Frank A Hilario, Your Digital One-Man-Band Editor Of Manuscripts & Editor In Chief Of Publications

Nobody’s offering personal work from home (WFH) digital services in writing, editing and desktop publishing on Facebook, so I have this day-old blog, “Digital Frank A Hilario” (digfrankahilario.blogspot.com). Yes, I am “Your Digital FAH – Friend And Helper.”

Yes, I enjoy being a WFH. At home, I use 2 monitors: a  Lenovo14-inch ThinkPad, Core i7, and a 20-inch ViewSonic. I set my Windows 10 to background slideshow, so images keep changing in both monitors, from thousands of photographs I have collected with my 10-year-old-now-missing Lumix FZ100 digital camera. Nice views if you can get it!

Yes, I can help you digitally from A to I: Author, Blogger, Communicator, Desktop Publisher, Editor, Editor in Chief, Forest Conservation Advocate, Ghostwriter, Home-Based Contributor, and In-House Editor-Publisher.

We begin. For manuscripts of (1) theses and dissertations, in Agriculture & related fields, and (2) technical papers for publication, here’s some advice:

1.     Title – Do not include such words as “The Effects Of…” or “A Study Of…” They are already implied as a good part of your thesis, dissertation, or technical paper.

2.     Abstract – To help you compose a good Abstract, write it last, not first! By then, you have a good idea what to include.

3.     Introduction – This is where you frame the problem and its background. Authors commonly forget to state the Rationaleof the study or research in the Introduction. The Rationale is the reason for the investigation, the background why. It could be said in 1 sentence or 1 paragraph: Of what importance is the study to science, or society? Is this in a new field or what?

4.     Discussion– In my decades of experience, there are so many authors that mention many a table but do not discuss it! They simply say something like this: “Table 10 shows the results on the experiment on fertilization by N.” Bad.

5.     Conclusion/s – A conclusion is not merely a restatement of any finding, but many authors make that mistake.

6.     Recommendation/s – Similarly, a recommendation is not another way of stating a finding.

7.     Grammar – Many manuscripts have poor English grammar. So, go find a good English Editor for you! You try me. I have been writing in the (American) English language since 1^st year of my BS Agriculture at UPCA (now UP Los Baños) in 1959. I have been editing manuscripts since 1975. I have been blogging in this language for the last 22 years, approximately 8,000 essays (8 million words) so far. That explains my ease in writing and editing.

Finally, about the role of editors regarding theses/dissertations, US-based Best Edit & Proof says (besteditproof.com):

Experienced proofreading and editing services check the entire thesis from beginning to end and make all the necessary changes in terms of grammar, punctuation, referencing, and even sentence construction.

Remember this: If your manuscript or article is not a labor of love, it is not that good! Well, that is good news for us editors, because we have work to do – and get paid to do it for you people!@517