Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is XpertScientific and which services do you provide?

A: XpertScientific is a platform created by scientists for scientists. We provide three main types of service:

1. Professional editing and proofreading for authors and publishers of scientific documents;
2. Scientific translation from ES/DE/FR/JA/ZH → EN;
3. Scientific consulting, including statistical analyses, numerical modelling, scientific writing (e.g., literature reviews or the conversion of internal reports into scientific articles), creation of scientific artwork and videos, project management, outreach, and related services.

Q: Do you only edit articles, or also other scientific documents?

A: We edit a wide range of scientific documents, including theses, reports, conference abstracts, conference proceedings, book chapters, grant proposals, and related materials.

Q: Can I send you papers from any scientific subject area?

A: No. Based on the composition of our editorial team, we only accept manuscripts for which we possess the necessary professional expertise. This ensures that our editing work meets the high professional standards you expect from us. We have a portfolio of scientific subject areas that we feel qualified to edit. If in doubt, simply send us your manuscript and we will tell you within 24 hours whether we can edit it.

Q: Do you also offer translation services?

A: Yes, for certain languages we also provide translation services. Please go to our manuscript upload form and choose “TRANSLATION”. Once you have uploaded your files, we will get back to you with a specific quote.

Q: Do you also edit/proofread manuscripts written in languages other than English?

A: No, unfortunately we only offer manuscript editing and proofreading services for manuscripts written in English. However, we do offer scientific translation services, currently from Spanish, German, French, Japanese, and Chinese into English.

Q: What kinds of science consulting projects can you help with?

A: We can assist with a wide range of scientific consulting tasks, including statistical analysis, data analysis, numerical modelling, scientific figure and table preparation, literature reviews, scientific writing, project reports, grant or proposal support, publication strategy, and the preparation of scientific outreach or presentation materials. The exact scope depends on the subject area and the expertise required, so we review each request individually before providing a quote.

Q: Can you analyse my data or help with statistics?

A: Yes. We can help with data analysis and statistics for scientific projects, including exploratory analysis, statistical testing, model fitting, visualisation, interpretation of results, and preparation of publication-quality figures and tables. We can also review existing analyses and help identify potential methodological or statistical issues.

Q: Can you create publication-quality figures, tables, or visualisations?

A: Yes. We can create or improve scientific figures, tables, plots, maps, diagrams, graphical abstracts, and other visual materials for manuscripts, reports, presentations, or project websites. Where required, we can also help ensure that figures meet journal requirements regarding layout, resolution, file format, labelling, colour use, and readability.

Q: Can you help write or improve scientific reports, literature reviews, or manuscripts based on project material?

A: Yes. We can help turn project material, internal reports, analyses, or draft text into clearer scientific documents, including literature reviews, technical reports, manuscript drafts, and publication-ready articles. Depending on the project, this may involve restructuring the content, improving logical flow, clarifying the scientific message, preparing figures and tables, and adapting the text to the intended audience or target journal.

Q: How do you quote science consulting projects?

A: Consulting projects vary widely in scope, complexity, and required expertise, so we usually provide an individual quote after reviewing the project description, files, data, and expected deliverables. For small tasks, we may quote a fixed fee based on the estimated time required. For larger or less clearly defined projects, we may propose a staged workflow, an estimated budget, or a fixed fee for a clearly defined set of deliverables. If the scope changes during the project, we will contact you before carrying out additional work that would increase the cost.

Q: What files or information should I send for a consulting quote?

A: Please send a short description of the project, the scientific question or objective, any relevant data (sufficiently documented) or draft files, and a clear explanation of the expected deliverables. For data-analysis or modelling projects, it is helpful to include example datasets, variable descriptions, existing scripts or workflows, and any specific methods you want us to use. For writing or figure-preparation projects, please include any target journal instructions, formatting requirements, or examples of the desired style.

Q: Can you guarantee specific scientific results?

A: No. We can help analyse data, improve methods, identify problems, present results clearly, and prepare scientific documents, but we cannot guarantee that an analysis will produce statistically significant results, that a model will support a particular hypothesis, or that a manuscript will be accepted by a journal. Our role is to provide rigorous scientific support and clear, honest interpretation of the available evidence.

