Editing

78% of manuscripts submitted to web of science journals are rejected due to English issues. Know how to avoid common language errors in your document.

Posted by admin on in Editing, Proofreading 4 Comments

It is a known fact that the quality of an article can be made or ruined on the fundamentals of its spelling, punctuation and the grammar associated with it. A good paper can be further enriched with effective language and at the same time, in contrast, use of poor or faulty language can make the document look puzzling, blurred, and disordered.

As a researcher when you submit documents for publication, you must be aware that most of the papers are sent back or rejected straight from the desk of the editor because of grammar or semantic issues.

Some of the main language errors that are made by researchers are:

  1. The typo errors: Typos are common to find in documents. This is despite the fact that we have loads of spell check tools available. If your document is loaded with a lot of typos, surely it is carelessness on your part. The best way to avoid the typos is to use a spell check that is relevant to the content of your document. In addition to doing that, you must manually scan it to identify any errors that got left out in the computerised process. Giving your brain and eyes a gap of a day or more is a good idea as it allows to look at it with a fresh perspective and mind-set.
  2. Using the wrong word: The clarity of the word meaning and its relevance to context is very important, so you got to make sure that the choice of words is very appropriate. Often because of the wrong choice of words, the message doesn’t come to the reader in the way that it is intended. The best way to solve this problem is to keep a dictionary handy so that when you feel unsure of a particular word, you can check its meaning and relevance. If you are an ESL scholar, you can always have a third person read your document and give relevant feedback.
  3. Using excessively long sentences: Using complex and very long sentences is not an uncommon thing seen in scholars. With research, and its theme in itself being complex most of the time, it is important that the sentence structure be simple and easy to comprehend. You can avoid this by making a conscious effort that the sentence structure of your write up is kept uncomplicated. The rule that is applicable globally, is about 25 words maximum in a sentence.

How to revise content and structure appropriately?

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Revision is surely required in research papers. After the first draft is the first time that you sit to revise the content of your document and then the same exercise has to follow a couple of times in the subsequent stages. The changes that you make in the document could be related to the content or the manuscript of the document. When you sit to revise the content of your document and structure, the key thing to keep in mind is that there should be no gaps in the content and a logical and easy to comprehend structure is maintained.

Revising the content of your document:

  • When you are revising your content, make sure that all inaccurate information that is related to data, discussion or citation related issues is corrected.
  • Ensure that the description of the concepts and techniques is sufficient and complete. Whatever additions or modifications are required, should be made at the appropriate places
  • All the inconsistencies  in the document should be looked  for and removed
  • If you have missed explaining any technical terms and if their use is extensive in your document, you should do so by adding them wherever required in accordance with the scope of your document.
  • Small things, such as full forms of abbreviations and acronyms should be given when they are mentioned for the first time itself. Then on in the document they can be used as short forms wherever required
  • Remove all superfluous content from all places

After having worked on the content, the next thing is to work on the structure of the document. Some of the restructuring intricacies adopted can greatly impact the quality of your document and improvise its impact from the first stage where you have written it.

Revising the structure of your document:

  • The introduction must necessarily have a brief roadmap of the manuscript that guides the reader through the document. In case it is absent, incorporate that as the first thing in the structure
  • Make sure throughout the document you have given the required headings and subheadings. If you haven’t done that, make sure you provide them at the right places
  • The document must follow a flow and any deficiencies in the document must be removed or rectified as per requirement
  • Sometimes in the beginning of the writing process we include sections or content, that may be irrelevant and may need rearrangement or deletion because it may seem irrelevant or not required now
  • Put the figures and the tables in appropriate order

When you   would have done all this, you would have created a document that is more worthy of reading and would win more appreciation and accolades.

Importance of Editing Research Paper

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Editing is indispensable in order to upgrade the quality of your research paper and remove all the flaws as much as possible. A good writer always understands how imperative editing is for a research paper and will do all the amenities get done the same. It’s true that one can’t stumble on their own errors, thus professional and subject matter expert editors are hired to do editing of the research paper. They not only add the necessary points, but also delete the odd ones from it. Thus, undeniably a well edited research paper is accepted as well as appreciated by the university lecturers. Of course, you are being a research scholar would definitely like that your hard work is being applauded by all, so let’s roll on over some more features of editing the research paper-

  • Editor goes through the entire research paper line by line in order to ascertain that each small and crucial point to be noticed is mentioned or not in the research paper. They do require editing in the research work to make it complete.
  • Editors not only go through the crucial highlights but also check your research work for grammatical as well as other alignments. Thus, a well edited write-up is free from all the grammatical flaws and is aligned sequentially as demanded in the university guideline.
  • Editors edit your write-up with an aim to focus on your target audience and for their better understanding of the matter discussed. Language used is the main concern to be noticed. It should not be too tough that it becomes incomprehensible for the audience to appreciate it and it should not be too basic that it becomes a children’s tale for amusement.
  • Editors make sure that they start large and end small while editing.

Hence, editing the research paper is an imperative task that should be done before submitting it.