The Evolution English Language Support (EELS) Program offers free, light touch editing for authors submitting to Evolution for whom English is not their preferred language. 

Evolution publishes exclusively in English, which can present additional challenges to authors for whom English is an additional language. The EELS Program is intended to help reduce barriers to scientific publishing by providing such authors with an opportunity for additional support.

There are two ways for authors to participate in the EELS program:

1. Authors can request language support prior to submitting to Evolution by emailing the EELS Coordinator, Dr. Diogo B. Provete, at eelscoordinator@gmail.com. 
2. Authors can check a box during the Evolution manuscript submission process if they would be happy to be contacted for language support following review. If language support is recommended by reviewers or editors, the decision email to the authors will include details of how to access language support through the EELS program. 

In both instances, manuscripts that reach the EELS Coordinator will be assigned to trained EELS Editors, who will have up to two weeks to make light touch edits and converse with the author as needed to improve clarity of the text. Importantly, EELS Editors are not reviewers and will not assess the scientific content  of the manuscripts. 

This program was conceived by the SSE Diversity Committee and the Evolution Editors, and is based on the Language Editor position at the American Society of Mammalogists. We will assess its effectiveness after a one-year pilot test.

Additional editing services are available through the Oxford University Press author support services. As part of OUP and Evolution’s commitment to increasing the accessibility of scientific knowledge to the broader global community, authors are also encouraged to provide the title and abstract in one or more alternative languages.

Learn more about how to submit to Evolution.