English editing, scientific manuscript editing and translation services.

Generally small businesses and private individuals (students and faculty, researchers, authors, etc.) more than large companies or institutes considering I manage my business on my own and do not subcontract my projects to others.

In the biological, biomedical and natural sciences (see Areas of Expertise for more details). However, I am more than willing to challenge myself in new fields and am curious to know about yours!

The Smart Octopus is based in Italy and operates in GMT+1 (when standard time is adopted) and in GMT+2 (when summer time is adopted). Thus, all deadlines given are, according to the seasons, in GMT+1 (from October to March) or in GMT+2 (from March to October). Its opening hours are 9 am to 5 pm, 5 days a week (weekends are excluded). Business is carried out throughout the year, with the exception of the month of August (holiday month in Italy). Please note that I may need to extend the deadline for documents whose return date falls during weekends.

The name was thought for my 10 years spent as a research scientist studying octopus behaviour and learning capabilities (see Curriculum for more details). I feel priviledged to have had the chance to observe, interact and learn from these fascinating sea creatures, that are curious and smart, and are able to change the colour and texture of their skin in seconds to adapt to their enviroment, to ambush prey or startle potential predators. Their cognitive abilities are extraordinary, when we think that they are molluscs! They are able to find their way through a maze or to open jars to reach for prey; they are also capable of distinguishing between punishing and rewarding stimuli, of using tools, just like crows, or even of the highest form of learning, i.e. learning from others, a characteristic they share with dolphins and primates. Would you expect all this from a relative of the garden snail?

I edit and proofread all types of documents, including research papers and reports, grant proposals, flyers and brochures, presentations at international conferences, letters and correspondence in all disciplines of biology and natural sciences, biomedicine and biotechnology.

Yes. I am specialized in scientific editing for researchers in the life and physical sciences. However, I am more than willing to challenge myself in new fields and do edit manuscripts in other areas of study.

I do. I am the editor that is doing the job as I do not subcontract my projects to others. I have a 1:1 relationship with each and every client and am your direct contact during all the phases of the project, from submission to delivery of the work.

Once the revision is complete, you will receive back two files: one containing the manuscript with the changes visible under Track Changes for you to accept or reject and another with the changes accepted for clearer reading. For a more detailed review of how the “Track Changes” tool works refer to Format and Procedure.

Proofreading is the lightest form of editing, the finishing touch so to speak, and involves correcting for punctuation and grammar, spelling mistakes, formatting and consistency.
Copyediting is the most essential form of editing, equivalent to polishing the text. It thus also involves checking for sentence structure errors and actually rearranging/rewriting sentences to remove passive voice, ambiguous references, awkward transitions, and wordiness.
Substantive editing is the most comprehensive form of editing and involves evaluating a document in terms of overall structure (organization and completeness) and coherence of content (flow of ideas and clarity).
Please refer to English Editing Service for additional information.

It depends on the level of document editing you choose. The style, structure and coherence of content of your manuscript will only be assessed if you choose the Substantive editing service.

None of my services are specific to reducing word count in a document. However, both Copyediting and Substantive editing involve rearranging or rewriting sentences also by cutting unnecessary words so that it is most likely that the edited version I will send back will contain less words than the original.

The Smart Octopus offers a range of add-on services especially useful in the revision of research papers to help you customize your order and possibly increase your chance of publication. These include: future revisions, cover letter editing and response letter editing. In particular, the editing of your cover letter is included at no additional cost if you choose the Substantive editing service. Moreover, I will edit your revised manuscript (prior or following submission) at no extra charge provided specific criteria are met (see My Discounts for further information).

No, formatting to journal requirements is not included among my add-on services.

Sure I can. I fully understand that all munuscripts undergo revision, no matter how well they are written, either before submission (for additions or more changes to the paper) or following review (reviewers often require a round of revision before accepting a paper). I support you through the publication process and will edit your revised manuscript at no extra charge provided: i) the new/modified text is highlighted in the revised paper (by underlining or coloured fonts), ii) the amount of new text does not exceed 10% of the word count of the paper originally edited by The Smart Octopus. If not, I will edit all the manuscript again but you will only be charged 80% of the Copyediting service rate, i.e. 0.04-0.05 EUR p/word.
It is important to underline that I will edit the same revised manuscript (< 10% word count) for free a maximum of two times.

