Question 1

How can I place an order?

Accepted Answer

You place your order by submitting the document(s) you would like to have edited. You can do so here. During the upload, we ask all the necessary details we need and based on these details, we will issue an invoice. When you have paid this invoice (in full) your document will be edited.

Question 2

How can I get a quote?

Accepted Answer

Getting a quote for your document is simple. You will find a price calculator tool here with which you can obtain an accurate quote for the editing of your document. Simply enter the wordcount of your document and the service you would like and the tool will instantly provide you with a quote.

Question 3

My manuscript is in several files. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

Our order form allows you to upload as many files as you need for your order.

Question 4

Why should I attach a reference file if my manuscript has been rejected by a journal?

Accepted Answer

It is recommended that you give your editor as much background information as possible regarding your research and the circumstances of the rejection. This ensures that your editor understands all aspects of your research, which will ensure the best possible edit of your manuscript. Please note that files attached as reference files are not considered in the word count.

Question 5

How can I calculate my word count?

Accepted Answer

You can calculate the word count of any document by performing a word count on the text you want to have edited. Simply mark the text you want us to edit in your document and use the Word Count feature in Microsoft Word.

Question 6

Do you offer a free sample edit?

Accepted Answer

We understand that you are concerned about paying upfront without knowing what you will receive. We therefore offer to edit a short sample of your manuscript free of charge. Please send us a message with your manuscript (or part thereof) and we will contact you as soon as possible. Please note that the limit is one free sample per customer.

Question 7

How can I contact customer support?

Accepted Answer

You can either write to us at info@winstonjgreene.com or use the contact form at the bottom of our homepage. We will contact you with a response to your question as soon as possible.

Question 8

Is my information secure with you?

Accepted Answer

We use the most up-to-date website security features available. All of our staff members have signed a full confidentiality agreement, which legally protects your research.

Question 9

I would like to acknowledge Winston J. Greene in my paper. How can I do so?

Accepted Answer

If you would like to acknowledge our editorial support for your paper, you can do so by simply including the following sentence in the Acknowledgments section: "We would like to thank Winston J. Greene Academic Editing [https://www.winstonjgreene.com/] for editing and reviewing this manuscript for English language".

Question 10

What is the Editing Certificate?

Accepted Answer

If you choose this upon submission, we will provide a certificate confirming that your paper was edited by us. Assuming that any changes we proposed are incorporated into the manuscript, the certificate guarantees that the English quality of your manuscript is appropriate for journal submission. The certificate will allow journal editors to feel confident that the English language in your paper has been reviewed and verified. If you initially thought you do not need such a certificate but need one later, please get in contact.

Question 11

I submitted an MS Word file, and I have my document back, but I can't see what you've changed. Why is that?"

Accepted Answer

It may be that you have the "Show Markup" feature turned off. In MS Word 2016, click on the "Review" tab. In the section named "Tracking," there are three drop-down menus to the right of the button named "Tracked Changes." Click on the top one. Choose "All Markup." Then, click the "Show Markup" menu to make sure all the markup options are checked, including "Insertions and Deletions." In Word 2007/Office XP, click on the tab named "Review." In the section named "Tracking," there are three drop-down menus to the right of the button named "Balloons." Click on the top one. Choose "Final Showing Markup." In older/other versions of Word/Office, go to the Tools menu, select Track Changes, select Highlight Changes, and make sure Highlight Changes on Screen is checked. If you still don't see any changes, contact customer service.

Question 12

Do you guarantee publication of my work?

Accepted Answer

Publication depends largely on the quality of your research and is a subjective decision that the journal editor takes based on several factors. Therefore, we cannot guarantee publication. However, by helping you understand and follow publication protocols and by offering high-quality editing services, we help you to significantly increase your chances of publication.

Question 13

Do you help to rewrite and paraphrase plagiarized texts and sentences?

Accepted Answer

No, we do not offer rewriting or paraphrasing for plagiarized texts and sentences.

Question 14

Do you assure privacy of my article before I submit it to a journal?

Accepted Answer

Our privacy policy guarantees 100% confidentiality and allows you to submit your work to us with complete confidence.

Question 15

I contacted you but haven’t heard anything yet. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

We strive to respond to all submissions and messages as soon as possible. However, please keep in mind that we are based in New Zealand and operate under Auckland standard time. Depending on where you are on the globe, your time might differ considerably from ours. Please also check your spam or junk folders in case our message erroneously ended up there.

Question 16

Do you offer discounts?

Accepted Answer

Yes we sometimes offer discounts for specific subjects or services. If you want to receive a message when this happens, please feel free to subscribe to our mailing list. You can do so here.

Question 17

How can I get more discounts?

Accepted Answer

You can refer your colleagues to us. Our submission form has a field where your colleagues can enter your name and emailaddress when they submit their paper. The more you refer, the more you will save on your next order.

