Should I use a professional English editing service?

Professional editing is helpful but not always necessary. For first submissions to top journals, professional editing can be worthwhile. For mid-tier journals, using tools like CheckMyManuscript and Grammarly, combined with a native-speaker colleague's review, is usually sufficient.

Is it acceptable to have my paper translated from another language?

Yes, but the translation quality must be high. Machine translation (Google Translate, DeepL) can produce a draft, but it always requires significant human editing for academic conventions. Never submit a raw machine translation.

How can I improve my academic English long-term?

Read extensively in your field's English-language journals. Write regularly in English (not just papers, notes, reviews, emails). Pay attention to how published papers phrase findings, describe methods, and structure arguments. Over time, these patterns become natural.

Publishing in English as a Non-Native Speaker

A practical guide for researchers writing in English as a second language, with common errors by language background, proven strategies, and recommended tools.

Over 80% of scientific publications are in English, yet the majority of researchers worldwide are non-native English speakers. Publishing in English is not optional, it's the gateway to international visibility, citations, and collaboration. But ESL researchers face specific challenges that native speakers don't: article usage, preposition patterns, tense consistency, hedging conventions, and academic register. This guide addresses these challenges with practical solutions, organized by common language backgrounds.

Common writing challenges by language background

Different mother tongues produce different patterns of English writing errors. Recognizing your language-specific patterns is the first step to improving:

Spanish/Portuguese: Article omission ('the' and 'a'), false cognates, run-on sentences, comma splices, different paragraph structure conventions
Chinese/Japanese/Korean: Article errors (languages without articles), plural marking, tense consistency, passive voice overuse, sentence fragments
Hindi/Urdu: Preposition errors, word order variations, article misuse, tense shifting, formal register mixing
Arabic: Coordination overuse (connecting everything with 'and'), relative clause structures, article patterns, paragraph organization
French/German: False cognates, word order in subordinate clauses, capitalization conventions, comma usage differences

Academic English conventions that differ from general English

Academic English has specific conventions that even advanced ESL speakers may not know:

Hedging: Academic writing uses strategic uncertainty ('suggests', 'may indicate', 'appears to') rather than absolute claims
Tense conventions: Background (present), methods (past), results (past), discussion (present). These patterns vary by discipline.
Passive vs active voice: Modern academic style increasingly favors active voice, but field conventions vary
Self-reference: 'We' is acceptable in most STEM fields; 'I' is used in some social sciences; some journals still prefer passive constructions
Reporting verbs: 'Smith (2020) found/reported/argued/demonstrated/suggested', each verb signals a different degree of certainty

Writing strategies for ESL researchers

Practical strategies that help non-native speakers produce publication-ready English:

Read in your target journal: Absorb the journal's conventions by reading 5–10 recent articles before writing
Write in English from the start: Translating from your native language introduces structural errors. Draft directly in English, even if slowly.
Use sentence templates: Academic phrases like 'The aim of this study was to...' and 'Results indicate that...' are not clichés, they're expected conventions
Focus on clarity, not sophistication: Simple, clear sentences are better than complex ones with errors. Reviewers value clarity over vocabulary range.
Get feedback from native speakers: If possible, have a native-speaking colleague review your manuscript for naturalness
Use CheckMyManuscript: Our tool specifically identifies ESL writing patterns and suggests improvements tailored to academic English

Tools for ESL academic writers

Several tools specifically help non-native speakers with academic writing. Use them in combination for the best results:

CheckMyManuscript: Pre-submission compliance + ESL pattern detection, identifies language issues specific to academic manuscripts ($5 full report)
Grammarly: Real-time grammar and style correction during writing (free basic; subscription for premium)
Writefull: Corpus-based academic phrasing suggestions (free basic; subscription for premium)
DeepL Write: Translation and paraphrasing for natural-sounding English (free basic)
Ludwig.guru: Search engine for English sentences from academic sources (free)

Country-specific resources and funding

Many institutions and funding bodies offer English editing support for non-native speakers. Check whether your institution provides: English editing services through the library or research office, funding for professional English editing (many grants include publication costs), writing centers or academic writing workshops, peer writing groups for ESL researchers. In countries like India, Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines, there are also local academic writing services at more accessible price points.

Frequently asked questions

Minor language issues rarely cause rejection on their own. However, poor language quality can lead to desk rejection (editor decides the paper needs too much editing) or negative reviewer impressions that affect overall evaluation. Ensuring clear, error-free English significantly improves your chances.