The Smart Octopus will edit the English of all files containing tables, figures, and any supplementary material as long as it is accessible to word processing under MS Word (all versions). Moreover, if you require the tables and figures be checked for consistency and accuracy (i.e. cross-reference and correct citation within the paper), you must use the Substantive editing service.
I cannot edit files in PDF, TIFF, GIF, or JPG format. However, please upload all figures and tables even if they are not in editable format as they help me to better understand and edit the text.

Checking that the bibliographic citations in your manuscript correspond to those listed in the references list (cross-reference check) is performed if you choose the Substantive editing service.
The word count of the reference section is excluded when calculating the cost of editing.

Yes, I can. Again, both are included among the Complementary editing services. Cover letter editing, in particular, is included for free as part of the Substantive editing service, while it has an additional cost for the other editing services. In both letter types I will check spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax and will make sure the letter effectively introduces the paper to the journal editor (cover letter) or effectively addresses the reviewers doubts or questions (response letter).

No, I don’t.

No, by no means. I will not edit the manuscript for research content nor will I provide any feedback on aspects concerning experimental design, data and statistical analysis, or scientific significance.

I am confident that my editing and complementary services will better your chances of manuscript acceptance. However, publication is a subjective process and journals receive many more good submissions than they can take. Thus, I cannot guarantee that your paper will be accepted for publication after using my services.

I guarantee that I will re-edit your paper for free if it is rejected by a journal for reasons of English language alone. However, I will ask you to send me a copy of the last version of the manuscript you submitted to the journal and will not be held responsible for any mistakes introduced into the paper between the time I edited it and the time it was submitted for publication.

The Smart Octopus will always strive to deliver the edited work within or before the announced deadline. If not, you will be refunded 10% of the editing fee for each day the delivery date exceeds the deadline.

I translate all types of documents and web content, but am more experienced in scientific/technical content (research papers and reports, grant proposals, medical documentation, manuals, book chapters, etc.), marketing content (flyers and brochures, presentations at international conferences, promotional documents) and general/personal content (letters and correspondence, CVs and cover letters, etc.).

I do. I am the translator that is doing the job as I do not subcontract my projects to others. I have a 1:1 relationship with each and every client and am your direct contact during all the phases of the project, from submission to delivery of the work.

In two languages, English and Italian. Being bilingual, I am able to speak, read and write fluently in both languages. I am thus perfectly equipped to capture the specific expressions and nuances of both languages, making the translation of your document or web content as if written by a native speaker.

Yes, I do, but only at the beginning of a translation assignment. I first produce a fuzzy translation of the work by using CAT tools (ideal also in ensuring consistency throughout the document) and then personally fine-tune the translation to improve accuracy and correct errors, improve quality and respect the specific expressions and nuances of the source vs. target language. The final goal is to make your translation unambiguous, clear and effective as the original.

Document format depends on the type of service you choose (editing or translation).
For the editing of a document, I prefer manuscripts to be submitted in MS Word format (.doc, .docx), although I can also work with TXT and RTF files. Please also include tables and figures (in image or PDF formats), as well as table and figure legends, for reference (no editing will be performed on these files).
For translations, I accept all the major file formats, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint), TXT and RTF files, and PDFs.

Submission of your document to The Smart Octopus is simple and effective.
Just fill in the form “Get a quote” where you will asked to “Upload your file”. Please ensure that all of the files you wish to send me have been 100% uploaded before proceeding further. You can select multiple files at a time for upload up to 3 files of 10 MB each. If you need to upload more than 3 files, submit them as a single zipped file (contact me if you have problems or special needs).
Please provide me with all of the requested information where possible, including the service chosen, the document title, the general subject area, the payment method etc. The Notes section allows you to communicate any additional information. When everything is complete, click “Send” to proceed.
If your order has been processed successfully, you will immediately receive a positive response at the bottom of the page confirming this. I will then send you a quote and estimated turnaround time within 24 h, or contact you if I have any questions relating to your order.

Once you have uploaded your work, you will immediately receive a positive response at the bottom of the page confirming that I have received your order successfully. I will then send you a quote for the cost of your order and estimated turnaround time for final delivery within 24 h.
If you accept my estimate and wish to proceed with the order, you must give me your confirmation i) by replying positively to the email containing the quote, and ii) by making payment through my PayPal account (credit card) or bank account (wire transfer).
Upon receipt of your payment confirmation, your deadline will be amended accordingly and I will start working on your document. When the job is complete, I will send you your document via email on or before the specified deadline and in the agreed format. You will also receive the invoice of payment.

