FUKUOKA, Japan - Edanz Group is proud to announce the beta launch of the Author Path, a new scientific writing and collaboration tool for researchers and authors specifically developed for non-native English speakers.
Author Path provides end-to-end manuscript writing guidance as well as journal selection, and lets authors easily invite co-authors to collaborate on projects together.
Originally conceived in 2013, the Author Path evolved from both Edanz’s Journal Selector tool and the company’s experience in providing author services to non-native English speakers. The Journal Selector allows authors to search for appropriate journals to which they can submit their manuscript. Author Path is currently available in English and Chinese versions, and holds a US patent.
“The thinking behind both tools was how could we apply technology to overcome the challenges faced by ESL [English as a second language] authors in publishing their research findings in an environment that favored native English speaking scientists,” said Edanz founder Kerry Greer.
Research by Edanz revealed that ESL authors spent an average of more than 200 hours writing a manuscript while native English authors spent only 90 to 95 hours. Greer noted that the Author Path’s goal, using an intelligent guided writing process to reduce the time it takes an ESL author to write a manuscript to under 50 hours, was radical and had the potential to more than level the playing field.
The initial response and feedback from beta test users has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I am very excited to see the growing number of registrations and hundreds of manuscript projects already being initiated in Author Path in the first two weeks of its beta release. The growth rate of registrations and the encouraging feedback from users prove that our mission to support non-native-English speaking authors is on the right track,” said Edanz CEO Koji Yamashita.
Future development plans will see exciting new features, including submission engine integration that will allow authors to submit to a journal directly from within Author Path, and will address the challenges authors face when writing and publishing their research.
“Stay with us as we roll out upgrades and innovative applications of technology. We hope that authors will work together with the Edanz team to achieve that goal,” Greer said.
Founded in Japan in 1995, Edanz is a globally recognized author services company. Edanz provides English editing, educational materials and workshops, and other expert services and products that help authors understand the publication process and communicate their research clearly and effectively.