Question 18

What are the different types of editing services you offer?

Accepted Answer

We offer three distinct services:  - Basic Editing - Premium Editing - Continuous Editing To learn more about these services, please read the next questions and take a look here.

Question 19

When should I choose Basic Editing?

Accepted Answer

When you are sure that your paper is in the perfect shape except for the language and grammar, Basic Editing will be sufficient. You can learn more about our services here.

Question 20

When should I choose Premium Editing?

Accepted Answer

When you think your paper might benefit from a little more than language and grammar revision (structure, tone, flow), choose Premium Editing. You can learn more about our services here.

Question 21

What does Continuous Editing include?

Accepted Answer

Our Continuous Editing service includes an initial round of Premium Editing of your document to ensure that it is in the best shape possible. Should you then require re-submission to either the same or a different journal, we will re-edit your amended version free of charge until its final publication. This is a good option if you are planning to submit your work to a high-impact journal.

Question 22

Can I change the type of editing service after submission?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can change the type of editing service provided that the editor has not yet started to edit your manuscript. If the editor has already started to edit your manuscript, you will not be able to change the type of service. Please contact us as soon as possible if you would like to change the type of editing service.

Question 23

What is the difference between formatting and editing?

Accepted Answer

Formatting ensures that your manuscript is in agreement with journal guidelines. This includes the general layout, font type, font size, spacing between sections and lines of text, in-text citations and references, formatting of headings and a check to ensure that all required sections are present, title page check, checking of word count, image numbers, ensuring appropriate placement of tables and figures, and the addition of page and line numbers. Editing refers to language editing, which includes the correction of grammar, phrasing, and word choice errors among others. Please click here to learn more about editing.

Question 24

Do you provide formatting services for a specific target journal?

Accepted Answer

Yes, when you have chosen Premium Editing or Continuous Editing, we will specifically format your manuscript for submission at a specific target journal. During the upload, you should insert the name (and preferrably the URL) of the journal you are planning to submitting your article to so that we can ensure that your submission fulfils all the formatting requirements of this journal.

Question 25

What if I am not sure of the most appropriate service to choose for my document?

Accepted Answer

We will help you individually. Simply send us a message here and attach your manuscript and other relevant documents (such as figures or revision letters). Please provide as much information as possible that will help us to understand your needs. We will evaluate your document in light of your message and will contact you as soon as possible.

Question 26

What is the purpose of academic editing?

Accepted Answer

Editing professionalizes your research. In fact, no peer-reviewed publication is unedited, even the manuscripts of native speakers are edited before publication.
Academic publications have audiences, which require a specific tone of writing and the target journals often have very specific requirements. Due to the vast competition in academic publishing, most authors need editing even before publishers consider their work.

Question 27

Who edits my document?

Accepted Answer

Our professional document editing service ensures that an expert editor in your specific field works on your document. Our editors are subject-matter experts with many years of experience in research and scientific editing. Moreover, all editors have published their own work in peer-reviewed journals and know what it takes to get there. Subject to availability, you can also choose an editor of your choice (such as your previous editor).  All documents are edited a second time by a senior editor, who provides a second layer of quality.

Question 28

My manuscript is very specialized in its subject area. How can you edit it correctly?

Accepted Answer

During the upload process, you are prompted to provide initial information regarding your field and subject area. Also, we screen your document to learn exactly what it is you are writing about. Based on this information, we assign the editor with the best match, which is very close to the process you would experience during peer review. This ensures that your editor is familiar with your specific field and can provide the required editing.

Question 29

What are the qualifications of your editors?

Accepted Answer

All of our editors (100%) share the following qualities: - They are PhD-level scientists with years of expertise in their field - They have published peer-reviewed papers as a first author - They are familiar with editing academic manuscripts - They are helpful, friendly, and happy to provide feedback - They have a track record of top editing performance

Question 30

Can we both work on my document at the same time?

Accepted Answer

That will not work. As soon as you have placed the order, the document you uploaded will be evaluated and sent to your editor. When the editing process has started, any changes you make to your document will not be visible to the editor. You will receive a finished document, which you may then work on and resend for a second round of editing. If you chose our Continuous Service, this will be free of charge. Please keep in mind that only one person can work on your manuscript at any given time.

Question 31

I have a question or added content to my paper after I received the edited version. Can the same editor check my changes again? How does this work?

Accepted Answer

If you want your editor to have another look at your implemented changes or additions, please get in touch, citing the manuscript number we assigned to your initial submission. Although we try to do such checks quickly, please note that due to the different time zones and availabilities of our editors, it might still take a while before you receive your re-edited manuscript. We will inform you about all the necessary next steps. Also, if you chose Continuous Editing, all such checks will be free of charge.

Question 32

Do you edit references?

