Preparing for the life-sciences editing examination
Preparation for the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences examination draws on everyday editing work, supported by reading, knowledge of grammar and science, familiarity with publishing principles and practice with sample questions.
Eligibility and supporting evidence
Under the requirements described in 2018, applicants needed a bachelor's degree or equivalent and at least two years of experience as a manuscript editor in the life sciences, or a PhD and at least one year of experience. The application required a diploma and letters from employers or clients describing and verifying the applicant's manuscript editing work. BELS defined a manuscript editor as someone concerned with both the form and the intellectual content of a manuscript.
Medical writing work can provide evidence of editorial responsibilities. One successful applicant's supporting letter described original writing from data and contributors' input, editing and critical revision of contributors' text, and responsibility for the complete document's consistency, story flow, key messages, and compliance with guidelines and style guides.
Reading and language variants
Daily work as an editor is the best preparation for the BELS examination. Reading several writing references provides different perspectives and helps avoid becoming too prescriptive; the BELS Certification Study Guide lists useful reference books, and language forums or grammar groups can also help.
The examination tests proficiency in standard American English, so candidates accustomed to British, Australian or other varieties should be able to move comfortably between them.
Grammar terminology
Excellent writing does not necessarily require knowing the names of syntactic problems, but the examination tests recognition of restrictive clauses, prepositional phrases and dangling modifiers, alongside diagnosis of grammar, punctuation and syntax problems. Familiarity with that terminology allows candidates to answer basic editing questions quickly and leave more time for difficult questions.
Substantive editing
The bulk of the examination described in 2018 concerned substantive editing: choosing the revision that best resolves grammatical and syntactic problems in a technically dense passage while preserving the author's intention. Tiny differences can separate the possible answers, and many problems involve identifying who does what to whom—the subject and object of the sentence. Misinterpreting the author's intention can distort or omit information from a revision.
Editing difficult journal manuscripts written by scientists with limited English proficiency can help develop the ability to untangle meaning. In normal editing work, doubts can be clarified with the author; in the examination, candidates must rely on their own judgement, language skills and command of syntax.
Scientific and numerical knowledge
The examination tests scientific terms and units of measurement, interpretation of numbers and graphs, and simple arithmetic, including percentages and quick estimates. Candidates should revise SI base and derived units and common non-SI units, including those used for radioactivity, electricity, heat and light, and revisit graph types such as logarithmic plots. Textbooks and online reference sources can support this revision.
Scientific material can come from any life science, from botany to biomedicine; specialist expertise is unnecessary, but a broad scientific foundation helps candidates identify syntactic, logical and numerical problems faster. Numerical questions require attention to detail and logical reasoning under time pressure, and numerical aptitude tests can provide practice when arithmetic skills are rusty.
Publishing principles
Bibliographic reference questions test recognition of differences and errors in citation style. Other questions cover copyrighted material, author-editor interactions and ethical principles in scientific publishing. Candidates unfamiliar with publishing can study major journals' editorial policies on copyright and licensing, conflicts of interest, prior publication, confidentiality and research integrity.
Sample questions and readiness
The BELS Certification Study Guide described in 2018 contained 22 sample questions, about a fifth of the number in the examination. Working through them in about half an hour gives a feel for the examination's pace and level. Getting most answers right is a suggested indication of readiness to sit the examination.