service is so thorough, we guarantee that all Premium submissions will receive an editing certificate. In addition, Premium also offers a final touch-up round of editing. Once you receive your edited manuscript, there may be comments or questions from our editors that could require you to make additional revisions or additions. With Standard editing, you can receive a discount on a re-edit for any revisions, but Premium editing includes re-edits for up to 1500 words of new or revised text. There is no limit to the number of free re-edits you can claim within 30 days with the Premium service, and the same managing editor will work on your file to retain consistency.
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We do not automatically include formatting in our editing services, since not every customer requires formatting or has selected a target journal. However, many customers add our additional journal-specific formatting to their order. The fee for this service is $200, $250 or $300, depending on the length of your paper and your preferred timeline (either 24 or 48 hours). Our formatting service ensures that your paper matches your journal's style sheet, including layout, spacing, or references according to a journal's guidelines.
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We understand that even after receiving your final edited document from AJE, you may have to make additional changes or additions before submitting it to your journal. If you use our Standard editing service, you may resubmit your paper to us for a re-edit at a $40 discount. If you select our Premium service, re-edits for up to 1500 words of new or revised text are included. There is no limit to the number of re-edits you can claim within 30 days with the Premium service, and the same managing editor will work on your file to retain consistency. Please note that AJE's editing guarantee is valid for completed manuscripts as they are sent to you through your AJE account; any changes or additions made by you after that point (and not re-edited by AJE) are not included.
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We do not shorten manuscripts or rewrite any text; however, your editors may be able to point out areas that are repetitive and could be safely removed from your manuscript.
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Yes; our journal recommendation service is currently offered for a limited set of biological areas of study. If the service is available for your field, you will see the option to purchase this service when you are submitting your manuscript. Read more about our Journal Recommendation service here.
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If you created your manuscript in LaTeX, please save it as a .doc or .rtf file before you submit it for editing. We will also need you to upload a PDF of your manuscript as a secondary file for your editors' reference.
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Publication is a subjective process, so we are not able to guarantee that you will be published after you use our services. We do guarantee that we will re-edit your paper for free if it is rejected by a journal for reasons of English language alone.
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Please e-mail us the same draft of your paper that you submitted to your journal along with all of your reviewers’ comments. We will review your files immediately and contact you with additional advice.
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AJE will provide a certificate confirming that your paper was edited by a native English speaker at AJE and, assuming all of the changes we proposed are incorporated into the manuscript, is ready for journal submission. It will allow journal editors to feel confident that the English language in your paper has been reviewed and verified. This certificate is limited to documents that are deemed the highest quality AJE submissions (documents that require only one round of language editing from AJE before they are publication ready). Not every paper will earn a certificate but every paper will have the opportunity. Visit our Certificate Program page to learn more.
Translation
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Unlike traditional translation companies, we use translators who are working researchers in your area of study. This ensures that they know the jargon of your field in both English and your native language, guaranteeing the most accurate translation possible. AJE also includes a quality review for every translation by one of our experienced managing translators. We feel this additional step is critical to providing the most accurate translation of your important research. Finally, our translation service includes English-language editing by native speakers in your field, so your final paper will be completely polished and ready for publication.
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If you choose Translation with Standard Editing, your paper will receive our Standard editing service after we translate it into English. That means four people will review your file: a translator who works in your area of study, a managing translator who will perform a quality review, an English-language editor in your area of study, and a managing editor.
Translation with Premium Editing includes all the steps of Standard plus an additional review by a senior editor who is a native English speaker and editing expert. This additional round of editing helps to further improve the style and flow of your paper, resulting in a more polished final product. -
We have translators in every major field. If you don't see your area of study on our list, please contact us and we will let you know if any qualified translators are available.
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If you have any questions about your translation after you receive your completed paper, you are welcome to contact us and we will assist you.
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We do sometimes translate from English to other languages, but you will not see that as an option in your AJE account. Please e-mail us directly for more details.
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Depending on the availability of qualified translators, we can sometimes accommodate requests for translation for languages other than the ones listed on our site. Please contact us for special translation requests.
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Publication is a subjective process, so we are not able to guarantee that you will be published after you use our services. We do guarantee that we will re-edit your paper for free if it is rejected by a journal for reasons of English language alone.
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Please e-mail us the same draft of your paper that you submitted to your journal along with all of your reviewers’ comments. We will review your files immediately and contact you with additional advice.
