Month: June 2024

Have you written a research manuscript you want to publish?

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Have a professional editor go over it.

Manuscripts that have been scrutinized by an outside professional editor have a better chance of being accepted for publication. Let’s look at why.

A research author will spend countless hours writing their manuscript, and this can make anyone’s brain numb. After a while, the author, having gone over the same words and paragraphs over and over again, might become oblivious to things like errors in spelling and grammar. A professional editor will examine the manuscript with a fresh pair of eyes and see issues that may have slipped past the author.

Editors are also very sensitive to accessibility in a manuscript. For example, a graph of data may have a beautiful palette of colors, but these colors may be difficult to discern for a reader who has color blindness. An editor can suggest to the author that using crosshatching and dark and light shading instead is the way to go.

Authors who are writing in English when they are not accustomed to it definitely need an editor. There are languages which do not use articles, for example. An editor can fill in the “a,” “an,” and “the” where they are omitted in English by an author whose native language does not use them. (This should preferably be done with the Word macro ArticleChanger, which was programmed by Paul Beverley and saves editors countless amounts of time.) Also, the sentence structure of several non-English languages differs significantly from that of English, so whole sentences often need to be rewritten to make them flow more smoothly in English.

Let us not forget the author’s references. A professional editor will always make sure that each reference on the reference list is cited in the text (whether in Harvard, Vancouver, AMA, or any other prescribed style). Without the help of an editor, it is possible that the author may miss citing one or more of the references—which is a big problem. An editor will also make sure that the reference list is in the format required by the target journal.

What other reasons why a researcher should employ a professional editor for their manuscripts can you think of?

More upgrading for me

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On June 13, I upgraded the Office suite on both my laptop and our newer one to MS Office 365. Previously, my laptop had been running Office 2019 (the standalone version) and the newer laptop didn’t have any Office software.

Performing the upgrade required a visit to the Microsoft site, a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth, a call to Microsoft tech support, and the last of my patience—but I did it. And I’m so glad I did.

The truth was that Office 2019 was no longer supported by Microsoft, which meant that no updates were available for it anymore. This included security updates, and not having those made my work dangerously vulnerable. The second (and awful) truth was that it was last fall that Office 2019 stopped being supported, but I resisted upgrading because of the cost and the fact that installing new software always makes me nervous.

I have to admit that I don’t know much about Office 365 in terms of its many features. One might wonder why I chose it instead of the standalone Office 2021 or the standalone Office 2024, the latter of which comes out later this year.

From what I read online, Office 2021 will cease to be supported by Microsoft in the fall of 2026, which is less than two and a half years from when I am writing this post. This means that if I were to drop a few hundred dollars on Office 2021 now, I will have to spend around the same amount of money on newer software just two and a half years from now.

As for Office 2024, it will be supported for several more years, but it is not going to be made available to consumers until July at the earliest (probably later than that), and since my work had been made vulnerable by Office 2019 not receiving the latest security updates, I needed to upgrade as soon as possible.

Many of the editors in my associations use Office 365, so I feel much more professional having and using it. Boy…first I upgrade to Windows 11, then Office 365. I am not a luddite anymore. (That was a joke. I was never a luddite to begin with.)

If you are using MS Office 365, what do you like the most about it? Or dislike the most?

AI: Artificial intelligence

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These days, there is a lot of talk about artificial intelligence (AI).

To me, the term sounds like an oxymoron. Many decades ago, my father took a training class in the use of the personal computer. According to him, the instructor said, “The first thing to remember is that the computer is a dumb machine.” If that is true, then how can a computer show intelligence?

Just about everyone in this modern world uses AI, whether they know it or not (and whether they like it or not). For example, I have Siri on my iPhone. Siri, for those who aren’t familiar with it, is a virtual assistant which is artificially intelligent. I can ask it, “When is Bruce Springsteen’s birthday?” and it will reply in a female voice, “Bruce Springsteen was born on September twenty-third, nineteen forty-nine, and is seventy-four years old.” Or if I ask Siri a more complex question, it will show me links that potentially have the information for which I am looking. I have to admit that I love Siri.

