Language Editing Services

We offer a number of services and time frames to best suit you.

The Rapid service is our quickest option and includes all of the features of the Standard service but prioritizes your manuscript, making it our fastest service. Our Standard service includes the same level of English editing (ensuring that spelling, grammar, punctuation, and expression are suitable for submission) as the Rapid service without the fast-tracking.

The Specialist service offers the most comprehensive edit, and includes checking the grammar and style as included in our Rapid service as well as a check from a Specialist in your area for the overall structure and clarity of your writing.

Additionally, by choosing our Rapid or Specialist service, you are also entitled to free re-editing for up to 1 year to support you in the development of your research. Please note that our Standard service also includes support for one round of minor revisions made after editing.

To save time when preparing your manuscript for one of MDPI’s journals, you can choose the layout editing option. This can be carried out independently or alongside one of the other services we offer.

If you wish to have your manuscript checked for evidence of plagiarism, you can select the plagiarism check box.

We are happy to edit LaTeX files so long as they comply to the guidelines under "What paper formats are accepted?" and "Under what circumstances will you not edit my paper?". If your manuscript does not compile, we will be in contact with you to avoid delays.

Both Microsoft Word and LaTeX papers are accepted for editing. For LaTeX files, in order for editing to proceed, the following criteria must be met:

• A zip folder containing all of the files necessary to compile the .tex file into a PDF, including any figures, .bib and .sty files, must be submitted (we are not able to edit a singular .tex file with no zip).
• The .tex in your zip file needs to compile on a program such as TeXstudio (even if the .tex compiles on Overleaf, this does not mean that it will compile with other LaTeX editing software).
• Your paper must be able to compile using the pdfTeX extension.
• The entire paper needs to be contained within one singular .tex file within the zip folder. Papers that are split into several smaller .tex files cannot be edited.
• The .tex must be able to compile without errors.

1. Complete any revisions and accept any tracked changes within your document. The uploaded file should be the final and most up-to-date version. The editing process may begin immediately after you make your submission, so we cannot guarantee acceptance of a later version if you upload the incorrect file.

2. Check the word count of your paper (see below).

3. Go to the "Get a Quote and Submit" section at the top of this page, and enter the required information in order to obtain a quote. A "Submit" button will appear, which you can click on in order to enter your details and upload your file.

We only count the words that need to be edited, so when you check the word count of your paper, please temporarily remove the author names, affiliations, and references section, as these parts will not be edited. Text in tables will be counted automatically, so if there are long tables in your paper that do not need to be edited, we recommend removing them before making a submission for English editing.

For LaTeX papers, MDPI provides a word count tool as part of our submission system (this requires a login).

If you require the Layout or Plagiarism check service, please do not remove the affiliations, figures, tables, and references section from the submitted paper.

Please note that if your paper is longer than 15,000 words, the expected editing times may be longer. Please contact us for more information.

You can obtain a quote by using the “Get a Quote” function near the top of this page. The cost of language editing depends on the number of words in your manuscript. Layout editing and the plagiarism check are offered at a fixed price, independent of the length of your paper.

An invoice will be sent to you shortly after you submit your paper. Payment can be made in Swiss Francs (CHF), Euros (EUR), US Dollars (USD) or British Pounds Sterling (GBP) by either credit card, bank transfer, or PayPal.

Credit card is the most immediate and convenient method: we receive payment confirmation immediately and can start editing your paper as soon as we receive it. PayPal is also immediate, but a 5% transfer fee applies. If you pay by bank transfer, we will not start editing your paper until we have confirmed the payment, which can take several days.

If there will be a long delay in payment (e.g., due to institutional bureaucracy), please get in touch with evidence that the payment is being processed, as we may be able to return the edited manuscript earlier.

You can log in to the submission system (SuSy) to check the progress of your manuscript.

We will reformat your manuscript for submission to any MDPI journal, including checking that the structure follows the MDPI house style. We will also reformat references and look for missing information in the references section and main text. Please note that the layout service does not include the conversion of the Harvard referencing style (author, date) to the Vancouver referencing style, i.e., [1,2]. This service does not include any language editing but can be selected alongside the Standard or Specialist services if required.

This option takes 24 hours to complete.

The editing provided will ensure that the English language is of the standard required for submission to and publication in academic journals. We will edit the language in your manuscript, ensuring that it is grammatically correct, that the spelling and punctuation are accurate, and that any awkward and ambiguous sentences are removed or reworded. Your voice and choice of words will be kept where possible. Correct use of discipline-specific terms is not guaranteed, and we do not rewrite prose.

The Standard service takes 5 business days to complete.

The same high-quality, professional editing as the Standard service, but your paper jumps to the front of the queue to ensure editing is completed within 1 business day of receipt of payment, and you are also entitled to free re-editing for up to 1 year. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays. If payment is received for your paper at 15:00 on Friday, your paper will be returned to you by 15:00 on Monday.

The Specialist service is our most comprehensive edit. It includes all the features of the Rapid service, including free language re-editing for up to 1 year. In addition, you will receive editing and feedback relevant to the overall structure and clarity of expression in your document, along with a check of other elements of scientific writing by an editor with knowledge of your subject area. Note that the free re-editing excludes further Specialist checks and only includes ensuring that the manuscript is grammatically correct, that the spelling and punctuation are accurate, and that any awkward and ambiguous sentences are removed or reworded. The Specialist service is not currently available in all subject areas, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about this service.

The Specialist service takes 5 business days to complete.

If you select the plagiarism check, your manuscript will be checked using the industry standard iThenticate software. You will receive an annotated report, including advice regarding any areas of the manuscript that should be changed. A guide to plagiarism and iThenticate reports is available here.

The plagiarism check takes 24 hours to complete and will only be started after payment has been confirmed. If there are issues that need to be addressed, you will be able to revise and resubmit your paper before English or layout editing.

There are several reasons why we may not be able to edit your paper:

• The file is corrupted or the text is not easily editable (e.g., most of the text is contained in text boxes or pictures, or the file contains a virus).
• Your manuscript is not written in English, or has been translated using automatic software such as Google Translate.
• Payment is not received in a reasonable amount of time. If you know in advance that payment may take some time, for example, due to bureaucracy at your institution, please contact us to let us know. It may be possible to return your edited paper to you early if you provide evidence that payment has been made.

While we do not convert the Harvard referencing style (author, date) to the Vancouver referencing style, i.e., [1,2], as part of the layout service we offer through MDPI Author Services, we do have two style files available for Zotero and Mendeley that you can use to collect, organize and cite your references. Please click here to download the style files.

MDPI takes responsibility for the editing carried out on your paper. If you have any questions or feedback before or after the editing of your manuscript, please do not hesitate to contact our Author Services help desk via email.

Please note that we accept vouchers of 30 CHF that have been issued upon a previous use of the English editing service. Vouchers that have been obtained for providing peer review are not eligible for MDPI Author Services and can instead be used to obtain discounts on the publication fees of any of our journals.