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AJE will provide a certificate confirming that your paper was edited by a native English speaker at AJE and, assuming all of the changes we proposed are incorporated into the manuscript, is ready for journal submission. It will allow journal editors to feel confident that the English language in your paper has been reviewed and verified. This certificate is limited to documents that are deemed the highest quality AJE submissions (documents that require only one round of language editing from AJE before they are publication ready). Not every paper will earn a certificate but every paper will have the opportunity. Visit our Certificate Program page to learn more.
NewReview™
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No, we do not offer any kind of writing services at this time. Your reviewers will certainly point out areas that need to be revised, but writing and condensing papers is the author's responsibility.
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Researchers who use our service have the advantage of knowing which elements of their papers need to be strengthened or changed. Using this service will allow you to fix problems before you submit your paper to a journal. You will be able to submit a stronger manuscript, and your journal should be able to review your paper more quickly.
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Much like a journal peer review, authors can be certain that AJE reviewers are all university-based experts in areas of academic research that match the topics in their manuscripts. Our reviewers have published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and serve on journal editorial boards.
However, the NewReview service for authors is intended as preparation for a journal's peer review process, not as a replacement. Our reviewers are not making an assesment for acceptance for any one particular journal, but instead have the goal of helping a manuscript reach its highest potential in terms of overall quality. Unlike a traditional journal peer review, our experts work with authors to help improve the quality of their papers with the shared goal of producing an improved manuscript.
In addition to a confidential evaluation of your manuscript, NewReview experts also give you numerous suggestions for improving your paper, which is a service rarely offered by journal editors.
The NewReview service gives you faster feedback (about a week from time of submission), than peer review through a journal, which can take up to 6-8 weeks, or even longer. With this feedback, you can improve your paper before it goes to a journal’s peer review, increasing your chances of success.
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Our reviewers are published researchers in your field, tenured professors, and Principal Investigators. They have served on journal review boards and have the experience needed to provide you with detailed, constructive feedback on your paper.
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With both types of NewReview, your paper will receive an initial round of Standard Editing before being sent to our reviewers. After our reviewers comment on your paper, we will send you their report and give you an opportunity to revise your work based on their comments. Then, you can send us your final draft for one last round of English-language editing. This final edit will be either Standard or Premium Editing, based on whether you chose Standard or Premium NewReview.
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Publication is a subjective process, so we are not able to guarantee that you will be published after you use our services. We do guarantee that we will re-edit your paper for free if it is rejected by a journal for reasons of English language alone.
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Please e-mail us the same draft of your paper that you submitted to your journal along with all of your reviewers’ comments. We will review your files immediately and contact you with additional advice.
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AJE will provide a certificate confirming that your paper was edited by a native English speaker at AJE and, assuming all of the changes we proposed are incorporated into the manuscript, is ready for journal submission. It will allow journal editors to feel confident that the English language in your paper has been reviewed and verified. This certificate is limited to documents that are deemed the highest quality AJE submissions (documents that require only one round of language editing from AJE before they are publication ready). Not every paper will earn a certificate but every paper will have the opportunity. Visit our Certificate Program page to learn more.
Manuscript Formatting
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Currently we only offer a Formatting Service for journal articles. To find out if we can format longer manuscripts, please e-mail us your formatting guidelines along with a copy of your manuscript or detailed information about its length, area of study, and file type.
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Yes. Manuscript Formatting will reorder your citations and references as needed, convert citations and references to the journal's format, and if necessary, correct content based on information in published databases.
Figure Reformatting
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We are currently able to process the following file types:
- DOC, DOCX (Microsoft Word)
- ODT (OpenOffice Writer)
- PPT, PPTX (Microsoft PowerPoint)
- ODP (OpenOffice Impress)
- XLS, XLSX (Microsoft Excel)
- ODT (OpenOffice Calc)
- OPJ (Origin)
- CDR (CorelDRAW)
- AI, AIT (Adobe Illustrator)
- PSD, PDD (Adobe Photoshop)
- EPS (Various Programs)
File types that are not on this list should be exported as EPS files. We can also advise authors using alternative software on the best procedure to export figures in one of our recommended file types.
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Journals require that tables be submitted in a text format (usually Microsoft Word) for in-house formatting, which comes standard with our manuscript formatting service. If you would like tables formatted and exported as images for use in presentations and posters, we can do this as part of our Figure Formatting Service.
