Open latticework geodesic dome, ASM International headquarters, Materials Park, Novelty, Ohio
Shearson Editorial Services—Carlotta Shearson, proprietor—provides substantive editing, copyediting (language polishing), and proofreading services, specializing in presubmission editing of scientific journal articles written by authors for whom English is a second language (ESL editing).
Subject Areas
- Chemistry: organic, medicinal, environmental
- Biochemistry, chemical biology, molecular biology
- Medicine
- Paleontology
- Ornithology
- General science
- Quilting, knitting and crochet, weaving, soap-making, basketry, and other handicrafts
Scientific Editing
When you submit a scientific journal article to for editing, I will
- Revise so that the text is clear, grammatically correct, and idiomatic—paying particular attention to word usage, agreement, parallelism, pronoun antecedents, modifier placement, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and use of scientific terminology.
- Point out excessively wordy passages and suggest alternative wording, where possible. Point out and, if possible, suggest ways to fix problems with paragraph organization and focus.
- Conform the article to a style manual (e.g., The ACS Style Guide, AMA Manual of Style, Scientific Style and Format), or to the style of the target journal, if specified.
- Confirm that the target journal’s instructions for authors have been followed correctly, if a target journal has been specified.
- Reconcile the reference list with the reference citations in the text, tables, and illustrations. (I do not edit or format references.)
- Edit figure, scheme, and chart captions/legends and table titles and ensure consistency between captions/legends/titles and figure/table contents.
- Check figure and table numbering sequences.
- Check that data mentioned in the text (e.g., yields) match what is shown in the graphics.
- Edit words in tables (including footnotes).
- Edit words in figures, schemes, and charts (including footnotes), ONLY if specifically requested (these words will be included in the word count).
- Check numbering sequences for equations and chemical compounds.
- Check headings for logical structure, parallelism, and consistent styling. Check heading numbering sequence, if applicable.
- Answer questions that you may have during your review of the editing. Work with you to address any remaining inconsistencies and confusing passages after your review.
My schedule is usually booked several weeks in advance, so if you would like me to edit a paper for you, please contact me as early as possible prior to your submission deadline so that I can reserve time for your paper.