Pacific Edit - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Who uses Pacific Edit?

U.S. and foreign physicians and scientists use our biomedical proofreading, editing, and rewriting services in preparing academic manuscripts (e.g., journal articles, abstracts, posters, lectures, grants). Non-native English speakers have indicated they find these services particularly helpful when attempting to publish in English-language biomedical as well as other scientific journals.

Our success rate is excellent. 92 percent of the papers we have edited were accepted and published in the targeted journal. See our list of recently edited articles and the journals that have accepted them for publication. These journals are widely considered as among the best in the world.

International Corporations and small businesses use our services to proofread, edit and rewrite white papers, annual reports, business plans, marketing material, owners manuals and other documentation.

The Principals have over 35 years of coobined experience in publishing and editing documents for peer-reviewed academic journals. They also have experience in writing, editing and proofreading grant applications, manuscripts, professional manuals, marketing material and other documentation.
Our staff has over 100 years combined experience writing, editing and proofreading academic and non-academic manuscripts.

Our clients acknowledge:

Pacific Edit provides the highest quality work available.
Pacific Edit has an outstanding team of thoroughly trained editors and writers.
Pacific Edit is able to respond effectively to projects of any size with as many people as needed.
Pacific Edit has a diverse scientific and technical experience.
Pacific Edit's client services are exceptional.

See the testimonials page for more reasons to use Pacific Edit.

What file formats are supported?

Most of our work is done in Microsoft Word, either for Windows or for Macintosh.

One advantage of using Microsoft Word for editing is that changes can be clearly shown using the revisions, or track changes feature. This function allows removed material and added material to be presented in different formats and colors and offers several ways for you to review and accept changes. This is especially important for small changes which otherwise would very likely be missed, such as the insertion of different punctuation marks.

Other formats will also be accepted so please contact us for more information or any queries that you may have.

How do you guarantee quality of service?

While no editing service can honestly guarantee acceptance for publication, Pacific Edit has a proven track record of consistently high success. We use a team of professionals with years of experience, and have processes that ensure the quality of our work. Once we accept a deadline, we meet it. If we fail to deliver your edits by the agreed time, you don't pay.

We also take responsibility for any comments by referees and/or editors for the quality of the final product in the case of non-English speaking scientists publishing in English. If you get comments that there are problems with the English writing of a paper, we will edit the paper again for no charge so it may be submitted to another journal.

How do I pay for your services?

Pacific Edit’s preferred method of payment is by major credit card at our secure shopping cart, here.

For corporate users, Pacific Edit provides options for purchase orders and invoicing. We customize our processes to make payment management easy for regular corporate users. Email us for more information about purchase orders or to request an invoice or bank wire instructions.

For further questions send email to: info@pacificedit.com.

Can I set up an account for regular use?

As mentioned above, if you are a regular user of our services, we can set up an account or purchase order with you or your company.

How long will you take to return urgent phone calls or emails?

Our typical time to reply to your phone calls or emails depends on our workload, the staffing of our helpdesk, and the urgency of your request or inquiry. You may receive a response in as few as five minutes, or it may take up to a day, but never longer than 24-hours upon receipt of your email. On weekends or U.S. national holidays, the contact will be followed-up the following business day.

What do I need to know about turnaround (delivery) times?

Pacific Edit is one of the fastest providers of editing and document services. That being said, even we have limits. The average time for turning around a 20 page or less scientific manuscript is 5-7 days. For more complex jobs, or during periods of high traffic, it may take longer.

We have a first-come first-serve policy. Jobs are assessed and committed in the order in which they arrive. The only exceptions to this are formal requests for rush orders. Rush orders may be moved up in the queue so long as they do not bump other jobs for which we have issued a confirmed delivery time and received authorization. (Surcharges may apply. Click here for more information.)

Notify us if you expect to be sending us an urgent document or request in the near future, providing as much detail as possible. (We cannot commit to a delivery time unless you actually schedule your work - but we will try to inform you if wait times suddenly increase.)

Please remember that our times do vary and we experience widely fluctuating traffic levels at times. During periods of heavy traffic our response and delivery times may vary significantly.