Accepted Answer

No we do not edit references. We do however check your in-text references for compliance with journal requirements, but we never check your list of references at the end of the document. Most authors use reference managing software such as Mendeley or Endnote, in which case, any changes we would make to your document will be changed back as soon as you open your document. If you are not using reference managing software already, please consider doing so - this is a very useful tool.

Question 33

Can you edit my tables and figures? What about the legends?

Accepted Answer

If it is written content, we can help you with these. Figure and table legends should be part of your manuscript and will be edited just like the rest of your text. If you want us to, we can also edit the contents of your tables. If figures are included in your document and you chose Premium Editing, we will check these and provide comments that can help you to improve the clarity of presentation. However, we will not change your figures in any way.

Question 34

Do you edit documents in LaTeX and TeX or PDF/Tex files formats?

Accepted Answer

No, we do not edit these file formats. You will need to submit a .doc or .docx file with the text you want us to edit. The reason for this is that we cannot provide the necessary comments and track changes in an accessible way in these formats. You can change these file formats into a clean Word document with little effort.

Question 35

Do you accept machine translated documents?

Accepted Answer

No, we do not accept software-translated documents for editing. If you require translation, we request you to have your document translated by a professional before sending it to us for editing. You may alternatively contact us and ask about translation services. We might be able to help you.

Question 36

Can you reduce the word count of my document?

Accepted Answer

Since we decide this from case to case, please reach out and provide more details about your needs. We will discuss all relevant details with you.

Question 37

Do you edit parts of a manuscript?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we edit parts of a manuscript. This could be sections, pages, or paragraphs. You can ask our client servicing team to exclude certain sections of your document from the word count if you do not want those sections edited. Alternatively, you can only submit the parts you want us to edit.
However, we strongly discourage you to only send parts of a sentence or paragraph for editing as this hampers the quality of the finished edit.

Question 38

Do you include references and tables in the word count?

Accepted Answer

We do not edit the list of references or numeric data in tables; therefore, these are not included in the word count when calculating your price for editing services. Text in tables and in-text references is included in the word count unless you instruct us to ignore these.

Question 39

I have some questions regarding the editor’s changes in my document. How can I get them answered?

Accepted Answer

If you have any questions regarding the edit that you wish to get clarified from your editor, please add these questions as comments into the edited document you received from us. Then, please either submit that edited and commented document again or simply reply to the email we have sent to you and attach this document.
Once we receive your questions, we will contact your editor and contact you with the response. Depending on the amount of questions, this might either cost a small fee, or be free of charge.

Question 40

I used your editing service but I still received a negative comment on language from the journal. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

Did you amend your manuscript after the editing and before the submission? This might lead to problems when the reviewers and/or journal editors stumble over newly introduced errors and inconsistencies.   However, if the error is on our part, we will re-edit your document free of charge. Please contact us and we will find a satisfying solution together with you.   Please send to us: - The same draft of your paper that you submitted to your journal - The most updated version of your paper, including any changes made to respond to the reviewers’ comments - The full text of the reviewers’ comments, as well as your response letter to the reviewers, if you have written one We will review your files and contact you with additional information.

Question 41

How does the payment work?

Accepted Answer

After you submitted your manuscript to us for editing, we will evaluate it and check editor availability (among other things). If all required information has been supplied, we will issue an invoice to your supplied email address. This invoice includes the steps needed to make the payment. To pay, you can use any international debit or credit card.

Question 42

How much do I have to pay?

Accepted Answer

Depending on the service you choose and the length of your text, the rate will vary. In any case, you will only pay for the exact number of words we will edit - no hidden fees and no expensive flat fees. Please check our calculator tool for a precise quote. You can do this online in just a few clicks. Just visit our pricing page and use the calculator tool.

Question 43

My institution will pay for the editing. How does this work?

Accepted Answer

Yes, your institution can pay for the editing. However, please keep in mind that the editing only starts when the invoice is paid completely. If you want us to start editing now but think that your institution might need some time with the payment, then simply pay yourself now and as soon as your institution transfers the payment, we will reimburse your payment.    Please contact us if you want this to be done. We will need the email address of your institutional office as well as yours to issue the invoice.

Question 44

What if I cannot pay the invoice?

Accepted Answer

In that case, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can work together to find a solution. Maybe your institution will pay for this? Please check our other related FAQs to find more information.

Question 45

Will I receive a confirmation mail after my payment is processed?

Accepted Answer

Yes, PayPal will send you a confirmation email on processing your credit card payment.

Question 46

Is my credit card information safe?

Accepted Answer

We do not ask or process any credit card information ourselves. The payments gateway that we are associated with is PayPal. PayPal uses the Secure Sockets Layer protocol (SSL) with an encryption key length of 128-bits (the highest level commercially available), which is why we use their services.