Titivillus Editing for the Health Sciences: Stage 3. Agreement

Titivillus Editing for the Health Sciences

Preparing Ideas and Research Results for Publication

Timothy DeVinney, Author's Editor and Copy Editor

Titivillus Editorial Services

Stage 3. Agreement

Tasklist, Terms, Schedule, and Payment

Objective: to agree on what will and will not to be done, how communications will be handled, how long it will take, how much it will cost, and what the terms will be regarding cancelations, etc.

When I have completed a sample edit for a few pages to estimate how much work will be required to prepare your book or article for submission to a journal or publisher (or presentation for any other purpose), I will send you an estimate of the total cost for the project, a detailed list of what will be done, and the time required.

Steps for agreement with copy editor

It then only remains to agree on these points (in response to the evaluation I will send to you):

1. how do you want to communicate regarding completion of the MS?
a. how and to whom do you want the copy editor to make queries regarding missing parts of the text, ambiguities, or inconsistencies in the data?
b. how do you want to be kept informed regarding the progress of the MS? By (i) daily or (ii) weekly e-mail notification, and/or (iii) when the copy editor discovers that more work will be required and must adjust the estimated total accordingly, and/or (iv) only in a note with the finished files?

Points of agreement for stage 3, continued

2. is the tasklist is acceptable? See the procedure page with the full list of tasks and terms (or the short version). Here again you have several choices:
  a. simply have the copy editor follow standard industry practice, and spell these out in the short tasklist and terms,
  b. exchange e-mails to discuss specific items on the full list of tasks and terms and how they will be handled,
  c. call the copy editor to discuss the details, or
  d. request that the copy editor call you to discuss the details.

3. is the cost is within your budget, and do you agree to pay 30% of the total due, at the start of copyediting, and the outstanding balance on receiving the finished MS (or on receiving each completed chapter of a book)?

4. are the remaining terms acceptable: those regarding cancelations, settling disagreements, etc.

For the next step, go to stage 4: sending in text, tables, and figures for editing by the copy editor.

URL for this page: http://www.HeathSciEdit.com/tes-stage03.htm
© 2003–2006 Timothy DeVinney. Page last updated April 17, 2006.