Because quality of writing varies widely, editing required to revise a manuscript into a highly professional communication also varies widely.  I address this uncertainty with a Preliminary Evaluation offered at the fixed rate of $30 per manuscript. 

The Preliminary Evaluation assesses manuscript quality based on a numeric scale of 1 to 5 within six domains listed below and quotes a price for full editing. It also includes detailed editing of the first page of text. The Preliminary Evaluation will serve as a contract if authors agree to the price quoted. 

• Diction (word choice), grammar, punctuation and spelling
• Phrasing and sentence structure
• Paragraph structure and manuscript organization
• Formatting
• Special needs of figures and tables
• Citations and reference list (optional)

My default service is to edit only the main text, excluding citations and the reference list. However, I will edit these manuscript elements if requested. Authors should specify that they want this additional service.