Preparing Your Manuscript
EditRefine works best when your manuscript follows standard academic conventions. A well-structured document lets our editing system understand the context and purpose of each section, resulting in more accurate and consistent edits.
Use Standard Section Headings
Our system recognises standard research paper sections automatically. Use clear, conventional headings such as:
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Methods (or Materials and Methods)
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
Non-standard or creative headings (e.g. numbering only, or merged sections like "Results and Discussion") will still be processed, but standard headings allow the editor to apply section-appropriate conventions — for instance, past tense in Methods and Results, present tense for established knowledge in the Discussion.
File Format
Submit your manuscript as a Microsoft Word file (.docx or .doc). This is the only supported format.
- PDF, LaTeX (.tex), and plain text files cannot be processed
- Your original formatting, images, tables, and references will be preserved in the returned document
- Tracked changes are applied as native Word revisions — you can accept or reject each edit individually in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or any compatible editor
Pricing & Page Count
How pages are calculated
EditRefine charges US$4 per page. Page count is determined by word count — not by the visual layout of your document. We count the total words in your manuscript and divide by 500:
Pages = total words ÷ 500 (rounded up)
Margins, font size, line spacing, and other formatting have no effect on the page count. A 10,000-word manuscript is always 20 pages regardless of how it is formatted.
Tables, figures, and data
Tables and figures contribute to the word count because the text within them is part of your manuscript. This is intentional — our editor reads and cross-references your data when editing the surrounding text. For example, values discussed in the Results or Discussion are checked against what appears in your tables.
You are welcome to submit a manuscript with tables and figures removed. This will reduce the page count and cost slightly, but the editor will not be able to verify data references or ensure consistency between your text and your results. The editing quality will be lower for sections that discuss the removed content.
Example: a 12,000-word manuscript with tables = 24 pages = US$96. The same text with tables removed might be 9,500 words = 19 pages = US$76 — but recommendations about your data presentation would be less specific.
Submit Your Complete Manuscript
For the best editing quality, submit your full manuscript in a single file — including all sections from Abstract through References.
Why does context matter?
- Terminology and acronyms introduced in the Introduction inform editing throughout the paper
- The editor checks consistency across sections — for example, ensuring that methods described in the Methods section match how they are referenced in the Results
- Tables and figures in Results provide context when editing the Discussion
- British vs. American English is detected once and applied consistently across the entire document
If you submit only a partial manuscript (e.g. just the Discussion), the editor will still process it — but it cannot cross-reference other sections, and consistency may be limited.
Submitting Online
The quickest way to submit your manuscript:
- 01Visit the submission page and upload your .docx manuscript
- 02Enter your email address — this is where your edited documents will be sent
- 03Review the page count and price, then pay securely via credit card or Alipay
- 04Your manuscript is processed immediately. You will receive your edited documents by email within two hours
After your edit is complete, you will receive a 50% discount code for resubmission.
Submitting by Email (Institutional Clients)
- The subject line must contain only your token code — nothing else
- Attach exactly one .docx file per email
- You will receive a confirmation email within a few minutes, and your edited documents within two hours
- Each token can be used once. After your edit is complete, you will receive a 50% discount code for resubmission
After Submission
Confirmation
You will receive an email confirming your manuscript has been received and is being processed.
Processing
Your manuscript is edited for language, grammar, and consistency. A separate set of structural and scientific recommendations is generated in parallel.
Delivery
You will receive an email with a link to download two documents: your manuscript with tracked changes, and a recommendations report.
Documents are available for download for 7 days after completion.
What's in Each Document
Edited Manuscript (Tracked Changes)
Your original document with word-level corrections applied as native Word tracked changes. You can accept or reject each edit individually.
- Spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections
- Article usage (a/an/the) and preposition fixes
- Verb tense corrections and subject-verb agreement
- Consistency of British or American English throughout
- Number and unit formatting (e.g. "5 mg" not "5mg")
- Removal of excessive hedging, filler phrases, and redundancy
- All original formatting, images, tables, and references preserved
Recommendations Report
A separate document with higher-level feedback that goes beyond word-level corrections. There is no overlap with the tracked changes — these are complementary.
- General assessment: your paper's strengths and broader suggestions
- Whole-sentence rewrites where the structure or logic needs reworking (not just grammar)
- Key improvements to argumentation, clarity, and presentation
- Suggestions referenced by section name and quoted phrases so you can find them easily
The two documents are designed to be used together. Review the tracked changes first to accept language corrections, then consult the recommendations for structural improvements.
Downloading Your Documents
When processing is complete, you will receive an email with a unique access key and a link to the download page.
- 1.Open the link in the email, or go to the EditRefine homepage and enter your access key
- 2.Your download page shows two documents: the edited manuscript (with tracked changes) and the recommendations report
- 3.Click to download each file — both are standard .docx files
- 4.Open the edited manuscript in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or any editor that supports tracked changes
- 5.Review each edit individually: accept changes you agree with, reject any you don't
- 6.The recommendations document is a standalone report — use it alongside the edited manuscript for guidance on structural and scientific improvements
Documents expire after 7 days. Download and save your files promptly — expired documents cannot be recovered.
Tips for Best Results
Include all sections
The more context the editor has, the better the result. Even if you are only revising one section, submitting the full paper ensures cross-references and terminology are handled correctly.
Keep headings on their own line
Section headings should appear on a separate line from the body text. This helps the system identify section boundaries accurately.
Use a single file
Combine all parts of your manuscript into one .docx file. Supplementary materials can be excluded — the editor focuses on the main text.
Submit a clean document
Before submitting, accept or reject all tracked changes from previous reviews and remove any comments. The document should have no revision history — a clean, final draft produces the best results.
Chinese text is preserved
If your manuscript contains Chinese-language sections (e.g. a Chinese abstract), they will be left untouched. The editor only modifies English text.
Privacy & Security
Your intellectual property is important. EditRefine is designed to protect your work at every step.
- Your manuscript is never used for AI model training
- All documents are permanently deleted after 7 days
- No human reads your manuscript — editing is fully automated
- Results are accessible only via your unique access key
- All data is transmitted over encrypted connections (TLS)
- Your email address is used only to deliver results and is not shared with third parties
Questions?
If you have questions or encounter any issues, contact us at support@editrefine.com