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 provides an assessment of manuscript quality based on a numeric scale of 1 to 5 within six domains listed below. I will also complete detailed editing of the first page of text and submit a price quote for complete editing. 

• 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. Citations and reference lists present special problems and can be edited by authors using citation management software such as EndNote, Mendeley or Zotero. Authors should specify whether they want this additional service.