Kerry Greer, President, Edanz Group

1. English Language Editing for African
Scientists
Kerry Greer
President
Edanz Group

2. THE EDANZ GROUP- History
 1995 Edanz Editing established in Japan. Halves the “Japan premium” prices charged by other
services
 1996 The first editing company worldwide to introduce a 3 day standard service and 1 day express
 1998 The first editing company to go online and make full use of the Internet to increase
convenience for authors
 2006 The first international editing service to register a business in China. In 2011, we are still the
only English editing service fully localized there.
Training programs aimed at teaching authors "How to Write a World Class Paper“ launched to
raise the English writing skills of non native-English scientists.
 2008 Edanz introduces Focus Services, such as Rewriting, Expert Scientific Review, and Journal
Selection, that further increase an author's chances of successful publication.
Edanz Writing established to provide manuscript development services to pharmaceutical and life
science companies.
 2009 Edanz editing and rewriting services extended to authors worldwide. An editing and writing
team of 140 highly qualified scientists and academics.
 2011 Worldwide “recommended editing service” partnerships with BMC, Springer and AIP. Editor
and writing team of 300+ .

3. THE EDANZ GROUP
 The Edanz Group has prepared over 70,000
manuscripts for submission to over 4,000 journals
 We currently provide language services for over 1,600
manuscripts per month, and have over 9,500 clients in
Japan, 6,000 in China, and 1000 + elsewhere worldwide
 Throughout our history we have sought to increase
value and convenience for our clients through constant
innovation and an attitude of doing what it takes to
increase an author's chances of successful publication
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4. Edanz Japan office team
Notable achievement:
Editing for the world’s
most cited researchers
8 customer service staff
5 In-house quality control editors
4 Management staff
2 IT and development staff
5 Senior editors and trainers – Life and Environmental sciences
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5. Edanz China office team
Notable achievement:
Becoming the editing
service for the Chinese
Science Bulletin
6 customer service staff
3 Management staff
1 Senior advisor
5 IT and development staff
1 Senior editor and trainer – Physical Sciences
Up from 8 in January 2010
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6. 300+ scientific expert editors
Dr Jim Cummins
1970 – PhD Reproductive Biology, University of Liverpool, UK
World-renowned IVF expert, and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Biology
Dr Alison Sherwin
1992 – PhD Biochemistry, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK
Has edited over 3,500 manuscripts in the Health and Life Sciences for Japanese and Chinese authors
Dr Thomas Laage
1976 – MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA
Experienced psychiatrist, formerly at McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Dr Kristen Demarest
2000 – PhD Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY, USA
Currently staff scientist at Scripps Research Institute
Dr Tim Werry
2003 – PhD Pharmacology, University of Leicester, UK
Currently at Queen Mary University of London studying dentistry. Previously at GlaxoSmithKline Ltd in the
Neurosciences Centre of Excellence in Drug Discovery in the UK.
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7. Services
 Language Editing
 Expert Scientific Review
 Abstract Writing
 Cover Letter Writing
 Point-by-Point Response Check
 Educational Seminars
 Training Materials
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8. Trusted by Publishers
Recommended by:
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9. Community outreach
Chinese University Journals
in Natural Sciences (CUJS)
Tokyo University
Chinese Medical Association manuscript seminar
King Fahd University of
Fukuoka University two-day author Petroleum and Minerals
workshop Kyushu University (Neurology) left
Keio University (Stem cells) right
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10. Presentations at major international conferences
Invited manuscript writing workshop for Neuroscience 2010, the 40th Annual Meeting
of the Society for Neuroscience
San Diego, November 14, 2010
 300 participants
 Panelists from Neuron, Neuroscience, Nature Neuroscience, PLoS Biology and Anianet
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11. Author workshops
Edanz sends our Senior editors and Trainers to Universities
and research Institutes to run author training workshops
So far we have presented these in:
China, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and the USA
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12. Author workshop topics
 Why publish?
 Study design
 What do journal editors want?
 Benefits of peer review, how reviewers assess manuscripts
 Choosing a journal
 Ethics
 Details on what each section should contain
 Complying with Instructions for Authors
 Post-referee revisions
 Scientific writing
 Language workshop with interactive exercises
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13. Life Sciences and Journal Editor Trainer
Dr Daniel McGowan, Edanz Group Science Director
2002 - PhD Molecular Neuroscience, University of Auckland, NZ
 Winner of the 2003 EU Marie Curie Post-doctoral Fellowship
 Has worked in laboratories investigating the molecular
mechanisms in Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease,
combining laser micro-dissection, microarray analysis and
proteomics.
 In-depth knowledge of neurodegenerative diseases, neural
function, molecular and cellular biology and protein
biochemistry, along with extensive multi-disciplinary laboratory
experience of contemporary and traditional techniques
including proteomics, functional genomics and cell imaging.
 Former Associate Editor at Nature Reviews
Neuroscience
 Has presented over 40 author workshops
 Has edited over 2,500 manuscripts written by Japanese
and Chinese scientists
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14. Life Sciences Trainer
Dr Warren Raye, Edanz Group Senior Editor & Trainer – Life Sciences
2005 - PhD Molecular Virology, Murdoch University, Australia
 Formerly employed by Monash University as a Research Fellow
and Lecturer in the fast-changing field of stem cell biology. Dr
Raye has also conducted independent research in the areas of
molecular virology, inflammation biology and molecular biology.
 Dr Raye began working as an editor with the Edanz Group in early
2009, before moving to Fukuoka and taking up the position of
Senior Life Sciences Editor in November 2010.
 Based in Edanz Fukuoka, Japan office
 Experienced researcher and lecturer at
undergraduate and post-graduate levels
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15. Author Challenges
What do authors find challenging about
submitting manuscripts for publication?

