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What is the certificate of English editing and why do you need it in the first place?
Well, if you’re an academic who’s written a research paper, literature review, thesis, or any other form of academic text that is to be published in an academic journal, you might need to obtain a certificate of English editing – especially if English isn’t your first language.
Why?
Let’s discuss.
What is the certificate of English Editing?
An editing certificate serves to show that your academic text has been edited and proofread by a professional English editor.
After an editor or an editing team has gone over your work and helped you polish your manuscript, you may request to receive the certificate and keep it on file.
Why do you need the certificate of English Editing?
Okay, now comes the question of why.
Many academic journals – especially if they’re prestigious – have a lot of work on their plate. In order to simplify the submission process, they might therefore ask you to obtain an editing certificate that proves your work has already been edited by a professional.
This way, the journal editors have one less thing to worry about and can process a higher number of submissions.
Obtaining the certificate is often expected of ESL authors (those who aren’t native English speakers) to ensure that their language is as fluent and high-quality as can be. While this may seem unfair – many ESL speakers are highly proficient in English, after all – it’s usually better to cover all the bases in order to keep the journal’s quality up to standard.
If you ever read through the submission requirements of a specific journal and can see that an editing certificate is on the list, it’s time to find an academic editing service.
RELATED READ: How to Write a Research Outline
How can you obtain the certificate of English Editing?
Now that we’ve established our why, it’s time to get to the how.
There are many different online editing companies that will edit your manuscript and then issue a free certificate that you can send over to your desired publication alongside the research paper.
Oftentimes, the certificate will contain a unique number – a verification code – that the journal editors can use to confirm your certificate is legit. They might also contact the editing service directly to ask for the original copy (unedited and edited).
Try not to make any changes after the edited version has been returned to you because any tweaks or adjustments that happen after the editing process aren’t covered by the certificate.
When looking for the right editing service, make sure that they cover:
- Grammar
- Spelling
- Punctuation
- Phrasing
- Sentence structure
The certificate itself should include the following:
- Title of your paper
- Your name
- Guarantee and declaration that the text is 100% error-free
- Important information about the editing service that shows credibility
- Date
- Unique number or QR code that the editors can use to verify the validity of the certificate
How can FirstEditing help you?
First Editing is a professional service that has helped over fifty thousand writers, researchers, and professionals since 1994.
Your manuscript will be taken care of by Ph.D. editors, academic editors, and even subject matter experts who have experience in your field of interest.
FirstEditing offers many different packages based on your needs, for example:
- Academic English Editing (this is recommended for ESL speakers and it focuses on the technical side of the English language and academic research writing)
- Substantive Content Editing (again, this is recommended for ESL speakers and it comprises much more in-depth feedback from a subject expert that relates to the overall concept and presentation of your text)
- Technical Copy Editing (this is recommended for native speakers as it’s the final edit before you send off your manuscript to an academic journal; it improves style, organization, grammar, and readability of your text)
Receive a Certificate of Editing at no cost. Tell us the name of the journal, and we will include the Certificate of Editing when we return the edited version of your manuscript.
What’s more, you can always request a free editing sample before you make the decision to choose the full service. You can also check out many different reviews and testimonials.
Conclusion
It may sound daunting to let a professional editor look at your work, however, the results are well worth it – you’ll end up with a top-quality research paper that is ready for submission to an academic journal.
Before you reach out to an editing service, make sure to check whether your publication of choice requires you to submit a certificate of English editing. If the requirements aren’t clear, don’t be afraid to email them and ask.
Once your manuscript is ready to be edited and proofread by expert editors, all you have to do is ask them whether they offer a certificate of English editing. If they do, they will send it over to you once the collaboration has been successfully completed.