How can I schedule work?

If you have a mission-critical, time-sensitive request, we recommend that you schedule it with us as far in advance as possible. By scheduling in advance, you guarantee that editing or support capacity will be there when you need it, and that your turnaround time will be as fast as possible. While we are usually able to provide prompt service even without advance notice, we cannot guarantee a delivery time until you either submit your request, or schedule your request.

To schedule a work request, provide us with the following:

A draft copy of your document, if one is available.
The type of work or edit you are requesting.
Any detailed requirements about your request.
A word count for your document.
The date and time when it will be submitted to Pacific Edit.
The time when it must be returned to you.

When we receive your scheduling request, we respond either with a request for additional information, or with a confirmation number, a confirmed delivery time, and where possible, a binding quote for services. We may also require a partial or complete deposit for service (since in some cases fulfillment of your request will require an editor to remain on duty).

To make your scheduling request, email us.

What is Pacific Edit's confidentiality and privacy policy?

Pacific Edit takes all reasonable care in ensuring the privacy of its customers and the confidentiality of materials that are submitted. Customer information is never released or sold to any third party. Customer credit card information is collected via secure websites hosted by Paypal.com, and is never stored on any open system. Documents that are submitted are kept in a secure form once they reach Pacific Edit. Files are typically kept for three months after the completion of the work, after which they are destroyed (unless you request otherwise).

For more information, see our privacy policy.

Pacific Edit can arrange for secure transmission to and from your computer for materials that are particularly confidential. Contact us for more information about confidentiality and secure submissions.

What if my files are too large or too confidential to send through email?

Confidentiality

We treat all documents and correspondence we receive as confidential information. If you submit a document for a price quotation and do not elect to use our service, we will destroy all paper and electronic copies of your text. If you choose to use our services, at your discretion all paper and electronic copies of your documents will be destroyed following the satisfactory completion of the service agreement. At your request, we will conform to non-disclosure agreements and make arrangements for secured transmission of your documents.

The Company understands the documents and manuscripts you send us may contain proprietary business or scientific information, intellectual property, or personal information, so we will make all reasonable attempts to protect the security and the confidentiality of the information contained in your document and or manuscript. You can be assured that we are the only people who see your document and/or manuscript.

We are professionals and take very seriously the confidentiality of our clients' materials. The Company, including all employees and subcontractors, agree not to disclose to any third party the content of any written material in the form of a document or manuscript submitted by the client.

Our staff members are carefully screened professionals. All sign confidentiality agreements before beginning work for us. Furthermore, only our executive staff has access to your company's or institution's and personal information. Pacific Edit will send personally identifiable information about you to other companies or people only when:

We have your consent to share the information.
We need to share your information to provide the product or service you have requested.
We need to send the information to companies who work on behalf of Pacific Edit to provide a product or service to you.
We respond to subpoenas, court orders, or legal process.

Changes To This Privacy Policy

Pacific Edit may modify this policy from time to time. If we make any substantial changes, we will notify you by posting a prominent announcement on our web pages.

Disclaimer

The user of this site expressly agrees that use of the Pacific Edit web site is solely at the user's risk. Pacific Edit provides the site's services on an "as is" and "as available" basis. Pacific Edit expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, including and without limitation any warranty of merchantability or non-infringement.

Without limiting the generality of the foregoing statements, Pacific Edit makes no warranty that Pacific Edit will meet the user's requirements, or that the service will be uninterrupted, timely, totally secure or error free; nor does Pacific Edit make any warranty as to the results that may be obtained from the service or as to the reliability of any information obtained through the site.

No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by the user from Pacific Edit or in the course of using Pacific Edit, shall create any warranty not expressly made herein. The user acknowledges and agrees that any material and/or data downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of the service is done at the user's own risk. The user is solely responsible for any damages to his or her computer system or loss of data that results in the downloading of any files on the service or any external links available on the service.

Indemnification

The user agrees to indemnify and hold Pacific Edit its officers, owners, agents and any employee harmless from any claim or demand made by any third party due to or arising out of the use of Pacific Edit's services.