16. Author Challenges - Preparation
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17. Choosing a journal
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18. Author Challenges – Journal Requirements
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19. Author Challenges – Submission / Post Referee
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20. Edanz Author Resources
Online materials:
How to write a manuscript
Cover Letter Template
Response Letter Template
Springer Author Academy
The Edanz Journal Selector Tool
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21. How to write a manuscript
Get your paper accepted
Edanz free manuscript writing educational materials
Edanz Group Ltd

22. Section One Preparations before writing
 How to identify hot topics
 Study design
 What do journal editors want?
 Choosing an appropriate journal
 Ethical issues

23. How to identify hot topics
Look for clues— Read the literature, Attend
unexplained findings, including related international
controversies fields meetings
Greater interest = Greater competition
Identify your advantages and use them
Edanz Group Japan | 23

24. Section Two Manuscript structure
 The ‘write’ order  Results
 Title  Display items
 Abstract and keywords  Statistics
 Introduction  Discussion and
 Materials and Methods Conclusions
 References

25. The ‘write’ order
IMRaD manuscripts: for maximum clarity and
consistency, write in this order:
 Methods
Write during the research
 Results
 Introduction
 Discussion Write after selecting your
 Title target journal
 Abstract
Edanz Group Japan | 25

26. Section Three Tips for getting accepted
Your cover letter What do reviewers look for?
Recommending reviewers Submission
Language Final checks
Good writing Post-referee revisions
Common language problems Checklist

27. Cover letters
 Journal Editors receive hundreds
of manuscripts each month
 They don’t have time to read each
manuscript
 Society journal editors are
especially busy as they are usually
practicing researchers too
Your cover Letter is an opportunity
to get the journal editor’s attention
Edanz Group Japan | 27

28. Your cover letter
Dear Dr Lisberger,
Please find enclosed our manuscript entitled “Amyloid-like inclusions in the brains of Huntington’s disease patients”, by
McGowan et al., which we would like to submit for publication as a Research Paper in Neuroscience.
Recent immunohistochemical studies have revealed the presence of neuronal inclusions containing an N-terminal portion Give the
of the mutant huntingtin protein and ubiquitin in the brain tissues of Huntington’s disease (HD) patients; however, the role
background to
of these inclusions in the disease process has remained unclear. One suspected disease-causing mechanism in
Huntington’s disease and other polyglutamine disorders is the potential for the mutant protein to undergo a the research
conformational change to a more stable anti-parallel β-sheet structure…
To confirm if the immunohistochemically observed huntingtin- and ubiquitin-containing inclusions display amyloid Explain what
features, we performed Congo red staining and both polarizing and confocal microscopy on post-mortem human brain was done and
tissues obtained from five HD patients, two AD patients, and two normal controls. Congo red staining revealed a small what was found
number of amyloid-like inclusions showing green birefringence by polarized microscopy, in a variety of cortical regions....
….detected inclusions observed in parallel sections, suggesting that only a relatively small proportion of inclusions in HD
adopt an amyloid-like structure. Explain why this
is interesting to
We believe our findings would appeal to a broad audience, such as the readership of Neuroscience. As a wide-reaching the journal’s
journal publishing original research on all aspects of neuroscience…
readership
We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal. All Conforms to
authors have approved the manuscript and agree with submission to Neuroscience. We have read and have abided by the
statement of ethical standards for manuscripts submitted to Neuroscience. The authors have no conflicts of interest to the journal’s
declare. requirements
Please address all correspondence to….
Edanz Group Japan | 28

