At Squirrel Scribe we are proficient writers of technical English with firsthand experience of science editing. We also have a deep understanding of the scientific enterprise, because we're scientists, too. If writing in English is not one of your...
Here's what Squirrel Scribe will do to ensure your manuscript is coherent and clear, and ready for peer review:
Edit spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Check word choice and usage.
Remove superfluous words and other redundancies.
Reorganize to improve coherence, if necessary.
Be watchful for scientific discrepancies.
Review all tables, figures (including labels) and figure legends.
Critically review the title and abstract and suggest improvements if needed. At certain journals, submitted manuscripts may be rejected by an editor or editorial board member without ever being sent for peer review. Successfully getting your manuscript past such gatekeepers can depend on it having a catchy title and abstract (and cover letter, too!—we'll help you compose one for free).
For a free, no-obligation price quote, simply send us your “finished” manuscript by attaching it to our Online Quote form or email it as an attachment to quote@squirrelscribe.com.
Include a title page, abstract/summary, the main text, and all figures, figure legends, tables and references, just as if you were submitting the manuscript to a journal's editorial office.
We will endeavor to respond with a price quote by the next business day. We can accept PDF files for price quotes; however, we will require a word processing file of your manuscript for editing.
We can edit manuscripts in either Word or WordPerfect, both Windows and Mac formats. When submitting a manuscript for editing, please state the word processor software and version used. Also, if possible, tell us what journal you intend to submit your manuscript to, as this will help us ensure that it is formatted correctly. We can edit to conform to AMA style (American Medical Association Manual of Style, 9th ed.) if required by the journal.
We will make every effort to return your manuscript, fully edited, within 4-5 business days. Longer times may be required for lengthy manuscripts or where extensive rewriting is needed. Also, in some cases it may be necessary to contact you for clarification of certain points about the manuscript, and this may add a day or more to the turnaround time. If we require more extensive commentary from you, we may return your (partially) edited manuscript for your specific comments and then have you return it to us for a final edit, with no additional charge to you. At Squirrel Scribe we are committed to giving you both excellent service and value.
Journal Manuscripts
English is the common, required language of science, since today nearly every international science journal publishes in English. While this standard greatly facilitates the flow and exchange of scientific information worldwide, it can also be an obstacle to scientists whose native tongue is not English.
Med/ Pharma Copyediting
Need a second opinion on your AMA-style article or promotional copy? We can help. At Squirrel Scribe we scowl when we read in the popular press that E. coli is a virus or that Watson and Crick discovered DNA (actually, it was Miescher, circa 1872).
Grant Proposals
At Squirrel Scribe we strongly recommend the Grant Application Writer’s Handbook (2004) by Liane Reif-Lehrer, which provides essential advice for creating your best possible NIH or NSF proposal.
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