Academic Editing FAQ

We offer six services: Proofreading (spelling, grammar, punctuation and consistency), Academic Copyediting (language, flow, clarity and academic tone), Deep Copyediting + Journal Formatting (copyediting plus formatting and references to your journal’s rules), Thesis & Dissertation Editing (lower rates for long documents), Pre-Submission Peer Review (expert feedback with scores and a verdict) and Editor-Assisted Publishing (support from editing through submission to acceptance). Compare the services.

Pre-Submission Peer Review is a service in which an academic expert in your field reads your manuscript before you submit it to a journal. The reviewer evaluates it on five pillars — Novelty, Methodology, Writing Clarity, References, and Structure — each scored out of 10. They also provide an acceptability verdict (Accept / Minor Revision / Major Revision / Reject) and a detailed narrative report with recommended next steps. This helps you identify and fix problems before the journal's own peer review process.

Editor-Assisted Publishing is our premium service for researchers who want end-to-end support. Your manuscript is assigned to a Lead Editor who edits the paper and oversees the entire publication journey, and a Subject Reviewer who is an expert in your specific discipline. The service covers editing, submission, reviewer correspondence, revision rounds, and follow-up through to journal acceptance. The flat fee is $1,500.

We do not guarantee journal acceptance, and any editing or publishing service that does should be treated with caution. What we guarantee is high-quality, expert editing and thorough support through the submission and revision process. Acceptance decisions rest ultimately with the journal's editorial board.

Our editors are proficient in all major citation styles including APA 7th Edition, IEEE, Vancouver, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, and Harvard. If you require a journal-specific style, let us know in your order notes and we will follow the journal's author guidelines.

Editing services are priced per word, standard (7 days) or express (24–72 hours): Proofreading 5¢ or 9¢, Academic Copyediting 7¢ or 12¢, Deep Copyediting + Journal Formatting 9¢ or 15¢. Theses and dissertations of 15,000+ words have lower rates: 3¢, 4¢ or 5¢ a word (details). Pre-Submission Peer Review is 17¢/word, or 25¢/word for express (minimum $50). Editor-Assisted Publishing is a flat fee of $1,500 per manuscript. Use our Instant Quote tool to get your exact price.

We support two payment methods: Stripe (credit/debit card, for international clients) and Paystack (cards and other local payment methods). All prices are charged in US dollars; your bank converts them to your currency. For Editor-Assisted Publishing, a 60% deposit ($900) is charged upfront and the remaining 40% ($600) is due upon acceptance by the journal.

You can upload your manuscript directly through our website. We accept .docx, .doc, .pdf, .tex, and .zip files up to 20 MB. Simply choose your service, upload your file, and proceed to payment. You do not need to create an account to get a quote, but you will need to register to track your order.

Standard turnaround for editing services is 7 days. Express orders (24–72 hours) cost more; see the pricing page. For Pre-Submission Peer Review, reports are delivered within 7 business days, or 24–72 hours with express. For Editor-Assisted Publishing, timelines depend on the target journal's review cycle.

Yes. Once you register and log in, your dashboard shows all your active orders, their status, and the completed edited manuscript when your order is done. You will also receive email notifications at key stages of your order.

Every Sage editor holds a PhD in their academic discipline. They are verified through our partner academicsverified.com before being accepted onto the platform. Our editors have experience with peer-reviewed journals, academic writing, and APA, IEEE, Vancouver, and other citation styles.

Yes. Your manuscript is visible only to the assigned editor(s) and Sage Editors administrators. We do not share, publish, or distribute any part of your work. All editors sign a confidentiality agreement as part of onboarding.