Work with us
Editage, the flagship brand of Cactus Communications, caters to the academic editing, proofreading, and publishing requirements of researchers and journals. We are currently looking for experienced editors to work with us on a freelance basis for our copyediting and substantive editing services. Freelance editing for Cactus will enable you to leverage your scientific knowledge in a corporate setup and work with a dedicated, friendly, and interactive team. Working as a Cactus freelancer is not just another freelance copyediting job. It is a platform to engage in and enable what you are most passionate about—effective scientific communication.
When hiring freelance copyeditors, we assess editorial capability—this includes superlative language skills, in-depth knowledge of academic and typographical conventions, a keen eye for detail, and subject-matter expertise. A typical Cactus freelance editor has the following:
- Exceptional command over the English language—its structure, grammar, and idiom usage
- At least two years of experience in editing journal articles
- Expertise in one or more of the following subject areas: Physics, Optics, Chemistry, Electronics, Engineering (all disciplines), Computer Science, Information Technology, Environmental Science, Material Science, Medicine, Dentistry, Surgery, Cardiology, Obstetrics, Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Sports Medicine, Physiology, Orthopedics, Geriatrics, Nutrition, Healthcare, Infectious Diseases, Pathology, Hematology, Pediatrics, Genetics, Cancer Research, Business, Economics, and Statistics
- A doctoral degree/postdoctoral research experience
- Experience in working with ESL (English as a second language) manuscripts
- Familiarity with the style and conventions followed in academic writing
- A certificate/diploma in academic editing, publishing, scientific communication, journal article writing
- We screen your CV/resume and check whether your profile meets our requirements.
- We ask you to attempt a short editing exercise.
- You hear from us within one week of submitting your completed editing exercise.
- If selected, we sign a contract and confidentiality agreement with you.
- Once the paperwork is done, you’re on board and we’re set to go.
Visit our FAQs section to get some basic questions answered.
There are as many definitions as there are editors. At Cactus we consider the following integral to our copyediting service:
- Attention to detail: Zero typographical errors
- Language and grammar: Conformance to native English standards—good sentence structure, accurate word choice, and correct grammar and punctuation
- Content and meaning: Editing such that the original intent or meaning of a sentence is not changed.
- Communication with the author: Drawing the author’s attention to changes or issues when needed, by using.
- Consistency: In edits, format, and the use of terminology.
Under this service, we perform a copyedit, make substantive changes, and edit for logic and flow. Here’re the key considerations for a substantive editor:
- Organization and structure: Reorganize/restructure the text if necessary. For example, check whether the paragraphs are organized appropriately and if they centre on a single theme/topic.
- Presentation of information: Check to see if all the information is presented clearly. Can you suggest any improvements or edit such that readers will understand the text better? Would a figure or graph add clarity/improve understanding?
- Flow transition and logic: Do the ideas flow logically and smoothly—from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph, and section to section? Does the paper form a coherent whole?
We also help the author by preparing a cover letter and provide a short report on the quality of the original document.
Freelance content reviewer
Our content reviewers are researchers, scientists, and professors who are experts in their fields. They are published authors with years of peer reviewing experience. Here is what we look for in our content reviewers:
- Researcher/professor/scientist with minimum 3 years experience in peer reviewing for academic journals
- Author of papers published in academic journals
- Ability to offer keen insights and evaluate the quality of the research
- Familiarity with the style and conventions followed in academic writing, particularly in their field of study
- Knowledge of publication ethics and protocols
- Good understanding of journal requirements and ability to make recommendations/offer constructive feedback
- Scrupulous about maintaining client confidentiality and meeting deadlines
Our journal selection experts are typically experienced in pre-screening manuscripts for a journal of international repute. Here is a more detailed candidate profile:
- Minimum 5 years experience in pre-screening manuscripts for a reputed academic journal
OR
Post-doctoral experience and an extensive list of publications
- Ability to evaluate the quality of the research, balance that with an understanding of requirements and scope of different journals, and make relevant recommendations to the author
- Extensive knowledge of the range of journals in a given field
- Familiarity with publication ethics and protocols
- Scrupulous about maintaining client confidentiality and meeting deadlines
