Issue-Based Publishing Workflow for Print and Online journals

Judy Connors, MA
Owner, Do It Write Editorial, LLC
doitwriteeditorial@gmail.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judy-connors

 

Denise Kuo
Consultant, Origin Editorial
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-kuo/
ORCID: 0000-0002-8156-5518

Editor’s Note: This is the second post in a series of 3 posts on different types of publishing workflows. The first by Lindsey Brounstein focused on Article-based Publishing. The third and final post, focusing on continuous publication, will be out in November.

Take Home Points:

  1. While digital publication has made great inroads in scholarly publishing, print publication is still relevant.
  2. Editorial office processes do not differ between print and online journals; the variances are seen in production and issue-release stages.
  3. Within digital publication, there are a variety of ways to produce content.
  4. Journal office performance can impact the author’s overall impression of the publication and the organization.

Introduction

 

A journal’s workflow dictates how articles make their way through submission, peer review, decision-making, production and then, into an issue and the hands of readers. Whether a print publication or an online (digital) publication, the editorial office workflow is a critical component to compiling articles for an issue and how that issue is released.

 

The editorial workflow is a multi-step process which ensures accuracy and quality of published content. While the specifics may vary between platforms, the general steps of bringing an article to publication apply to both print and digital issues. Until recently, all journals were published according to a strict schedule, releasing a group of articles at regular intervals, collected into an issue and/or collection. Journals are published at fixed intervals of varying lengths including weekly, monthly, or quarterly but can also be published annually (1 issue / year) and everything in between (bi-monthly, bi-annually, etc.).

 

Issue-based publishing is considered the traditional workflow approach as it has existed since journals were first introduced. All editorial offices need to meet issue deadlines efficiently and effectively to provide consistent content for readers and consistent service to authors; individual journals and large publishers alike are continually looking for improvements to streamline the process. However, there is a lack of publicly available documentation for individual workflows and the efficiencies that can be implemented in the editorial office. The intent of this post is to share our collective experience working with issue-based journals; and we have divided the post into print and online (digital) publication editorial workflows as, during our careers, we have seen that systems and processes can vary between these two types of publications despite the end outcome being the same: publish relevant content on a timely basis while maintaining journal standards. We welcome you share your experience, tips, or suggestions for best practices in the comments section below.

 

What is Issue-based Publishing?

Journal issues, released online or in print, contain the final version of each article assigned to the issue and, upon issue release, article versions that appear in the issue supersede any previous iterations of the articles released publicly by the journal, such as an author-accepted version. Issues (to our knowledge) always include volume number, issue number, and page numbers as part of the citation at a minimum, although some journals include additional information.

 

 

Originally, all articles in an issue were released on the same date, called the issue date. With online publishing, other mechanisms are being employed to release articles online as soon as possible after acceptance. An author-accepted copy may be posted to the journal website prior to copyediting, or an article may be released as an “online first” copy posted to the journal website after copyediting is completed despite not yet being assigned to an issue. When the journal is following an issue-based publishing workflow, articles are not final until they are assigned to an issue. Next, we will discuss and highlight differences between print and online (digital) publications’ workflows.

 

Workflow Considerations for a Print Publication

For most print journals, the order of articles in an issue determines the page numbers. Ordering articles within the issue or finalizing the Table of Contents is one of the last steps in preparing the issue for release and is often done by the Editor-in-Chief based on the perceived impact of subject matter. However, some journals have the Managing Editor finalize the Table of Contents. Many journals in print are assigned an annual budget for page counts (less front matter, house ads, and paid advertising) that needs to be monitored throughout the year to avoid print-page overages, which incur additional per-page costs for the organization publishing the journal. To avoid the cost of page overages in a print journal, selection of articles for inclusion in the issue takes into consideration the length and number of pages per individual article.

 

The editorial staff should receive by late Q3 or early Q4 of each calendar year the production schedule with due dates for the following year’s issues; adhering to this schedule is expected to keep all processes running smoothly. If publishing companion or grouped articles in a particular issue, it is critical that they be accepted and sent into the production phase within the “issue window” (the cut-off date a publisher requires an article to be in production for a specific issue) to guarantee publication in the same journal issue. Compilations of this nature require close management of the editorial office in conjunction with the publisher at all post-acceptance stages.

