MMeL Editing Services

OUR PRINCIPLES OF EDITING:

Five Cs of Academic Writing

CLEAR: The clarity principle means the text should not be ambiguous or confusing, meaning the reader should get the exact massage the author wants to convey. Most often, clarity is compromised due to incorrect word order or sentence structure. Clarity can be obtained by keeping your audience in mind and defining terms where necessary. For clarity at the paragraph level, a paragraph should have only one idea, with a few supporting ideas. Correct word choice, consistency, and logical reasoning help to clarify the text. CORRECT: For the author and the reader, correctness means correct facts and figures and correct data. Except in matters of general knowledge, no editor can determine the correctness of information presented unless he or she is an expert in the discipline. Thus, correctness for an editor means correct grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, wording, spelling, and correct reasoning. CONCISE: Conciseness means information or data should be reduced and be precise such that only important ideas are included. At the sentence level, it means compactnessless words to convey moreand no redundancies of ideas or words. Nominalizations and substitution of long phrases by appropriate short terms will help achieve conciseness. COHESIVE: Cohesion means the text should flow smoothly while reading and there should be unity of idea and topic. Each paragraph, section, and chapter should have links with the preceding and succeeding ones. Appropriate linking words, or connectives, will help guide the reader through the text. It also means following a writing structure with a beginning, middle, and end. COMPELLING: The writing should convince the reader about the argument or point the author has made. It also means it should be persuasive, which cannot be achieved by any trick but by basing arguments on logic and evidence. Choice of appropriate words is very important, and some fine rephrasing may be needed. Being a little informal may help, but deliberate humor should be avoided.

LEVELS OF EDITING* STANDARD PROOFREADING, also called mechanical editing, involves making sure that writing is free of mechanical errors such as grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, consistency, formatting, and style. RATE: US $1.25 for Nepali authors (US $2.00 for foreign authors) per A4 size page with single space paragraphing and 1-inch margin on all sides COPYEDITING involves standard proofreading plus rephrasing and rewriting small portions for clarity, conciseness, and coherence. The editor will also ensure that the text is structured logically. RATE: US $2.50 for Nepali authors (US $4.00 for foreign authors) per A4 size page with single space paragraphing and 1-inch margin on all sides SUBSTANTIVE EDITING calls for rewriting, reorganizing, and suggesting different ways of presenting material, along with copyediting. RATE: US $4.50 for Nepali authors (US $8.00 for foreign authors) per A4 size page with single space paragraphing and 1-inch margin on all sides

*Checking of facts, quotations, or reference; designing of cover, graphics, illustration; and research, indexing, etc., will NOT be covered in any of the editing fees and will be done only if specified and if necessary documents are provided. These will be charged separately. The number of pages will be counted according to the manuscript submitted, not according to the final edited version.

CONTRACT This contract represents an agreement between: Mahesh Raj Maharjan (Editor henceforth) MMeL Pvt. Ltd. Khalba, Nagaon Ward No. 16, Kirtipur Kathmandu, Nepal And __________________________ (Author henceforth) The Editor will not be responsible for any tasks other than those specified in the Project Information sheet or other mutually agreed ones included with the contract. Responsibilities of the Author 1. The Author shall provide access to all information/documents (if any) requested by the Editor to complete the work (e.g., original references to quotations). 2. The Author shall provide, if any, preferred reference material (e.g., Chicago Manual of Style) or editorial style sheet, so that the Editor can be aware of the Authors preferences and style. 3. The Author shall actively participate in meetings requested by the editor to discuss the work and shall also specify the time available for inquiry (e.g., from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.). 4. The Author shall appoint a Representative with the necessary authority to approve or make decisions if the Author is unavailable during the course of the project. Responsibilities of the Editor 1. The editor will ensure full confidentiality of (any part of) the edited work, including disclosing anything about the work or about the author. The editor will take the responsibility of violation of these rights according to the contract (if specified in the contract) and/or existing laws.

2. The editor shall make every effort to bring questionable information to the attention of the author but shall not be held responsible for any failure to identify such information. Payment: 1. The Editor retains ownership of all work performed, including all relevant intellectual property rights, until full payment has been received. 2. The author will reimburse the editor for all direct expenses incurred in fulfilling the agreement, including but not limited to photocopying, printouts, long-distance calls, experts service long-distance travel, couriers and postage, etc. Termination This agreement may be terminated by either party in the event with 7 (seven) days of advance notice sent in writing by registered mail. The editor will be paid by the author for all work performed up to the date of termination. Other Instructions 1. All correspondence concerning the project status will be in English. 2. This contract may be changed only by written agreement between the editor and the author. 3. The terms of this contract shall be interpreted according to the laws of Nepal and the intellectual property rights laws of Nepal, and any litigation involving this contract shall be submitted to the jurisdiction of the courts of Nepal. Signed by the parties to this agreement: Editors signature: Date: Authors Signature: Date:

PROJECT INFORMATION Project title: ______________________________________________ Number of pages: __________ Level of work requested: Standard proofreading Substantive editing Audience: Professionals/experts Other: ____________ Delivery Date: ____________ Payment (excluding applicable taxes): Fee: ________ per page Payment method: Check Other: Format of material: Hard copy Other: __________________ Cash Copyediting Other: __________________ General reader Deadline: ________________

Microsoft Word

Preferred style guide/reference (if any): ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Style sheets (included): Yes No Contact information: Phone: ______________________ Email: ______________________

BEFORE SUBMITTING 1. Study the Complete Editorial Checklist included at the end to get a glimpse of what editing work is mostly about. 2. Edit the work yourself BEFORE submitting it, keeping in mind the above five Cs discussed above and the Complete Editorial Checklist. 3. Contact us for free e-books/e-guides on academic writing before sending your work to us so that you can rewrite and reorganize your work to avoid higher cost of substantive editing. 4. Discuss and specify the type of contract (personal or business agreement). 5. Discuss the arrangement for payment (in installments or in full). AFTER SUBMISSION After receiving the text for editing, we will check it as soon as possible and suggest what level of editing it requires (if it is different from that mentioned in the Project Information sheet) and how much time it will take. Turnaround time depends on the level of editing required and nature and length of the text. Our preferred references are (latest editions of): 1. Chicago Manual of Style 2. Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary AFTER FINISHING EDITING After editing is complete, we will send you the edited manuscript for your review. You will need to check all aspects of the manuscript at this time. A style sheet listing the Editors decisions regarding spelling, word usage, capitalization, and so on, will be included for your reference, if requested. Answer all of the Editors queries and make any corrections or additions required. Changes made at this time have no effect on costs. When you inform us in written that you have finally approved it, they are considered to be accepted by you.