Copyright

All content included on this site, such as text, graphics, logos, button icons, images, audio clips and software, is the property of Pacific Edit and protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. The compilation (meaning the collection, arrangement, and assembly) of all content on this site is the exclusive property of Pacific Edit. Any reproduction, modification, distribution, transmission, republication, display or performance of the content on this site is strictly prohibited.

Limitation of Liability

Pacific Edit shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages arising out of or relating to this agreement, resulting from the use or the inability to use the site or messages received or products or services rendered or resulting from unauthorized access to or alteration of the user's transmissions or data, including but not limited to damages for loss of profits, even if Pacific Edit has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Applicable Law

This site is created and controlled by Pacific Edit in the State of California, USA. As such, the laws of the State of California will govern these disclaimers, terms and conditions, without giving effect to any principles of conflict of laws. We reserve the right to make changes to our site and these disclaimers, terms and conditions at any time.

In the unlikely event that we have any claims against each other (other than ours solely related to payments of our invoices), we both agree to try to resolve them privately for a 60-day period. If we cannot resolve them, they will be arbitrated within 180 days by the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Service (JAMS) or by an arbitrator we both agree upon. The arbitrators shall follow substantive California law, including Civil Procedure S1283.05. Awards must state all findings and reasoning in writing. No lost profits or punitive or emotional distress damages may be awarded. The award will be binding (no appeals) and may be enforced as a judgment in any court. The arbitrator may award reasonable attorneys' fees to the prevailing party.

Additional Terms

Since the documents we work on often change hands many times after our work on them is complete, we frequently do not see the final pages that go to press. Consequently, we do not assume final sign-off responsibility, and are not financially responsible for any loss, financial or otherwise, resulting from textual errors.
Although Pacific Edit returns documents in fully edited form, the changes we make when editing or rewriting documents are suggestions only. It's the client's sole responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness, and usefulness of all advice and services rendered.
Pacific Edit's services don't include fact checking unless a specific request has been made and financial terms are agreed upon before the work is begun. Otherwise, the veracity of all factual claims are the responsibility of the client.
All estimated turnaround times are assumed to begin when Pacific Edit receives the client's final document(s). Such times refer to a single editing event with an explicit target result in view. Additions of materials, rewrites, or change of target journal or any activity, which alters the specific agreement will be considered to be outside the scope of the editing event.
Pacific Edit reserves the right to refuse service to anyone at our discretion.
The client is responsible for supplying Pacific Edit with a current and accurate name, billing address, phone number, and email address, and has an ongoing obligation to keep this information current.
The client is responsible for supplying appropriate payment in U.S. funds within 30 days for all services performed by Creative Solutions. Past due amounts may bear interest at the rate of up to 1-1/2 percent per month
We are agreeing to a relationship based upon the terms outlined above. If any of them are unenforceable, they should still apply to the fullest extent possible and in any event the other terms will not be adversely affected.

Confidentiality Agreement

We respect the privacy and confidentiality of our clients and their documents. Never, under any circumstances, will material submitted to Pacific Edit be discussed outside the company, reprinted, sold, or redistributed in any way. The copyright for all documents written, rewritten, edited, proofed, or otherwise worked on by Pacific Edit will remain with the client.
Any contact information submitted to us will not be sold, rented, or used for any purpose other than professional correspondence between Pacific Edit and the client.
Any payment information provided by the client will remain confidential and completely inaccessible to any parties outside of Pacific Edit.
Written privacy and/or nondisclosure agreements are willingly signed and adhered to by principals and agents of Pacific Edit.
We make every possible effort to maintain client confidentiality. However, due to the vulnerability of the Internet, Pacific Edit cannot guarantee confidentiality of documents delivered via email.
The above agreement items also apply to any contractors working on behalf of Pacific Edit.

These terms apply to every client relationship at Pacific Edit. The use of our services is an acceptance of these terms.

If you have too many files or the files are too large, Pacific Edit can provide you with an upload client. This will allow you to send files of any size directly to Pacific Edit's fileserver, once again bypassing insecure and unreliable email servers and connections.