Science Editing

Helping Scientists to Communicate

Dr. Beth Schachter's clients typically seek her editorial input to enhance the clarity and persuasiveness of their written arguments. Often, her clients need help communicating to broader audiences, including scientists in other disciplines, policy makers, potential philanthropic donors and, in general, people with a curiosity about the world around them.

As a scientist, Beth respects the critical need for accuracy and completeness in describing the subject matter. And as an author's editor, she knows that journal editors, reviewers and audiences want to read engaging material that doesn't just iterate facts but also tells a compelling story. Beth helps the authors highlight the significance and novelty of their work so it does not go undervalued in the larger science community.


Clients

Department heads and institute directors who seek editorial help for their mentees, trainees and junior colleagues

Individual researchers — both senior and junior scientists — whose manuscripts and grant proposals suffer from weak writing

Industrial scientists who have had a long hiatus from writing for peer-review publications

Researchers for whom English is not their first language


Projects

Original research manuscripts

Individual and multi-investigator, interdisciplinary research grant proposals

Infrastructure and equipment grant proposals

Review, trend and opinion articles

Expert panel reports

Strategic plans

Award and promotion letters

Scientific white papers


Publications and Proposals

Peer-reviewed biomedical journals

University and medical school Web sites

National Institutes of Health

National Science Foundation

Private biomedical research foundations


Selected Editorial Clients



Quiz:
Do you write as persuasively and efficiently as you want to?

"In my work as a science editor, I often see researchers spending inordinate amounts of time moving projects from conception to completion. There seem to be a range of reasons for these problems, often not recognized. As a former principal investigator, I know the career challenges facing biomedical researchers.

If you can't answer a confident 'Yes' to the following six questions now, I can help you change that."

— Beth Schachter


1. Do you write persuasive manuscripts and grant proposals, targeting the entire intended audience, not just people who already know your work well?

2. When presenting original research manuscripts, do you choose the best journal to reach the intended audience for your work?

3. Do you know how to target your grant proposal to the funding agency whose mission fits best with your research?

4. Once you've selected a journal for your manuscript or funding agency for your grant, do you enlist the journal editors and grant administrators as allies?

5. If you are seeking NIH funding, are you up-to-date on the changes in peer-review methods being implemented?


If it's time to make professional course corrections so that you can answer these questions affirmatively, contact Beth.