Hello All, 

I am writing my first journal article for submission to the Transfusion Journal. As I have no experience in writing articles and submitting I have heard there are Editorial companies who can review your articles and help with the editing process. Does anyone know of any, and can recommend (or otherwise!) their work?

Many Thanks

Kelli

 

I don't, but I wish you all the very best for your first article; it is always an exciting step forward in one's career.

Hi Kelli,

I'm so excited to hear you are writing an article for Transfusion. Finding time to write is a challenge. I wouldn't worry about a professional reviewer as the Transfusion staff will edit your article to comply with the Transfusion Style Guide. As one of the former Technical Editors for Transfusion, I'm very familliar with the process. The journal's website which you can access through AABB.org, has instructions for authors that will cover how they would like you to organize your paper (Case Review or original work, etc) and the steps for electronic submission of the file once you are ready for the peer review process to start. The peer reviewers are only supposed to look at content and how you drew conclusions from your results. They will submit questions back to you if it is felt there is more explanation or data needed. This is meant to be a supportive, collaborative process so please do not take any of the comments personally. They are meant to help you look good as an author.

When content is settled, the technical editing staff for the journal will will work on your paper to make it comply with the Transfusion Style Guide and send you proofs before anything is printed. They do all the heavy work as far as grammar and formatting are concerned. They will make sure your data is presented in the clearest way possible and  that your intended message is delivered correctly. You will be involved in the process but not completely responsible for it so don't worry!

Any questions or concerns, I'm happy to help.

I have been a peer reviewer for Transfusion (amongst a few other journals) and Pony is absolutely correct in saying that we are there to help, rather than criticise, so, once again, good luck!

Thanks all. Don't worry, I am certainly here to learn from this process, and am happy to receive all constructive criticism. Will let you know if and when the article gets accepted! and p.s.you're right Pony, finding the time to write for a 24hr shift worker is extremely challenging!