Editing
We work one-on-one with faculty and trainees to improve the success of their writing projects, by assisting with mechanics, style & clarity, presentation, and the science of their projects. Authors can select the level of editing they want us to provide. We also provide scientific writing courses and workshops, and we can facilitate grant planning forums.
Learn more about the types of projects we can help with:
Levels of feedback available (choose one or more):
| Mechanics | Proofing for grammar, typographical mistakes, and other errors (provided for all projects) |
| Style, clarity, and presentation | Suggestions toward improving text flow and sentence/paragraph structure; highlighting significance of the research; and, in the case of multi-author documents, achieving a single voice |
| Science | Pre-review from the perspective of a non-specialist reviewer; on request, feedback on how well scoring criteria for grants are covered |
Input/Output:
| Authors | Submit electronic text and figure files by e-mail (or Dropbox if files are large) |
| Core staff | Return annotated copy of electronic file(s) |
Single-Project Grants
We provide editing services for single-project grants. For effective grant planning, we encourage authors to contact us well in advance of the submission deadline, and to submit their initial Specific Aims page (or equivalent) 1–2 months before the deadline.
When authors are able to provide this information at least 2 months before the deadline, we also encourage them to let us help them organize a Grant Planning Forum – with our staff and local (and if possible, outside) faculty who have related research interests.
Submission of the remainder of the grant within a month of the deadline typically ensures that we have time to go through all documents at least once. However, because our editors can get busy before grant deadlines, we recommend that you contact us in advance to let us know by what date you'll send us your grant. Schedule an Editing Project
Multi-Project Grants
We also assist with larger, more complex grants. In addition to providing feedback on mechanics, style and clarity, and the science, we also work to achieve a single voice across the different writing styles of multiple contributors. Thus, it is typically best for us to be involved in the grant planning process early – including participating in strategy sessions and other team meetings. Schedule an Editing Project
Research Articles
We can assist you with your next research article. We strive to ensure that the significance of your research is immediately clear to the reader. Schedule an Editing Project
Other Documents
As time permits, we work on other projects, including:
| Documents for Publication | Reviews | Book Chapters | Meeting Abstracts |
| Miscellaneous | Cover Letters | Progress Reports | Personal Statements | Recommendation Letters | Reviewer Reports | News Releases | Science Columns | Website Materials | Job Ads |
Note about Theses
We typically do not work on theses, as our focus is on scholarly output of CCOM faculty and trainees; the needs of authors working on grant applications and research manuscripts are our top priority. We highly recommend that students take advantage of our scientific writing courses and workshops early in their graduate careers to improve their writing skills.
Additional resources are available to help students with their writing projects:
- Writing Center of the UI Department of Rhetoric
- UI Graduate College (fellowship applications, career materials).