29. Language Common English problems
Tense Nomenclature
Articles Such as/namely
Plural or singular Etc.
Proper nouns Asian fonts
Hyphen or dash UK or US spelling
That/which Presenting numbers
Making comparisons
Respectively
Between or among
Edanz Group Japan | 29

30. Language Dash or hyphen
En dash (–): means “through.”
October 28–29; pp. 2–5. (don’t use ~)
Em dash (—): Used to break a sentence, introduce
something, or introduce an afterthought.
These two metals—that is, titanium and magnesium—
are very light.
Edanz Group Japan | 30

31. Cover Letter Template
 A cover letter can “sell” your manuscript to the
journal editor. We provide a cover letter
template and a “how to” guide to writing a
cover letter.
 The Edanz guide helps you make the right first
impression.
 Download for free at:
http://edanzediting.com/node/4452

32. Response Letter Template
When responding to peer review it is important
to address all points raised by the editor and/or
reviewers.
Edanz provides and easy to use Response Letter
Template and an instruction guide that can help
authors correctly respond to comments and
revise their manuscript.
Download for free at:
http://edanzediting.com/node/4454

33. Springer Author Academy
The Springer Author Academy is a guide for authors that
has been developed by Edanz for Springer on the basics
of writing and publishing a scientific manuscript. It has all
the information an author needs to know about getting
published.
http://www.springer.com/authors/journal+authors/training
For authors who do not have a good internet service to easily use these resources, a
downloadable PDF version is available on the Open Access Africa 2011 Attendees landing
page that links off the homepage of the Edanz website www.edanzediting.com

34. Springer Author Academy
• Overview
• Before you begin
• Choosing a journal
• Structuring your manuscript
• Display items
• Overcoming language barriers
• Publication ethics
• Submitting
• Peer review

35. Springer Author Academy
• Overview
• Why publish in English?
• Why is good writing important?
• What do journal editors want?
• Types of journal manuscripts

36. Springer Author Academy
Why publish in English?
Because English is the language scientists in different countries use to
communicate with each other, publishing in English allows you to reach
the broadest possible audience. This will help you achieve the goal that
led you to publish in the first place: To add to our understanding of the
world by informing other scientists about your research.
Of course, if English is not your first language, having to use it may add to
the challenges of writing and publishing.
• Why is good writing important?
• Concise writing
• Comparisons
• Proper nouns
• Articles
• Use of 'respectively'
• Numerals and units
• Spelling
• Punctuation

37. Edanz Journal Selector Tool
An online interactive tool developed by Edanz
that enables authors to find the right journal
to submit their manuscript to.
Part of a Journal Advisor Platform that Edanz
is developing to help authors worldwide
prepare their manuscripts for publication.
Presently a beta Chinese language version is
available on the China ScienceNet and Edanz
Group China websites.

45. Other Resources for Authors
The Research Cooperative
BMH Linguistics
Springer exemplar
Scribe Consulting – in Western Australia
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
EASE Author Guidelines

46. The Research Cooperative
Many members of the Research Cooperative offer help for academic editing or
proofreading. Much of this is done in forums.
They discuss matters related to training, best practices, costs, negotiation
between editors, proofreaders, authors and publishers, and so on. Editors,
proofreaders, students, researchers, publishers and others are all welcome to
join.
There are two groups in this Cooperative that are relevant for finding help
about getting published
Editors/Proofreaders
http://researchcooperative.org/group/editorsproofreaders
Publishing and Production
http://researchcooperative.org/group/publishing

47. BMH Linguistics
The Centre for Biomedical and Health Linguistics is a non
profit collaboration dedicated to facilitating communicative
competence in the languages of biomedicine and health.
 Quantitative and qualitative research into various
languages, and by applying the findings of research to the
development of language resources.
 Members of this collaboration include academics in
Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Malaysia and the United
Kingdom.
 Open-access learning resources and their research reports.
http://www.bmhlinguistics.org/joomla2/about-bmh

