Heliyon

In the last edition of Editors’ Update, we highlighted the impending launch of Heliyon – Elsevier’s new open access journal publishing sound research across all disciplines. Since then, the journal has officially opened its doors and is now accepting manuscript submissions. It has also launched its website heliyon.com(opens in new tab/window).

Since that initial announcement, much has been achieved – here are some important milestones on the journey so far:

Heliyon – the facts

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  Once an article is accepted Heliyon aims to publish it online within 72 hours

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  The article publishing charge is $1,250, plus VAT or local taxes where applicable

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  Authors can choose between two Creative Commons licenses: CC-BY and CC-BY-NC-ND

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  A new, simple interface for the submission system will be launched later this year

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  Lessons learnt could potentially be rolled out to other journals

Website

heliyon.com(opens in new tab/window) serves as a destination for all things Heliyon. From author guidelines to our open access policies and a directory of Editorial Board members, it contains all the information authors will need when deciding whether to submit to the journal. The website is linked to the EVISE® submission system(opens in new tab/window), (the successor to the current Elsevier Editorial System – EES) which will facilitate the peer-review process.

Editorial Advisors and Editorial Board

The journal’s broad scope means that it is important to ensure Editorial Board members are drawn from all disciplines. With Editorial Assistants Marion Thibaudeau and Chris Russell, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Claudia Lupp(opens in new tab/window) has worked on recruiting more than 500 experts who will oversee the review process for content relevant to their specialty – the journal currently has no plans to actively recruit reviewers.

Dr. Lupp and her team have also brought on board over a dozen Editorial Advisors, who will provide essential guidance to the journal in their respective areas of expertise and will assist in the journal’s development. To learn more about Heliyon’s editorial team visit the Editorial Page on our website.

Submission system

Our developers are currently working on a new submission interface that will be launched later this year. This interface will minimize the time it takes for authors to submit their content, which we hope will remove one of the biggest pain points in the publication process. More information about this new interface will be made available over the coming months.

What this could mean for your journal

When we announced Heliyon, we made it clear our goal is to experiment and innovate in areas such as content display, peer-review processes, and author services. Lessons learnt through this testing will then be evaluated for potential roll out to other Elsevier journals. We also made it clear we want to work hand in hand with the research community on these developments. The good news is that many of you have already contacted us with your suggestions and these have proved invaluable.

If you have any ideas about how to improve the publication process, please email us at [email protected](opens in new tab/window).

As we receive the first submissions to the journal, we are now gearing up for our next major milestone – the publication of content, currently scheduled for later this year.

To learn more about Heliyon, sign up for Heliyon Alerts(opens in new tab/window), visit our website(opens in new tab/window), follow our blog(opens in new tab/window), and connect with us on Facebook(opens in new tab/window), Twitter(opens in new tab/window)