 

Important reminders for the editorial office staff:

  1. The publication schedule is dependent on manuscripts entering the production phase by a “manuscript in” date. Manuscripts accepted after the “manuscript in” date cannot be included in the issue.
  2. Value-added online content such as podcasts, videos, graphical or interactive abstracts, Twitter threads, or Instagram posts are typically released with or very soon after the issue posts. Therefore, there is time after the manuscript enters the production phase (“manuscript in” date) before the issue is released during which all the added content can be completed.
  3. The issue is reviewed by the editorial office after all articles have been copyedited, proofed by the authors, and compiled in the order provided in the Table of Contents. Issue review should also include checking the cover and spine of the print journal, ensuring proper placement of house and paid advertisements, and reviewing each article’s header and formatting.

 

Workflow Considerations for an Online (Digital) Publication

In a conference proceeding published by Carol Tenopir and Donald W. King, entitled “E-Journals and Print Journals: Similarities and Differences in Reader Behavior,” their research, spanning three decades and completed in 2002, shows that between one-third and 80% of journal article readings come from electronic journals or digital databases, depending on the scientific field and place of employment.  Digital scholarly publishing is clearly a preferred way to get content. Regardless of that, scientists read widely from all kinds of scholarly journals, with the readings per person per year increasing in the last decade. However, many of these readings now come from electronic journals, e-prints, and downloaded copies. A greater percentage of readings are now of new articles; and readings from electronic journals are more likely to be of current articles.

 

In their blog, KriyaDocs cites that the digital transformation in the last few years has driven a great deal of change in the publishing industry, helping accelerate the publishing lifecycle and simplifying the experience for all the stakeholders involved. 

 

Editorial office workflows for online publication vary from journal to journal and can often depend on whether it is an online-only journal, online with a print version, and/or an online-only, open access journal.  Add in other components like size of the organization and publication department, number of staff, annual submissions, and software used in the editorial office and the digital publication process can widely vary. Some processes for online journals are standard. We will discuss a few below.

 

Online journals undergo the same typeset, copyedit, proofread, and author review as do print journals; the main difference is that once the author reviews and approves his article, the editorial office does not do a further review. The article is set for immediate posting. Likewise, there is no issue to review as articles are posted as production is completed and there is often no “online first” option.  However, online journals and even online, open access journals also have options for posting ahead of an issue (i.e., when an article needs to be posted at a specific date/time because of a simultaneous conference presentation or a simultaneous press release).

 

While most online journals still publish issues, how articles get published varies. Typically, there are no page count budgets in online publications, so as much content as the editorial office and the publisher can produce is published. This can result in an uneven number of articles being published from one issue to the next, resulting in an inconsistent number of articles published year over year. Another model has online articles assigned to an issue, as is done in print journals, assuming that all the articles are with the publisher and in production in time. This mode of publication ensures a certain number of articles for each issue. It also requires the editorial staff to manage the issue at hand as well as pushing along the other articles for upcoming issues, managing peer review and production for two sets of documents simultaneously. Some offices assign different editorial staff members to handle these different functions.

 

Instead of “curating an issue,” articles can be sent to the publisher upon completion, and publication is done on a rolling basis. The publisher posts articles as they are completed until the issue cycle closes. When that compilation of articles closes, the issue number is assigned. Since the articles appear as posted, the most recent one is on top when the issue closes; articles can be rearranged after closing by the publisher, so the postings resemble a standard issue order. This is often referred to as continuous publication and will be discussed in more detail in a future blog post.

 

One of the benefits of online only publishing is that the author can usually expect a speedier time to publish than in a traditional workflow of a print journal, which means the article is submitted sooner to indexing services, including PubMed, and is eligible for citations quickly. If an author needs proof of publication for a tenure interview or a promotion, the publisher can assign a DOI as soon as the article enters production and provide it to the author.

 

Overlaps Between Print and Online (Digital) Publication

Regardless of which type of publication an editorial office is producing, there are certain standard procedures and policies they should expect to follow. Collecting conflicts of interests, funding , ethical, and AI usage disclosures, and required checklists are industry standard practices that apply broadly. 

 

The submission through peer review process is almost identical, although the level of anonymity (single, double, etc.) and number of reviews required varies based on journal policy, not type of publication. Digital products, whether online only or an online version of a print journal, are easily reproduced and reprinted, creating complex rights management issues. The editorial office and publisher should have copyright policies in place, and they should be easily accessible.

 

Both print and online publications have experienced an increase in production costs; however, the costs for print tend to be fixed while online publication costs can fluctuate. The costs of print and online publishing differ significantly. According to a guide by The WAC Clearinghouse, printing costs are higher than those involved in online publishing because of actual paper and printing costs.

