What is English language editing? ¶
Strong ideas in slightly unusual English are common. Reviewers should notice the ideas first.
English language editing is editing for authors whose first language is not English. Your editor corrects grammar and replaces unidiomatic phrasing, unnatural word choices and sentence patterns carried over from your first language, so the text reads as if a fluent academic writer had produced it. Your content, argument and technical terms stay exactly as you wrote them.
It differs from the other services in this family. Proofreading assumes the English is already fluent and fixes surface errors. Academic editing focuses on clarity and style for any author. If your text is still in another language, our academic translation service is the starting point.
Common issues our English editors fix ¶
Authors from different language backgrounds tend to share a small set of patterns. Your editor corrects these and explains the recurring ones in comments:
| Pattern | Original | Edited |
|---|---|---|
| Uncountable nouns | several researches, informations | several studies, information |
| Articles | We used questionnaire | We used a questionnaire |
| Prepositions | discuss about, depend of | discuss, depend on |
| Collocations | make a research | conduct research |
| False friends | the actual situation (meaning current) | the current situation |
| Tense | Until now, few studies investigated | To date, few studies have investigated |
Beyond single words, your editor breaks up very long sentences, moves the main verb closer to its subject and reorders clauses so that the key information comes where English readers expect it. They also smooth over phrasing that is correct but formulaic, such as starting many sentences with “It is” or “There are”, and replace informal words (“a lot of”, “get”) with the register academic readers expect.
English Language Editing
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Natural academic English without losing your meaning ¶
The risk in language editing is an editor who guesses. A fluent sentence that says something you did not mean is worse than an awkward one that is accurate. Your editor is matched to your field, so they understand your terminology and keep it. When a sentence could be read two ways, they ask in a margin comment rather than choosing for you.
Query example
Original: The samples were treated with the solution after they were dried.
Editor's comment: Does “they” refer to the samples or to the solution? If the samples were dried first, consider: “The samples were dried and then treated with the solution.”
All changes appear in Track Changes, so you can see every edit, and comments explain recurring patterns. Many authors find their next paper needs fewer corrections.
English editing for scientific papers and journal submission ¶
Reviewers often comment that a manuscript “needs English editing”, and unclear language can make strong research harder to assess. English editing before submission lets reviewers concentrate on your methods and findings.
Several publishers offer their own language editing services. Journals that recommend language editing generally state that using any particular service is optional and does not influence editorial decisions. Check your target journal's guide for authors. If you also want the manuscript checked against the journal's requirements for length, structure and references, choose manuscript editing, which includes the same attention to language.
For a thesis or dissertation, tell us when you order so your editor can combine language editing with the cross-chapter checks described on our dissertation editing page.
How English editing works ¶
- Send your document. Upload your Word file through the quote form with your deadline, your field and the journal or institution it is for.
- Choose American or British English. If you have no preference, we follow your journal or university.
- We match an editor to your field. Your editor reads papers like yours and knows the standard phrasing.
- Your editor edits and explains. Changes appear in Track Changes, with margin comments for queries and recurring patterns.
- Ask follow-up questions. After delivery, you can ask your editor about any comment.
Turnaround options run from 24 hours to 7 days, depending on length. Current options are on our pricing page.
Human English editing or an online correction tool? ¶
Online English correction tools and AI editors are fast and catch many grammar errors. They work sentence by sentence, though, and they can change your meaning without warning, replace a precise technical term with a more common word or miss errors that are grammatical but wrong in context. They do not ask what you meant.
A human editor reads the whole document, keeps your terminology consistent and queries ambiguity. Some universities and journals also set rules on AI-assisted writing. Check them before you rely on these tools for work you will submit.