Scientific editing
Supporting you from bullet points to bulletproof
ManuScribes is a one-person business helping life scientists communicate their findings in the most compelling fashion.
As a scientific advisor, writer and editor, here is what I do:
I support PIs by reducing their ever-growing pile of papers; I help researchers and students to publish their work.
I advise on publication strategy and how to best "sell" your work to journal editors and grant reviewers.
I mentor and teach early-career scientists, by providing detailed feedback and comments, and by running workshops, which helps them boost their career prospects.
I contribute to ensuring that younger generations keep writing, amid profound transformations of higher education by generative AI.
Services
Scientific editing and strategic writing
I can help you if:
you are a group leader with several papers on your desk at various stages of completion, and no time to edit them. I work across the entire process, from the first complete draft, with a vague story and a barely articulated rationale, all the way to the extra-polished paper that needs a final push, because you're "so close!" but you just cannot find the time to do it yourself.
you're ready to submit an article, but you need a pair of fresh eyes to identify any missing link, to beef it up, and make it not just a good paper, but a great one.
you're writing a funding application and it's messy, unclear, too long, too bland, or all of the above. Or perhaps you cannot figure out why your document isn't quite right. I can help you structure and polish your writing. I can also find clever ways to "sell you" in a funding application and highlight the strengths of your profile and career, to boost your chances of success.
your cover letter for that very good paper is not punchy and just falls flat. Many scientists leave the writing of this letter to the last minute, even though it determines whether or not their paper will be reviewed. I learnt to write this very specific type of document with editors of high-impact journals and I can make yours shine.
CV and cover letter writing for job applications
I learnt to write these as a student during a workshop dedicated to CV and cover letter writing, and I immediately loved the process. Over the years, I’ve helped countless friends, colleagues and clients to write these documents.
Teaching and workshops
Scientific writing is a skill that anyone can learn. I provide detailed feedback in comments on your document, so you learn to fix your mistakes, and improve your writing over time.
I run workshops to teach scientists, especially early-career, how to write journal articles. The sessions are organised around activities to ensure that participants get practical skills out of them. I provide technical tips, as there are many, to improve one's writing, and I encourage fruitful discussions to help crush the myth of the white page.
Publication strategy
I provide an outsider's yet expert view on how to best "sell" your story, and more specifically, help you find the best angle for your target journal, the best narrative, the clearest overall message, the way forward.
Other types of writing
If you're looking for a freelancer capable of writing about science, the environment, health (you get the idea), please get in touch! I currently write the environment column for the South Sydney Herald, and I very much enjoy this type of work, so don't hesitate to reach out to me.
Articles - Grant applications - Cover letters
How does it work?
If you need me, follow these steps
Contact me here (or at e.botte@manuscribesDOTcom) and tell me briefly why you're doing so.
We schedule a 20 min chat during which you explain your situation.
I read your document, assess it, and send you a quote, which you can accept or refuse.
I deliver the work.
You pay via secure online payment.
What you can expect
I cater for your needs. I can support you from bullet points to bulletproof (at least, as close as possible!).
As a scientific editor, my goal is to help you produce excellent scientific writing regardless of your initial level. To do so, I provide a lot of detailed feedback. Check out these examples to see what type of comments I might provide on your document.
My take on AI
To respect your intellectual property, I never use artificial intelligence software (e.g., ChatGPT) to write or edit for you. My clients' documents are viewed and handled by myself and no one (or nothing) else. This means that your writing and therefore your data, your story and your original thoughts remain completely confidential and will never be used by any entity, human or otherwise, until you are ready to publish.
In other words, you remain in total control of the science and knowledge you want to communicate.
My second reason for not using AI is that it's not really useful to me, as I increasingly receive documents that have been written with AI already. My clients' grammar is, on average, better now than it was a year ago, simply because scientists regularly use AI to fix their writing, nowadays.
On a daily basis, I still correct poor grammar, and it's always gratifying to improve someone's English, or enrich someone's vocabulary. But I am a scientific advisor, writer and editor for the following reason: I'm not an editor who loves and can edit science. I'm a scientist who loves writing.
I spent 13 years in pure research post-PhD, so what drives me is not where you should place your commas, it's the critical and creative thinking that sustain scientific writing.
Testimonials
"Your suggestions are spot-on and strengthen our arguments"
"Thanks for all your explanatory comments that are so valuable to learn"
"Your really changed the caliber of our cover letter"
Dr. Sandra Da Re, Senior Researcher
French Institute of Health and Medical Research
"Great work as usual! The flow of the proposal is so much better with your suggestions."
Ass. Prof. Anne Roulin
University of Zürich
In Europe
Aix-Marseille Uni. (France)
CNRS (France)
Eawag (Switzerland)
GEOMAR (Germany)
INSERM (France)
Sorbonne Uni. (France)
Uni. of Zürich (Switzerland)
In Australia
Australian Instit. of Marine Sci.
James Cook Uni.
Uni. of New South Wales
Uni. of Queensland
Uni. of Sydney
Uni. of Technology Sydney
In the USA
Caltech
Occidental College