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In order to generate publication-quality figures, images that are included within a figure should also be sent independently in the highest available resolution file. For ethical reasons, we are unable to make changes to brightness, contrast, or color balance, and we will not crop the image.
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Many journals require figures to be submitted as EPS files, which may not open with your current software. In addition to the submission-ready file, we will also send PDF versions of your new figures for you to review.
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We format the figures according to the author instructions for the final publication (assuming that these instructions are available). Figures added or changed after review that need formatting are considered new submissions and must be purchased separately.
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You must have access to the appropriate software to make changes to your figures within their new file type. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you send the final version of your figures to us for formatting. We stand behind the quality of our work, and if a figure does not meet your expectations, we will work with you to correct the issue.
Journal Recommendation
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We may be able to recommend a journal for your area of study, depending on staff availability. Please e-mail us your request and we will contact you with additional information.
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We cannot guarantee publication in any journal. Our journal recommendation service will suggest journals that closely fit the criteria that you tell us are most important to you, such as publication time, cost, and impact factor.
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You now have the choice of two timelines - five days or two days. You may receive your edited paper before or after your journal recommendation report is completed. We will notify you via e-mail when your recommendation report is ready for you to download from your AJE account.
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Yes! During the submission process, we will ask you a series of questions about your publishing goals. You can give our experts very specific criteria and requests so they can tailor your results to your exact needs. Please feel free to also include journals where you have been previously published, as well as journals where you were previously unsuccessful. The more information you provide, the better we are able to help you!
Submission Process
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We use the most up-to-date website security features available. We also require that all of our staff members sign a confidentiality agreement to protect your research.
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Weekends are included in our deadlines, so if you submit your paper on a Thursday with a four-day deadline it will be ready for you by the following Monday. AJE is closed for holidays five days a year and deadlines are delayed on those days. You will see an announcement in your AJE account if there are any upcoming holiday delays.
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To calculate the word count, you should open a copy of your manuscript and delete any parts that you do not need us to work on. In a letter to your reviewers, you can take out all of the reviewers’ comments. If you submit for editing only or have a translation submission but don’t need your references translated, then you can remove the bibliography section. You can also take out any numeric table data. Next, perform a word count on the remaining text using the Word Count feature in Microsoft Word on every file you plan to submit to us and add it all together. This is your final word count. Our support staff can perform a word count for you if you e-mail us your files and ask for confirmation.
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Our staff members will verify each paper’s word count before it is assigned to an editor. If we find that your file’s word count is over the category you selected, then we will place your submission on hold while we e-mail you for further instructions. Your deadline will be reset to begin at the exact time of your reply. If your paper is shorter than indicated, we will refund the price difference to your AJE account.
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We do not edit references or numeric tables, so they are not included in the word count when calculating your price for editing or NewReview services. However, word counts for translation submissions should include all text that needs to be translated, which typically does include references and text in tables.
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You will need to highlight the sections that you want us to ignore and will be prompted to include some instructions about this when you upload your file through your AJE account. Please keep in mind that we may withhold your editing certificate if you ask us to leave out large portions of your paper. If you submit your file for NewReview™ then we will need you to send us your complete manuscript and will require you to let us review all of it. Our reviewers cannot review an incomplete paper.
Prices & Payments
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No! At American Journal Experts, we set our prices in advance based on the service you choose, your total word count, and how quickly you need your submission returned to you. Our online price calculator will show you the cost of all of our services based on the specifics of your manuscript. The only service that does require a quote is our Custom Figure Design service, since each project for that service is very unique and specialized.
You are not required to submit your manuscript for a price quote, but if your institution requires a pro forma invoice, you can contact us and we would be happy to provide one for you. -
As long as your card shows the logo of one of the credit cards we accept--Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Diner’s Club, or American Express--then you should be able to use it on our site. If you have trouble using your card, please contact us and we will help you.
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First, select purchase order as your payment method when you upload your files through your account. After your paper has been received, you will be able to print out a copy of your invoice. The invoice will contain all of the information you will need to send us a wire transfer at your local bank.
Testimonials
The AJE is a trustful service. When I use the AJE for editing manuscript I forgotten the problems with language. I recommend it to any non-native English speaking author. It is a great service.
Christie R A Leite-Panissi, Ribeirão Preto - Brazil.
Brazil
