Save money on manuscript preparation services: help me help you

​When someone hires me to write a manuscript, I get all kinds of starting material to work with.

Sometimes I get a very thorough final report that was previously created for a research sponsor. Sometimes I get a huge excel file, and that’s it. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the mystery that comes along with figuring out the study design and methodology (I do love a good puzzle), but it does result in more questions from me to you. That can slow down the whole process and become very bothersome for busy academics and physicians.
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Here’s how you can make the process easier, while also saving money on manuscript preparation services:

1. State your rationale for the study and your main findings in very simple terms. Just a couple of sentences is all you need. This helps me frame your massive amounts of data into an intriguing story that will more likely get attention from journal editors and publishers.
2. Describe your study using the appropriate reporting checklist (CONSORT for randomized trials, PRISMA for systematic reviews, etc.). Bullet points and fragments work just fine.
3. Decide on a journal ahead of time. When I can format a manuscript correctly from the beginning, this literally saves HOURS of reformatting and conforming to a style. I’m sure you can imagine.
4. Decide on proposed reviewers and write your cover letter ahead of time. When submission time comes—if you desire my help with that part—having peer reviewers picked out ahead of time and having a cover letter ready makes for a much more seamless submission. How many times have you sat down to finally submit your manuscript and completely forgotten all the extra stuff you have to write?? Remember, the cover letter may be the only thing an editor reads, so don’t knock the importance of a solid, well-written cover letter. Writing submission cover letters and checking for journal-specific submission requirements is also a service I am happy to provide.

With these questions answered ahead of time, I don’t need to spend as many hours on a manuscript, and I don’t need to charge you as much.

Why am I okay with a lower-paying job? Because I get to spend that saved time taking on more projects! It keeps life interesting for me. More importantly, as a service provider, I want to make our experience working together as easy and enjoyable for you as possible so that you want to hire me again! Simple as that.
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For an easy way to organize your thoughts using the suggestions above, download my form for manuscript preparation. It’s FREE and will save both of us lots of time and heartache.
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