For years, Elsevier’s journals have provided Guides for Authors, which are an invaluable source of information, especially for new authors wishing to submit articles. With more than 2,000 titles and a corresponding number of Guides for Authors, ensuring that all guides are accurate and up to date is a massive undertaking.

“Our 2,000-plus primary research journals cover an enormous range of subjects in the Health Sciences and Science & Technology fields,” says Catriona Fennell, Head of Journal Development. “The aims and scope of these journals can vary significantly, and each has its own character and identity. This is reflected in each journal’s Guide for Authors, which is freely available via the journal’s home page on Elsevier.com. The guides provide both general guidelines and individually tailored instructions for each specific journal.”

Some author guidelines are the same for all journals, such as instructions for the submission of electronic artwork and information about Elsevier’s ethical policies on plagiarism and duplicate submissions. The remaining parts of the Guide for Authors are unique to each journal.

“All of our Guides for Authors need to be accurate, up to date and in good English,” explains Ralph Lupton, Application Manager. “Some authors submit articles to several of our journals, so it’s important that sections appearing in various Guides for Authors are consistent. For example most journals have similar technical requirements for the preparation of electronic illustrations, and submitting electronic illustrations in the preferred format can save authors a lot of time. It speeds up the editorial and production process and can lead to earlier publication. A significant benefit of the improved method of updating these guides is that it now instantly picks up any changes made to ethical or publishing policies and automatically implements the update in all of our Guides for Authors.”

Fennell adds: “Having accurate and up- to-date guides benefits not only the authors, but also editors and reviewers: a win-win-win situation, if you like! For example, some journals have relatively strict length requirements for submissions, and may automatically return articles that are too long. So it’s in authors’ best interest to submit articles in accordance with the appropriate Guide for Authors, and it goes without saying that if an article is well-presented in the preferred format, it makes everyone’s job easier.”

First impression

“For many of our authors, Guides for Authors are often the first point of contact with the journal from a submission point of view, representing one of the first impressions authors receive about a journal and about Elsevier,” Fennell says. “So it’s important that they are professional, accurate and consistent. Offering clear and up-to-date guidelines to authors is the best way to help ensure this.”

On average, a Guide for Authors is accessed every 10 seconds. In response to authors’ feedback, Elsevier decided it was time to review them. “We are committed to supporting authors and the peer review process,” Lupton explains. “Part of this customer-centric strategy has focused on making the process of getting research published easier and smoother. As a result, a review of the many Guides for Authors was considered a priority, in order to make the entire publishing process easier for authors, editors and reviewers, and to improve overall journal quality.”

Fennell explains: “With clear and consistent guides, authors know exactly what is required of them in terms of the journal standards, including the length, style and format of their articles and illustrations. Editors spend less time handling queries from authors which, in turn, speeds up the reviewing process.”

Each journal is unique

“Guides for Authors differ in detail from one journal to another, and our publishing team will consult our editors where appropriate to ensure quality and accuracy in their own specific guide,” Lupton emphasizes. “The beauty of the new approach is that it allows for frequent and accurate updates with a single stroke, and we’re also using the transition as an opportunity to revamp, update and clean up our guides.”

“We’re aiming to keep the system as lean and speedy, simple and universal as possible, but it’s still more dynamic than ever before. New information always needs to be added, on subjects such as NIH and other funding body policies, language and submission instructions. In recent years, there has also been a marked increase in the number and type of video and audio clips included on journal websites,” Lupton says.

“As a result of developments in publishing, technology and the scientific community, in general, our Guides for Authors are continually evolving,” Lupton concludes. “Consequently, we hope even experienced authors will benefit from the changes we’re implementing.”


Weblinks

Check out your journals’   Guide for Authors