48. Springer exemplar term/phrase usage
http://springerexemplar.com/index.aspx
“complexity”
... what Rescher (1998) described as “the complexity of the real” (in his chapter 2). ...
... In this chapter, a statistical measure of complexity and the Fisher-Shannon information product ...
... Nevertheless, the appearance of
complexity remains. ...
increasing
... We may extend the complexity of our framework of causal modelling of ...
... interpretation and applications of the complexity measures, different order-uncertainty ...
... length by l(p).For each object x in S, the complexity of object x with respect to the specifying ...
... The Hierarchical Approaches to Molecular Complexity Criteria for Topological ...
... three sessions. The context free grammar complexity and the Lempel-Ziv ...
... for valuation of size and coupling complexities of design products as abstracted by three ...

49. Scribe Consulting
Scribe has a series of web pages with relevant
writing tips – for example
 Acronyms and initialisms
 All about ampersands
 All about dashes
 All about ellipsis (...)
http://www.scribe.com.au/writing-tips.html

50. Online Writing Lab (OWL)
 The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University
houses writing resources and instructional material,
that are provided as a free service of the Writing Lab.
 Users worldwide will find information to assist with
many writing projects. Teachers and trainers can use
this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/

51. EASE guidelines
These are generalized guidelines developed by the
European Association of Science Editors to help
authors and translators of scientific publications. It
aims to ensure complete, concise and clear scientific
communication.
Areas focused on as appendices to the main report,
which details the mechanics of writing a paper, are:
Abstracts Plurals
Ambiguity Simplicity
Cohesion Spelling

52. Edanz Journal Resources
For journal editors and society publishers,
Edanz has prepared series of slides that show:
“How to unlock your journal’s full potential”
Available on the “Open Access Africa 2011”
landing page:
http://edanzediting.com/open_access_africa_2011

53. Open Access Africa 2011
24 October 2011

54. 24 October 2011 |Open Access Africa 2011
1. What do authors want?
2. Creating an image for your journal
3. Encouraging appropriate submissions
4. Encouraging more submissions
5. What do reviewers want?
6. Case study: Neural Regeneration Research
How to unlock your journal's full potential 54

55. How EDANZ Edits a BioMed Central
Targeted Manuscript
 All BioMed Central referred and/or destined manuscripts are
tracked and a 10% discount given
 An editor closely matching the authors field is assigned. With
over 300 editors, and an ongoing recruitment and training
programme for biomedical editors, Edanz is confident it can
find the right editor for all BioMed Central manuscripts it
receives
 Two rounds of editing and author/editor communication
ensure the science is not changed in the editing process
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56. Two Rounds of Editing
We know from 16 years of editing experience that one round of
editing is often insufficient to clarify the scientific content and
bring the language of the paper to an international level:
 Therefore Edanz has first edit and clarification rounds
 In the first round editors comment to authors to ensure clarity
of language and accuracy of scientific meaning – these are
addressed in subsequent rounds
 Our In-house team of language editors review and check every
paper before it is returned to its author
 Both rounds are included in our standard fee
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57. Free Editing for African scientists
submitting to BioMed Central Journals
To mark this Open Access Africa 2011 congress, Edanz will provide free
editing for 20 African authors submitting to 5 BioMed Central Journals that
are particularly relevant to African authors
BMC Public Health
Virology Journal
AIDs Research and Therapy
International Journal for Equity in Health
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine
 In circumstances where the journal editor feels the science of the paper is
good but that the language needs polishing before submission and...
 The author’s funding conditions could make it difficult to obtain the high
level editing needed.
 The journal editor will refer the author to Edanz for free language editing

58. Edanz Contact details
Edanz Group Japan Edanz Group China (Liwen Bianji)
Tom da Costa – Director, Japan Benjamin Shaw – Director, China
Edanz Building Interchina Commercial Building, 1112A
1-5-8 Otemon No 33. Dengshikou Street
Chuo-Ku, Dongcheng District, Beijing, P.C. 100006,
Fukuoka 810-0074 CHINA
JAPAN
Tel: +81-92-715-7208 Phone: +86-10-6528-0877
Fax: +81-92-715-7204 Fax: +86-10-6528-0834
Email: tdcosta@edanzgroup.com Email: bshaw@edanzgroup.com
Edanz Group Global
Christiane Roll – Global Manager
(In the Japan Office)
Email: croll@edanzgroup.com
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59. Thank you!
All the materials presented here are available
as downloads:
http://edanzediting.com/open_access_africa_2011