Why Should You Have Your Scientific Manuscript Edited?

Academia can be a “publish or perish” environment at the best of times – so after working long, hard hours to collect all your scientific data, you deserve a final article that is free of errors and most accurately represents your efforts. You may have extremely impressive scientific data, but if your manuscript lacks readability and clarity, it will typically be rejected by the peer-review process when submitted for publication.

Language and Publication in “Cardiovascular Research” Articles [Cardiovasc Res (2002) Feb 1:53(2):279-285] by Coates et al, surveyed 120 articles that were submitted to the journal “Cardiovascular Research”. They reported: “There is a clear indication that badly written articles correlated with a high rejection rate.”  Additionally they stated: “On equal scientific merit, a badly written article will have less chance of being accepted … even if the editor does not identify language as a motive for rejection.”   

So the way in which your data is communicated is almost as crucial as the data itself. Writing quality clearly influences whether a paper is accepted for publication, regardless of the research quality. As with all kinds of writing, it is therefore extremely valuable to allow a fresh pair of eyes to review your finished paper – a skilled academic editor will not only proofread your work, but will greatly enhance its scientific clarity. This will therefore not only improve its chances of being published, but also speed up the publication time.

Writing therefore plays a pivotal role in the communication of your scientific data. Therefore, although the process of editing and revising your manuscript can seem overwhelming (especially if English is not your native language), it is a necessary step if you hope to maximize the impact of your work within the scientific community.