Chemical Education Today
Report
JCE in Transition News for Authors, Reviewers, and Subscribers JCE Editorial Staff Journal of Chemical Education, 209 N. Brooks St., Madison, WI 53715-1116;
[email protected] Last month, the Journal of Chemical Education announced the agreement between the Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Division of Chemical Education to co-publish the JCE, starting in 2010. As part of this partnership, authors, reviewers, and subscribers need to be aware of some modifications being implemented now and others that will be announced over the next several months. Major changes are summarized below, and additional details can be found online at http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/FAQ/index.html.
Author Information What are the benefits of being an author in JCE under the co-publication agreement with ACS? A number of benefits for authors under this arrangement are outlined below: Comprehensive Scope: The Journal continues to provide chemistry educators with a resource that serves its many constituencies and includes a variety of content. In addition, the ACS partnership gives JCE the ability to develop new projects with other ACS journals. Rapid Publication: By using existing ACS systems and services, JCE will publish articles faster and more efficiently, including the rolling availability of Articles ASAP (As Soon As Publishable). User-Friendly Manuscript Submission Process: The ACS Paragon Plus Environment, powered by ScholarOne, guides authors through the electronic submission process. Inclusion in the Award-Winning Web Editions Platform: This allows for enhanced PDF and full-text HTML options; enriched table of contents; advanced search interface; links to CAS resources; links to related Journal content from all ACS journals; Articles ASAP; multimedia features; and email and RSS alerting services. Responsive, High-Quality Publication Team: The editor, associate editors, and Journal and ACS staff will work together to publish JCE, maintaining the Journal’s high standards. No Publication Charges: JCE Authors are not required to pay submission, page, or color charges.
Will the manner in which authors submit papers change? Yes. Beginning in mid-December 2009, authors will need to submit their manuscripts to JCE by means of ACS’s Paragon Plus Environment. In other words, JCE’s submission process is changing from a paper-based one to an electronic process. What is the new electronic submission system? ACS’s Paragon Plus Environment is a set of Web-based tools that lets an author electronically submit a manuscript to an ACS journal. An electronic submission to JCE consists of several components just like the previous paper process—a cover letter,
the manuscript, a copyright form, and any supplementary materials. After an author submits the electronic materials in one of several acceptable formats, the Paragon Plus system serves as the point of communication between the author and the Journal. As an author, you will be automatically notified via email of steps along the publication process. If you are already registered for Paragon Plus because you write or review for another journal, you should be able to use your current login information. New authors can simply set up such an account. Why is JCE changing from a paper-based submission process to an electronic submission process? Paragon Plus puts an author’s submission into the proper hands quickly and efficiently. It helps the editorial office assign reviewers, notify authors, and process manuscripts more effectively. It is convenient for all parties involved and reduces the financial and environmental impact of printing, copying, and mailing. I submitted an article using the traditional paper-based process. Do I need to resubmit my article using the Paragon Plus Environment? No. If you submitted paper copies using the traditional system, you don’t have to take any action at this time. You should not resubmit the same manuscript via Paragon Plus. Our transition plans include the means to handle previous paper submissions. You will be contacted when your submission reaches the next stage, and you will be given explicit instructions on how to proceed at that time. Once the transition is complete, may I still opt to submit a manuscript with paper copies by postal service? No. Once JCE completes the transition to Paragon Plus, we will no longer accept paper-based submissions. At that time, the only option will be to use the new Web-based system. How will I know what types of files and in what formats to submit using Paragon Plus? Technical support for JCE submissions will be available through Paragon Plus. Detailed descriptions of submission types, acceptable file formats, required style, and formatting of content will be available. The Web tools are compatible with a variety of browsers, making access convenient from home or office anywhere in the world.
© Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 86 No. 12 December 2009 • Journal of Chemical Education
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I have lots of questions. Where can I start looking for answers now? You can find some general answers to questions about ACS publications, including ACS journals, at this link: http://pubs.acs.org/page/4authors/submission/index.html JCE-specific information about these transition changes can be found online at:
http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/FAQ/index.html
Where should I look for more information about these changes? We will publish relevant information about our switch to the Paragon Plus Environment as it becomes available. Updates will appear in this column, but a more complete listing can be found using JCE’s home page at: http://www.jce.divched.org/
Check it regularly!
Reviewer Information Will the role and process for reviewers be different? We will continue to use the peer-review system which serves a crucial role in assuring the highest quality within our published materials. Reviewers will be selected by the editor or one of several new associate editors. Reviewers will receive notification of any requests to review a submission via email sent by the Paragon Plus system. If you are a reviewer, you will use the Web-based tools of Paragon Plus to submit an overall evaluation and comments about an article. Reviewers’ identities are still protected; only the editor and associate editors have access to this information. Authors are never provided the names of reviewers. At the time you are asked to review a submission, you will be provided basic information about the manuscript and asked to submit comments in a timely fashion. The system makes it easy to complete these tasks. How long will I have to complete a review? Reviewers using the traditional JCE system responded in different timeframes. We hope to streamline the overall process and take advantage of the Paragon Plus Environment and other production features to dramatically shorten the time between author submission and publication. This requires the cooperation of both authors and reviewers—everyone benefits in the end. When you agree to review a submission, please note that you agree to send your comments in a timely fashion. You can then expect to be treated in the same professional manner when you submit a paper. Is additional information available concerning the review process? The launch of the electronic reviewer tools coincides with the use of Paragon Plus by authors. The official start date will be announced at the JCE Web site, but individuals will receive an email request to review when they have been selected. The evaluation criteria are consistent with the ones used previously, and a summary of that information will be provided from within the reviewer tools. 1366
Subscriber Information What changes can I expect to my subscription? Your subscription to JCE will not be changed; you will receive all of the issues for which you have paid. Fulfillment of the subscription and future reminders to renew will be provided by the offices of ACS Publications rather than our current vendor. If you are an ACS member, you will be able to subscribe or renew using the forms for membership and ACS journal renewal. If you are not an ACS member, you can still subscribe or renew without becoming a member. Information about your subscription is being transferred during the transition. Online and phone contact information to reach support staff for these services will be available shortly. Will JCE continue to publish a print version? Yes. JCE will continue to publish a complete print version of each issue, just like certain ACS journals continue to do so. Under the JCE and ACS partnership, you will be offered the opportunity to subscribe to either the print and online versions or just the online option. In addition, institutional subscriptions continue to be available. We will provide as many affordable and convenient options as we possibly can. Is there anything I should do? Yes! Don’t get lost in the transition! Starting with the January 2010 issue ACS Publications will being managing all JCE subscriptions, including online access to the Journal. ACS Pubs will be contacting JCE subscribers with new online access codes by email. If you do not have a current email address on file with JCE you will miss this important information. Keep connected to JCE—please send us your current email address today. Please do this now: send your current email address and subscriber number (the 5-digit code near the top of your mailing label) to
[email protected] with the subject line “email address”. We promise never to sell or circulate this private information. Your Subscriber ID Number
************************ FIRM 53706 99990 Z MAR 2010 Z0142 JANE L DOE PREMIER SCHOOL AND COLLEGE AVOGADRO AVENUE ANYWHERE, WORLD
To:
[email protected] Subject: email address My current email is:
[email protected] Subscriber ID: 99990
Supporting JCE Online Material
http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2009/Dec/abs1365.html Abstract and keywords Full text (PDF) with links to cited URLs
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 86 No. 12 December 2009 • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • © Division of Chemical Education