Texting on my iPhone also exposes me to AI. As I am typing a sentence, three suggested words will appear below the text, and I can tap a word to insert it rather than typing out all of the letters. This saves me a lot of time, although sometimes it concerns me, such as when I type, “Suzelle was…” and one of the next words the app suggests is “murdered.”

For the most part, however, I don’t want much part in AI. I do not want to see a movie or TV show whose script was “created” by AI. Not necessarily because I don’t think the quality will be up to par, but because I believe humans are the only truly creative beings around. Not only that, but the human screenwriters need to eat. It is because of this that we had the writers’ strike in Hollywood last year. AI will never replace human writers. It is the same thing with music. I would not want to listen to music “composed” by AI. What would that sound like? And how would AI give a concert?

A few of my friends have Amazon Alexa in their homes. I have seen instances where Alexa will not do what you ask it to do, such as lower the volume of the music its speaker is playing. I also once heard on a TV news broadcast that there have been times when Alexa will flatly say, “No,” in response to a command. I wonder if the machines are revolting.

What is your opinion of AI?

Where do old style manuals go when they die?

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If you are an editor, you know that the 18th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) is coming out this September. Being an editing geek, I’m very excited. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on its butter-yellow cover with its bright red lettering.

And if you are a scientific editor, you know that the 9th edition of Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers just came out last month with a new title—The CSE Manual (CSE). I’m excited about this one, too, and I will be purchasing it soon.

What will I do with my older editions of CMoS and CSE? Right now, they are both sitting on the bookshelf next to my work desk, looking sad because they know they are going to be replaced. Does anyone like being replaced? Of course not, but in this case, it is definitely necessary.

I could keep the old editions in my office. Not a good idea, because they will soon become clutter. Clutter is very bad for any office, especially that of an editor. The books will end up on the floor if I do this, and they will have to be moved every time we vacuum.

I could try to sell the old editions on eBay or another auction service. However, there are a few problems with this idea. People will know the manuals are out of date, and so they will be reluctant to buy them. If the manuals do sell, they will not fetch much money. (My CMoS doesn’t even have a dust jacket anymore.) Plus, I will have to pay a pretty penny to ship them, because they certainly are heavy.

What I will probably do with my old CMoS and CSE manuals is take them to a huge used bookstore located in the city where I live. According to the store’s website, it takes in and pays for just about any book. Granted, it does not pay much for outdated manuals such as the ones I have—I might only get a few dollars for each. However, the manuals will not take up valuable real estate in my office anymore, and I will not lose money shipping them to a private buyer. As for the money I will receive for them, “Every little bit helps.”

What do you do with your style manuals once they become outdated?

A window of opportunity

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I love working remotely, but at times it can get rather isolating. One thing that keeps me sane is the window immediately to my right in my office (i.e., the smaller bedroom in my condo which serves as my office). Some editors might not prefer a window in their office because they find it distracting—and I admit it can be that way sometimes. However, I love having a window next to me. “Why?” you ask.

I love sunlight. If I did not have the sunlight coming from the window, I would have to light up my office completely with lamps. I do use a few lamps in the office to supplement the natural light from the window, but I would rather not rely on artificial light completely. Besides, sunlight is much brighter and much more cheerful.

A window can also be opened, provided there is a screen. This gives me the scent of freshly cut grass, which I love (I am blessed enough not to suffer from allergies—and you have my sympathy, dear reader, if you do). It also lets in background sounds, such as those of airplanes and lawn mowers, that let me know there is life outside of my building. (However, one sound I never want to hear from the window is Bzzz, because that means a wasp or yellow jacket has found her way in. I am terrified of those things.)

At times, I turn off my Toggl timer and look out my window for a minute or two before going back to work. One thing of which I always take note is the greenery outside. I feel so lucky to live in a community that has a plethora of trees. My husband and I previously lived on a city block where there was nothing but concrete and vinyl siding; during this time, I missed trees very much.

Do you prefer having a window where you work? Why or why not?