Importance of Human Editors in the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming every facet of our lives, including how scientific manuscripts are drafted. Nevertheless, an experienced human editor remains an indispensable part of the publication process.
Even if you use an AI tool to review your paper, there are important and well recognized aspects to consider (as listed below). These are especially relevant when using an AI tool to translate from Chinese to English, as we have noticed that the meaning can become lost in translation, or that the translation can be more literal and overly complex.
We have many years of experience in editing manuscripts written by native Chinese-speaking authors, so we can help to correct, and where appropriate, simplify the text to make it clearer and easier to read.
Our services now include two options, a comprehensive and standard package. If you prefer not to use an AI tool then the comprehensive package is the best option, but if you would just us to check that the AI tool has not made any errors, then the standard package is an economical option.
Either way, these are some of the reasons why a human editor still matters in the age of AI.
Reasons to Use a Human Editor
Language, Tone and Nuance
- Natural language: AI tends to produce technically accurate text, but it often sounds like a machine trying to be overly formal. In high-level medical journals, the goal is precision and clarity while avoiding unnecessary complexity. A human editor ensures that the text is clear and easy to read. This is often mentioned by Reviewers, and your readers will thank you!
- Cultural and idiomatic usage: A human editor will correct text that AI may over-correct into unnatural phrasing when translating from Chinese.
Consistent Structure and Narrative Tone
- Logical flow: A human editor ensures that the methods, results, and discussion sections form a coherent whole, not just well-structured paragraphs.
- Accuracy of the abstract: A human editor checks that the abstract faithfully reflects the findings, where AI-generated abstracts can subtly diverge from the text.
- Crosschecking tables and figures: An editor will check that the data in the text matches that in the tables and figures, and (if requested) the supplementary material.
Context
- AI cannot reliably assess whether stated contraindications or patient criteria are plausible. In addition, medical terms can have overlapping meanings; a human editor understands when a word choice could be misleading.
- Local knowledge: Our editors in particular also have experience with terms and the situation in Taiwan, such as the Taiwan Biobank and NHI, so we can identify and correct issues that AI will likely miss.
Journal-Specific Requirements (Optional Extras)
- Author guidelines: Each journal has unique formatting, and an editor ensures that a manuscript meets these requirements (as detailed here).
- Cover letter: A tailored cover letter is still largely a human craft, and it can meaningfully improve the acceptance rate.
Long-term Support
- With our comprehensive editing package, we will support you until the paper has been published. If you need to make changes during the review process (which is usually the case), the same editor can check those changes for you. As they have already edited your paper they will understand the context of the changes, thereby ensuring consistency in tone.
- Similarly, if you would like to ask a question about the text or make small changes, we can answer via Line (or email) quickly without the need to review the whole paper again.
- A human editor will be genuinely pleased that your paper has been accepted; it will really make their day better.
In conclusion, AI is a useful first-pass tool that can help to catch basic errors and save time. However, the expertise, and judgment and tone of a human editor are still vital, at least for as long as your readers are also human!