Q: What if my document is too large to upload or send by email?

A: In this case, we can provide access to a secure upload location where you can submit your manuscript or project files. We can then use the same location to deliver the edited manuscript or project files back to you.

Q: What kind of document formats can I send you?

A: We typically work with Microsoft Word files (*.doc/*.docx), but can also accept OpenDocument files (*.odt), Rich Text Format files (*.rtf), or PowerPoint presentations (*.ppt/*.pptx).

Q: Can I send you a LaTeX/PDF file?

A: Although we can edit *.tex files by opening them in MS Word and using the “Track Changes” feature, this is not recommended for several reasons: (1) we cannot perform a reliable word count, (2) the resulting file can be messy and will require additional effort from you to copy the edited plain text back into your .tex file, and (3) because we need to work with two files at the same time—the .tex file, which we edit, and the PDF file, which we use to see the formatted text—we may need to charge a small additional fee compared with editing a normal Word or OpenOffice document. Similar considerations apply to PDF files, where changes can only be made using comments or sticky notes, which you then need to incorporate manually into your publishing software. We therefore recommend using a PDF-to-Word converter and uploading both the converted Word file (as the “main manuscript”) and the original PDF (as “supplementary material”).

Q: How long will it take?

A: The turnaround time for proofreading and editing depends on the length of your document. For short documents (word count < 2750), the turnaround time starts at 2 days (or 36 hours with our priority service, subject to a 25% surcharge). The actual turnaround time will be displayed on the manuscript upload form once you have entered the word count of your document. It is also shown on our quote calculator page.

Q: What is the typical process for an editing job?

A: Please check our service page for a more detailed explanation of what we check and correct in a manuscript. The process starts with you uploading your manuscript as an MS Word or OpenOffice file and telling us which services you require. Within a few hours, we provide you with a quote. Once we receive an official purchase order or advance payment, the editing process begins. Corrections are made using Word’s “Track Changes” feature. In addition, we use margin notes to provide additional comments or suggestions where necessary. This allows you to see exactly what has been changed and why, while leaving you in control of which changes you want to accept or reject.

Q: How much will it cost?

A: This depends on the size of your manuscript (number of words), the level of editing required (e.g., Standard vs Premium Editing), and the type of additional services you require (e.g., reference checking, abstract writing, etc.). Please consult our pricing page for a list of services and prices, or use our quote calculator.

Q: How do you calculate the word count?

A: We essentially count everything you ask us to edit. In a typical manuscript, this normally includes the title, abstract, keywords, main text, table contents, figure/table captions, and acknowledgements, and excludes author affiliations and the reference list. If you explicitly ask us to exclude certain parts or sections of the manuscript, the word count will be reduced accordingly.

Q: How do I pay?

A: You can make your payment on our payments page (SSL encrypted) using a credit/debit card or mobile/digital wallet (e.g., Google Pay, Apple Pay, Alipay, and some local payment methods such as Giropay or Bancontact, depending on your country of residence), or by bank transfer. We have bank accounts in the UK, Spain, France, and Germany.

Q: Can you provide an invoice?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you offer discounts to authors from developing countries?

A: While we understand that our prices may be high for authors from developing countries, unfortunately we cannot offer such discounts because our business expenses (editor pay, overheads, taxes, etc.) remain the same, irrespective of our clients’ country of residence.

Q: Why do you levy a service charge?

A: Clients who work at French public institutions and wish to pay through their institution are subject to an additional service charge of currently €35. This reflects the additional work required to handle these types of orders. Our ordering system has been designed to automate and streamline the ordering process, allowing us to offer competitive per-word editing prices. However, if a client is unable to use this automated system, as is often the case with French public institutions, we need to process and handle the order manually, which creates additional work for us. In particular, French public institutions often outsource part of their administrative procedures to suppliers like us, requiring several email exchanges (often in French), completion of forms (in French), procurement of bank certificates (for which our bank charges us a fee), registration on online portals to submit invoices, and other administrative steps. We therefore need to charge a small fee to cover the additional time required to handle these requests. We sincerely regret having to do this. If you have received a PDF quote that contains such a service charge and wish to remove it, you can do so by pre-paying your order with your own debit/credit card or digital wallet and then reclaiming the cost from your institution. Before paying, simply send us a short email to let us know that you wish to prepay the order and we will remove the service charge from your quote. Thank you for your understanding.

