Comparing the User Journeys for Scientific Editing and the Publication Success Package: Which Should You Choose?  

You've done the hard part and are looking to publish your research. But you want to give yourself the best chances for acceptance by a reputable journal, and that means expert revisions and editing. 

Scribendi offers two main services that provide subject-matter expert support: Scientific Editing (SSE) and our Publication Success Package (PSP). However, what these services involve is very different. In this blog post, we'll review the user journeys of both services, helping you determine which one is the best fit for your manuscript.

Service Overviews 

Scientific Editing

SSE matches you with a subject-matter expert to improve your manuscript's clarity, scientific accuracy, and adherence to journal guidelines. A second pass will be performed by an English language expert, ensuring grammatical and linguistic precision. 

With an editor with direct experience in your field, you can expect targeted edits that directly boost your text's chances of acceptance. These edits will include improvements to logic, structure, references, figures, and more.  

All of these edits will keep your target journal's requirements in mind, including word limits, English version, abstract guidelines, and required sections. Critical commentary that points out further opportunities for enhancing scientific rigor and content will be provided.  

Publication Success Package

In contrast, PSP is a more comprehensive service that goes beyond a single edit of your manuscript. Instead, it's designed as an end-to-end publication support solution, providing you with continued assistance until publication. 

PSP includes the same deep subject-matter editing as SSE, but there's much more: First, before any editing occurs, your manuscript undergoes expert scientific review, which is like a preliminary round of peer review. The reviewer will read and evaluate your manuscript and provide a report that outlines whether changes are necessary for the content of the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, statistics, and conclusion. This critique also covers journal suitability, the appropriateness and completeness of the citations, and the significance and novelty of the research. 

 After you receive your expert scientific report, you can revise your manuscript according to the recommended changes before resubmitting it to Scribendi for its first round of editing. Then, the editor will apply revisions to improve grammar, language, and flow, implement journal-specific formatting, and develop a cover letter for your submission.

 After your article goes through peer review with your target journal, you can work with your editor again to carefully revise your article and responses according to the reviewers' comments, thoroughly assessing whether the reviewers' feedback has been addressed or incorporated. 

 And that's not all—PSP offers additional support for one year until publication. It's your publication, guaranteed.

Making Your Choice: Entering the Journey 

What factors should lead someone to pick SSE over PSP (and vice versa)?

SSE provides fast, in-depth editing at value. If your manuscript requires thorough improvements for scientific accuracy but you're working with a tight deadline, this service is the best choice. It can also be helpful for dealing with quick resubmission turnarounds after going through peer review—your expert editor will revise your manuscript in line with reviewer comments.

Similarly, SSE can be a great option if you need to adjust the formatting and structure of a manuscript to submit it to a new journal. We'll apply the relevant journal formatting with care and precision. In general, this service is an excellent choice for putting on the final touches needed to get a manuscript across that finish line to publication.

PSP is a better choice when you need extended, comprehensive support for your manuscript beyond editing. It helps with supporting documents for your manuscript. If you're struggling with putting together a cover letter that shows the value of your research, or if you're needing to revise your responses to peer review comments, this service covers those needs.

If you have not yet decided on a target journal, we recommend first using our Journal Strategy service before ordering PSP.

Of course, the publication guarantee is perhaps the most important feature of this service. Our expert insights will guide you throughout the submission process, providing continuous support for a full year, if needed. This makes this service a perfect fit if you need a new submission strategy or if you've had a manuscript rejected by a journal.  

Scientific Editing User Journey 

The SSE journey is relatively straightforward.

1. When you place your SSE order, your manuscript will first be matched to an expert in your field (or your requested editor), who will diligently revise your text. If there are any issues or ambiguity regarding your order (e.g., file issues, contradicting information between the instructions and journal guidelines), you may be contacted by our customer support team while the edit is in progress to provide additional information for the editor.
2. When the expert editor is finished, a language expert will review your manuscript, further enhancing your grammar and writing when necessary and ensuring that all service requirements are fulfilled.
3. When the language editor completes their pass, you will receive your revised document(s), with general feedback on the edit and two versions of each edited document: a tracked file showing the changes made, and a clean file with these changes accepted. 

Publication Success Package User Journey

The PSP journey is more complex and requires the user to step in at more points. 

1. When you place your PSP order, your manuscript will be matched to a consultant in your field, who will first complete a peer-review style report on your manuscript.
2. Based on the report's findings, you will revise your manuscript to address the issues that have been identified and strengthen your work in preparation for submission to your target journal.
3. You will receive an email inviting you to upload your revised manuscript, which an editor with expertise in your field will edit and format according to the target journal. A cover letter is also prepared to aid in submission.
4. Whether your article is accepted but requires revisions or is rejected by your target journal, you can request additional support from our subject-matter and in-house editors. Depending on your needs, our editorial team can provide further revisions, adjust your manuscript and cover letter for submission to another journal of your choice, or develop a strategy to ensure your article is published elsewhere. At this stage, please provide contextual information, such as reviewer comments and correspondence from the target journal, so that your editors can sufficiently understand what should be improved about your manuscript. 

If your article is not published within one year of your initial order, our expert publication team will build a new success strategy for you—at no extra cost.

Revisions and Follow-Up Support 

A major difference between the two services lies in their level of follow-up support.

 If you choose SSE, you will be entitled to a 50% discount on Second-Look Proofreading for your manuscript following your revisions. This review is intended as a final proofreading pass that will clean up any remaining errors in the manuscript. 

If you choose PSP, you can receive further reviews at no extra cost within one year of your initial order. This includes help with responses to reviewers, further revisions for your manuscript or cover letter, or a new strategy to publish in a different journal. 

You can expect deep, ongoing engagement with the material that strives to push you further toward publication, offering strategic guidance as your manuscript goes through peer review. In short, PSP provides unparalleled support that goes far beyond any of our general Academic services, even SSE. 

Who Should Choose Each Service? 

You should choose SSE if you want expert support and writing improvements for a well-developed manuscript. SSE provides quick turnarounds and guaranteed quality, helping you make the necessary changes to put you over the finish line for submitting to a journal. 

Reasons to pick SSE:

• You need improvements for scientific accuracy but you have a tight deadline.
• You need a round of editing to ensure that you have sufficiently responded to reviewer comments 
• You need adjustments for formatting and structure to submit your article to a different journal

You should choose the PSP if you want end-to-end support that provides you with not only expert-level manuscript editing but also cover letter creation, response letter editing, an additional rounds of revision, and strategic publication guidance. 

Reasons to pick PSP:

• You need help with your manuscript beyond editing, such as cover letter development or peer review response support
• You need long-term support and strategic guidance through the submission journey

Conclusion

Regardless of the level of support you want on your path to publication, Scribendi has you covered. While both Scientific Editing and the Publication Success Package match you with a subject-matter expert who will improve your writing and scientific accuracy, the Publication Success Package offers a more comprehensive, long-term journey as opposed to Scientific Editing, which offers a more straightforward journey focused on thorough expert editing.