Guide to the English editing at Astronomy & Astrophysics    |   Some frequent corrections

Preliminary comments

Most papers in A&A have been written by non-native English speakers, and they will also be read by many non-native speakers, so seeking clarity is the main goal when the A&A language editors make suggestions for changes. Those authors with a limited experience of English are strongly recommended to find help in writing their papers, preferably from a native-speaking colleague if one is available. It is the policy of A&A to hold the authors responsible for a correct formulation of their text. A&A does offer help, but only after the scientific content of a manuscript has been judged to be sufficient for publication, so it should be understandable before it goes to a referee. That said, it is relatively seldom that a paper is sent back for preliminary revision due to language difficulties, which means that authors have been making considerable effort in this regard. Basic English is rarely a problem, therefore, and the language editor's task is to make the expression clearer, to iron out ambiguities, and to suggest changes to help the author make the point more effectively. Papers are sent to language editors at the recommendation of either the referee or one of the Journal's editors. It is also important to know that, unlike at some journals, not all papers are looked at by a language editor, which can explain some differences in usage between the articles actually published, as well as some minor differences between suggestions made by each of the language editors.

How to react   to suggestions

Most changes will be for minor points and will often be clear to the author. Others may not be fully understood, but the author will sense that it improves the paper so will change it as indicated. In some cases, however, a suggested change may seem to contradict an author's intended meaning or to alter scientific content in some way. This is the situation that shows why this final step in the editorial process is needed and where the author has the final word in most cases. Rather than ignore the suggestion entirely, an author should consider it as a warning that there is either (i) an English error that prompted the change, or (ii) some lack of clarity in the original that must be dealt with. Rather than reject the suggestion to make a change outright, an author should try to rephrase that section to make it clearer. In other words, the language editor is basing the suggestion not on the science but on the words and structures that express the science so that both will be clearer in the end. Language editors can always be approached to look again at any revision or explain a suggested change, no matter how short.

Aims of the A&A English guide

The A&A language handbook can be used in different ways, which includes finding explanations behind some of the suggested changes. It was written based on the kinds of changes we recommend most often in A&A papers, so it does not pretend to be a full English language guide. The most useful time to use this A&A handbook is while working through the changes we have suggested in your accepted article, if you are not able to understand why a change was suggested. It contains not only details, but also tries to give a sense of the spirit behind certain types of changes we ask for, from some simple conventions about details of spelling or punctuation, through causes of ambiguity, to changes for the sake of rhetorical effectiveness. At times, for instance, some of these paragraphs will have been inserted into the yellow note boxes in your corrected version, when it occurs often in a paper. A second use might also be to take a look at it before submitting a paper so as to anticipate some of the changes we will suggest anyway, or alternatively as a `style guide' to supplement any you might be using at present.