Q: Why is there a minimum charge of €40 per order?

A: Each order requires a certain amount of manual processing, and there are also fixed minimum costs, for example for processing card payments. Our minimum charge per order ensures that we can cover these fixed costs.

Q: Why use a professional editing service?

A: Authors who use English as a second language can find it difficult to get their work published. Many scientifically sound papers do not pass the review process, or are largely ignored by the scientific community after publication, because the scientific message has not been communicated clearly and concisely enough. Even as a native speaker, you may lack the time or experience to prepare a manuscript that conforms to the strict standards of scientific publishers. We can help eliminate errors and improve style, logical flow, and readability, while also relieving you of tedious tasks such as checking the manuscript for consistency and ensuring that it conforms to the journal’s author guidelines. This saves valuable time and can increase your chances of publication. In addition, improved readability helps ensure that your message reaches your intended audience, which may in turn increase the visibility and citation potential of your work.

Q: Who does the editing?

A: Our team of permanent members is complemented by a large pool of editorial experts from various scientific subject areas. All have academic backgrounds and PhDs in the natural, environmental, (bio)medical, engineering, or social sciences, and they perform meticulous scientific editing and proofreading of research papers, theses, proposals, and other scientific documents. Furthermore, all our editors have extensive experience in publishing and editing peer-reviewed papers, writing and reviewing grant proposals, and related academic work. Before the edited manuscript is returned to you, it is quality-checked by a managing editor or the editor-in-chief.

Q: How does your acceptance guarantee work?

A: If an article edited by us is rejected by a journal solely due to poor English (see this question for why this can happen), we will re-check the article free of charge and help you write a rebuttal letter to the journal. This applies if the following conditions are met:

1. We edited the entire manuscript, including figure/table captions, supplementary material, etc.;
2. The manuscript did not contain severe language issues that we were unable to resolve and had pointed out to you in margin notes, e.g., sentences or paragraphs that were unintelligible and could not be edited reliably;
3. You accepted all our corrections and submitted the manuscript to the journal as edited, i.e., without making further modifications.

Q: Do I need to mention you in the acknowledgements?

A: Most journals require full disclosure of anyone who has contributed to a manuscript, and this includes an editing service such as XpertScientific. We typically recommend using a formulation such as: “Editorial assistance, in the form of language editing and correction [plus any other service you may have ordered, e.g., reference checking, abstract writing, formulating replies to reviewers, etc.], was provided by XpertScientific Editing and Consulting Services.”

Q: Why are you more expensive than some other services?

A: If you have seen prices elsewhere that seem too good to be true, then they most likely are. Unlike some competitors, we do not rely on automated AI systems or undergraduate students from low-income countries to proofread your manuscript.
All our editors are experienced academics with PhD degrees from highly regarded universities. They take the time needed not only to correct simple spelling and grammatical errors, but, more importantly, to improve logical flow, awkward phrasing, word choice, and academic tone. These types of corrections are more time-consuming and require an editor who understands the science and has the necessary experience and ability to suggest improvements at this level. The many positive client testimonials show that our approach is the right one.

Q: Can you provide an editing certificate?

A: Upon request, we are happy to provide you with a free proofreading/editing certificate confirming that your document has been proofread and edited by one or more of our expert editors. These certificates can be used when you submit your paper to academic journals and publishers. To obtain a certificate, simply include the request when you submit your manuscript to us.

Q: Do you guarantee publication?

A: No. We cannot guarantee publication because editorial decisions depend on scientific novelty, methodology, journal scope, reviewer opinions, editorial priorities, and many other factors outside our control. What we can do is help ensure that your manuscript is clearly written, professionally presented, and compliant with the target journal’s formal requirements.

Q: Despite using your editing service, I received a comment during peer review that parts of the manuscript had poor English. Why?

