FAQs

How do I submit my manuscript?
It is very easy to submit your manuscript to Bioedit. If you are a new user, simply press “Create Account” and you will be taken to a secure, encrypted area where you can choose a user name and password and upload your files. If you are an existing client, please login using your user name and password, and you will be taken directly to your personal area where you can view previous work and invoices, and upload new files for editing.

What happens to my manuscript after uploading?
After being briefly checked by the moderator assigned to your manuscript, it will be sent to a subject-specific editor whose qualifications/research experience are closest to the subject of the manuscript. You may follow the progress of your manuscript by logging into your account regularly.

How good is security on the Bioedit website?
All communication beyond the login page is ensured by SSL encryption through RapidSSL, the world's second largest digital certificate provider for secure e-business transactions. This means that no one can access the content of your account, communications between you and your account, or the content of any manuscript or file during the uploading or downloading process.

I’m worried that the editor assigned to my manuscript might use the content of my manuscript for his/her own work or communicate it to third parties.
All editors at Bioedit Ltd have signed a confidentiality agreement in which they agree not to divulge the content of any manuscript to anyone else or use it in their own work.

I really appreciated the helpful queries/suggestions you inserted into the edited version of my manuscript. Will I have to pay again if I request editing of the text relating to these queries?
No, you will not; however, the new/modified text must not constitute more than 10% of the size (word count) of the original manuscript. If it does, we will treat it as a revised manuscript and charge you accordingly (see below).

May I request a specific editor to edit my manuscript?
Yes, you may. Please let us know your choice when uploading the manuscript.

How are the members of the Bioedit editorial staff vetted?
Editors at Bioedit Ltd must (i) be native speakers of the English language and have practiced English as a first language, (ii) possess a Ph.D. in one of the life sciences, (iii) have a publication record and (iv) have either prior experience of the review process as a referee or have acted as an editor of a peer-reviewed journal in the life sciences. Additionally, editors must show a consistently high level of quality editing over a three-month period before becoming permanent members of the Bioedit editing team.

What document formats do you accept?
We accept all documents in MS Word (all versions, including RTF and MS Word 2008) and text format. We will also accept work written with other word processors that has been converted to Open XML format.

How can I pay?
You can pay by credit card, cheque, or bank transfer. If you opt to pay by credit card, you can do this through an encrypted page on our website (WorldPay). Otherwise, you will be supplied with details about how to pay by bank transfer or cheque in the email containing the receipt for your manuscript.

Will I be charged VAT?
All our invoices are exclusive of VAT. You will not be charged VAT if you supply us with a registered EC VAT number, or if you are based outside of the European community. Please furnish us with your VAT number when you upload your manuscript.

I thought that Bioedit was a DNA sequence alignment editor.
No. Bioedit is the registered trademark of Bioedit Ltd [EC Trademark 003348745]. It has got nothing to do with the Bioedit sequence alignment editor.

What types of work do you edit?
We edit and proofread all types of documents, including grant proposals, letters, manuscripts, reports, theses, publicity, presentations at international conferences, and dissertations in all disciplines of biology, biomedicine, and biotechnology.

Should I upload accompanying materials, such as figures, diagrams, and tables with the document(s)?
Yes. This is usually very helpful. Having the data available allows us to better understand the text and check for consistency between the text and the data. You can send the accompanying materials in PowerPoint, Excel, PDF, TIFF, GIF, or JPG format.

How will I know when my manuscript is ready?

You will receive an email informing you that your edited manuscript is available for downloading from your account on the Bioedit website.

Do you operate a discount scheme for regular clients?
Yes, we do. You will be issued a discount token every time you pay an invoice. Each token engenders a 10% discount in the cost of editing another manuscript. You can combine tokens to accumulate discounts, or share them with your colleagues.

How will I know you received my manuscript?

An automatic receipt is sent to your email address immediately after you upload the document(s) to the website. The receipt will be dated and will inform you of the date on which the edited version will be ready for downloading.

Can I get a quote?
Quotes are made available on the website, usually within 5 hours of issuing the automatic receipt. You will be requested to validate this quote in a second email. To avoid a delay in editing the manuscript, please reply to this email as quickly as possible.

How will I be invoiced?
You will be invoiced by email within one to two weeks after completion of work on your manuscript. You may pay either by credit card by logging into your account and using the secure server maintained by WorldPay, or you may pay by cheque or bank transfer. The bank account details are visible at the bottom of each email message.

Will I receive a receipt?
Yes. You will receive two receipts by email. One will be issued by Bioedit Ltd immediately after you pay by credit card. The second receipt will be sent directly to you by WorldPay.

What about revised manuscripts? Will I have to pay the same amount again?
No, you will not. We apply a 30% discount if the manuscript was edited previously by us.

Do you edit letters containing responses to the comments of editors and referees?
Yes, we do. These are treated in exactly the same manner as manuscripts. However, as the comments of the referees and editors will not be edited, please exclude them when calculating the word count. Additionally, please send us the revised manuscript together with the letter, even if it is not in need of editing.

How will I see the changes in my manuscript?
Changes can be clearly seen by turning on the “Track Changes” option in the “Tools” menu of MS Word (MS Word 6.0 or higher only). See an example of a finished text here. You can accept and reject changes by simply right clicking on the highlighted text and choosing the appropriate option. For a more detailed review of the “Track Changes” option in MS Word see here.

What if I fail to receive my manuscript back on time?
Whilst Bioedit will always try to deliver the work before the announced deadline, you will be refunded 10% of the cost of editing for each day the delivery date exceeds the deadline.

What if I’m not happy with the edited manuscript?
All our work comes with the guarantee that any manuscript that has been entirely edited by Bioedit will not be rejected for publication because of poor English. In the unlikely event that this should happen, we will continue to work with you until you are happy with the edited version. If you are still unhappy, we will make a full refund.