I will notify you of any change to the job status via email.

When the work is finished, you will receive an email with your revised/translated document in attachment together with the invoice of payment.

Not at all! Just fill in the form “Get a quote”, with all the information as required including your document, and send it off. Once you submit your document, I will get back to you within 24 h with an official quote and estimated turnaround time for final delivery.

Yes, all fee quotes are valid for 30 days. I I reserve the right to revise a quote if you take more than 30 days to reply back to my estimate. If the size, scope, or nature of the project changes after a quote has been accepted, a revised fee may be negotiated.

Word count simply includes all the words contained in the document. In the case of scientific papers, the word count includes the manuscript title, abstract, main text, acknowledgements, figure legends and table captions, as well as the text of all supplementary material to be edited (e.g., appendices, supplementary information files or reviewer response letters). Tables, figures, and bibliography appearing at the end of the text are not included in the word count estimate.

The Smart Octopus is based in Italy and open 5 days a week (weekends are excluded), from 9 am to 5 pm. Thus, all deadlines given are, according to the seasons, in GMT+1 (from October to March) or in GMT+2 (from March to October) and turnaround time is calculated on business days, not calendar days.
Upon receipt of your payment confirmation, your deadline will be amended accordingly. For example, a 500-word document to be edited that has been confirmed at 10:00 am GMT+1 on Tuesday would be returned within 10:00 am GMT+1 on Friday. Turnaround times for order confirmations outside of regular office hours are calculated from the start of business the next day (9 am).

You can pay by PayPal (credit card) or wire transfer. Both are swift, reliable and secure. Please note that if you decide to pay using a bank transfer you are responsible for all transfer fees that originate from your bank and possibly my bank. The invoice will be sent, together with your document, when the job is complete (for short projects) or at certain stages (for larger projects).

After having confirmed to have accepted my quote, make payment through my PayPal account (credit card) or bank account (wire transfer).
Thus, payment must always be confirmed if you wish me to proceed with your work. It goes without saying, that you are never late. Sorry, but this is how I earn a living. I’m sure you understand.

In terms of tax regime, my company applies to a facilitated regime (“regime dei contribuenti minimi”). Thus, who uses my services will not be charged VAT nor any withholding tax. You will only be charged an additional 4% as social security contribution and/or bank charges (if you choose to pay by wire transfer).

You will receive the invoice of payment by me via email, together with your document, when the job is complete.

Manuscripts often need to be revised, prior submission to make additional changes or following review to respond to the criticism of referees. The Smart Octopus supports you through the publication process and will edit your revised manuscript at no extra charge provided the following conditions are met:

• The new/modified text is highlighted in the revised paper. You can use underlining or coloured fonts.
• The amount of new text does not exceed 10% of the word count of the paper originally edited by The Smart Octopus.

If these two conditions are met, I will only edit the new/modified text at no additional cost and you will receive back the edited version within 3-4 days. If, however, the amount of text exceeds 10% of the word count of the paper originally edited by me or if you have not highlighted the new/modified text appropriately, then I will edit all the manuscript again. You will be charged 80% of the Copyediting service rate, i.e. 0.04-0.05 EUR per word.
It is important to underline that I will edit the same revised manuscript (< 10% word count) for free a maximum of two times.

Absolutely. I offer various kinds of discounts for my editing and translation services based on new customers (first order discounts) and returning customers (regular clients discounts), the size of the project (volume discounts), the resubmission of manuscripts (re-editing discounts), recommendations of my services to colleagues (referral discounts) and testimonials on my services (feedback discounts).

Your privacy is extremely important to me and your research is safe with me. You can rest assured that I will handle your personal details (and contents of your documents) with utmost care and confidentiality (more details in Security and Privacy and Privacy Policy).
I obviously do not sign a confidentiality agreement simply because I carry out my business on my own and do not subcontract to others. I thus have all the interest for you to be satisfied with my work and would never divulge the content of any manuscript or document to anyone else or use it for other purposes without your written consent.

My website uses modern encryption methods to protect your research during data transfer and storage. This means that no one can access the content of any manuscript or file during the upload or download process.