A: There are several potential reasons for this. For instance:

• Unclear or incomprehensible sections: In some cases, certain sentences or paragraphs in the original manuscript may have been unclear or difficult to understand. If the intended meaning was ambiguous, our editors may have been unable to revise these sections reliably. In such cases, our editors leave margin notes indicating that a particular section requires revision or clarification before submission to the journal. If these issues are not addressed and the revised sections are not resubmitted to us for further review, errors may remain and could lead to negative feedback during peer review.
• Post-editing changes or additions: After receiving the edited manuscript, you may realise that additional changes or updates are necessary, such as modifications to figures or the inclusion of missing information. If these changes are not submitted to us for re-editing, new errors may be introduced, which could also result in critical comments from reviewers.
• Language proficiency of the reviewer: It is also possible that the reviewer who commented on the manuscript’s language may not be a native English speaker, which could affect the accuracy of their critique.

In any case, if you receive feedback of this nature and are unsure about the cause, please feel free to send us both the submitted manuscript and the reviewer comments, and we will try to resolve the situation or formulate a rebuttal to the journal editor if needed (see our acceptance guarantee).

Q: What is the difference between the “One free round of re-editing” and “Unlimited re-edits for 365 days” add-ons, and how do they work?

A:

• Our Premium Editing package includes the complimentary add-on One free round of re-editing, which can be used within 30 days from the invoice date and allows you to have us re-check minor modifications you have made to the edited manuscript before submitting it to the journal. For example, if you added a few sentences to clarify an issue or if the editor asked you to review some edits because the intended meaning of the original text was unclear, you can revise those parts and ask us to re-check them. It is important to ensure that all revisions are clearly identified before sending us the revised manuscript, as your editor will not re-check the entire document. For this purpose, you can use highlighting or the Word function Track Changes. We recommend marking all changes made relative to our original edit, including passages where you decided not to use our edits and kept the original text, as these may contain potential language errors that could result in complaints from peer reviewers.
• The Unlimited Re-edits for 365 Days add-on serves a similar purpose and works in a similar way, except that it allows for multiple re-edits during a 365-day period from the invoice date. This means you can use it to have us check minor revisions you make to the manuscript after submission to the journal, e.g., in response to reviewer comments. This is a paid add-on unless ordered in combination with our Carefree package.

Important: Both add-ons are intended for minor modifications only. If the changes are more substantial, we reserve the right to charge a small additional fee.

Q: Can you help with cover letters and responses to reviewers?

A: Yes. We can help draft, edit, or improve cover letters and point-by-point responses to reviewers. For reviewer responses, we can improve tone, clarity, structure, and language, and help ensure that each reviewer comment is addressed clearly and professionally. Scientific decisions and final content remain the responsibility of the authors.

Q: Can you help me choose a suitable journal?

A: We can provide general guidance on journal suitability based on scope, article type, audience, and formal submission requirements. However, we cannot guarantee acceptance, and the final choice of journal remains the author’s responsibility.

Q: Do you use artificial intelligence to edit my manuscript?

A: No. For the reasons explained here, we do not currently use AI tools to edit your manuscript. Scientific editing requires subject expertise, judgement, accountability, and careful attention to meaning, and we do not consider current AI-generated edits reliable enough for manuscripts intended for scientific publication.

Q: Do you edit manuscripts written or revised with AI tools?

A: Yes. We can edit manuscripts that were drafted, translated, or revised with AI tools, provided that the authors have checked the scientific content and remain responsible for the accuracy and originality of the manuscript. AI-assisted text often sounds fluent but may contain factual errors, inappropriate terminology, fabricated references, or subtle changes in meaning. For this reason, we recommend a careful human review before journal submission. See our page on editing AI-assisted manuscripts.

Q: Can you check whether my manuscript complies with the journal’s author instructions?

A: Yes. We can check whether your manuscript follows the target journal’s author instructions, including formatting, word limits, reference style, figure and table requirements, supplementary files, declarations, data availability statements, conflict-of-interest statements, and other formal requirements. This service is included in some packages and can also be requested as an add-on.