35 PRS Proofreading and Editing Service PhD Experts • All Academic Areas • Fast Turnaround • High Quality clear, correct, precise and consistent as possible because even a talented and experienced proofreader will only be able to help you communicate effectively if you do so well enough that he or she can get a good idea of what you’re trying to say. The use of excellent English will in any case benefit both you and your article as you work through all the stages of publication, from emailing editors to proofreading the final copyedited version of your paper. 4.1 British versus American english The guidelines of some journals will indicate specific requirements regarding language and it’s essential that your writing style follows these instructions carefully. The most common specification among many English journals is the use of either British or American English, and even those journals that allow both kinds will not want to see a mixture of British and American spellings in the same paper. Differences between the two forms of English include ‘ou’ in British versus ‘o’ in American (British: ‘colour’ and ‘behaviour’; American: ‘color’ and ‘behavior’), ‘re’ in British versus ‘er’ in American (British: ‘theatre’; American: ‘theater’), doubling of consonants in British versus single consonants in American (British: ‘modelling’ and ‘focussed’; American: ‘modeling’ and ‘focused’) and ‘-ise’ endings in British versus ‘-ize’ endings in American (British: ‘analyse’ and ‘recognising’; American: ‘analyze’ and ‘recognizing’). The last of these differences is no longer observed as strictly as it once was, and ‘-ize’ endings are now acceptable in British English as well, at least as far as some journals and publishers are concerned. There are other differences as well (e.g., ‘oe’ in British vs. ‘e’ in American: ‘manoeuvre’ vs. ‘maneuver’) and certain inconsistencies that can be unpredictable (‘parameter’ and ‘compromise,’ for example, are the same in both British and American), but the spell check function of Word can help PARt II: PRePARIng, PResentIng And PolIsHIng YoUR woRk