 

Importantly, workflow plays a key role in the total experience of authors when they submit to any journal. This customer experience, and do not forget they are our customers, creates an impression on them of the journal and its organization. The journal process should be seamless and the editorial staff accessible and helpful throughout the entire editorial process.

 

Collaboration: Keys to Success

Finally, publishing an article is only one part of driving readership and working closely with in- and out-of-organization teams is especially important to ensure deadlines are aligned. For example, if your publication department relies on marketing to provide social media support for an issue or a particular article in an issue, they will require lead time to develop feeds for X (formally known as Twitter), Facebook and Instagram. If your publisher posts video abstracts and podcasts to the journal website they, too, need adequate time to schedule these into a busy calendar. These due dates should be included on the annual production schedule. Providing as much information to the support groups, such as X handles for authors and their institutions, helps immensely.  Building a Good Relationship between Editorial and Production is an excellent resource on collaborative efforts and is available with your ISMTE membership here. Frequent and clear communication with other supporting teams, such as news media, public relations firms, outside marketing and website/digital vendors is especially important to keep all aspects of issue publication running smoothly and for the journal to increase visibility, readership, downloads, and citations.

 

Conclusion

Issue-based publishing looks very different since journals moved online. Scientists are reading from a broader range of journals than in the past because of access to full text online collections. For journals that appear online (with or without a print version) there are many options available for shortening the time to publication compared with the more traditional approach of collecting articles and assembling them into print issues. While this process continues for many journals, the usefulness of assigning an issue number to a collection of articles that were accepted for publication within a specific time period is being reconsidered by many organizations. Although the scholarly journals system has changed dramatically in the past few decades, one thing that has not changed is the high value scientists place on the content they read in scholarly journal articles, whether electronic or print.

 

Technology and its advances alone will not determine the future. In a white paper originally published by Sheridan Press and reprinted with permission by The Journal of Electronic Publishing (JEP), entitled, “Digital Workflow: Managing the Process Electronically,” the authors believe that relationships, economics, and behavioral patterns, combined with technological advances, will impact the publishing process in different ways and at different times.  It is incumbent on us as publishing professionals to continually educate ourselves, realize that inherent change is the “new normal,” and be innovative and flexible in our approach to scholarly publishing to secure a successful future for the science, industry, and ourselves.

 

Resources

Conflict of Interest:
None

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Consultant

rgovindaraj@origineditorial.com

Ravi is a peer-review management enthusiast and passionate to explore new frontiers in the Scientific journal publications. He holds M.Tech in Biotechnology from VIT University, Vellore, and B.Tech in Biotechnology from Anna University, Chennai. His research was focused on development of indigenous dialyser at Anna University, Chennai. He has worked on various research projects involving treatment of various industrial effluents, Bioethanol production and nano-drug delivery. His analytical skills in research were recognized with a ‘Best poster award’ for his project focused on development of polyphenol loaded avocado oil nanoemulsion for topical application in a national conference. In addition, he has received various awards like ‘Special Achiever award’, ‘Achiever award’ and ‘Excellent performer award’ for all-round outstanding performance in extracurricular, co-curricular and sports activities. His intellectual competence is outlined with his GATE, BEC-Vantage and NCAT qualifications. He has led national symposiums, NSS, and Chess teams. He has several years of experience in the editorial/publishing industry with prominent publishers like Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis and Scientific Scholar.

Alice Landwehr

Consultant

alandwehr@origineditorial.com

Alice started her career in medical publishing and editing with The Journal of Pediatrics as an Editorial Assistant, becoming the journal’s first Senior Editorial Assistant and Press Release Writer, and eventually serving as its Managing Editor, when she transitioned the journal from a paper-based system to the online submission and review system Editorial Manager. She has provided publication management services for peer-reviewed journals such as Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine; Disability and Health Journal; Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology; Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology; Gastrointestinal Endoscopy; Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry; and others. She also worked for the American Board of Radiology as Senior Content Editor and Assistant Director of the Standards Division and for the University of Arizona Press, an academic and literary book publisher, as Art and Typesetting Assistant for the production department. Alice has a Bachelor’s of Arts in English from Northern Kentucky University and a Graduate Certificate in Professional Editing and Writing from the University of Cincinnati. She currently lives in Tucson, Arizona, and she leads fun and supportive low-impact Zumba Gold and EnerChi exercise classes for active older adults and beginners, currently online and in-person.

Wendy Krank

Consultant

wkrank@origineditorial.com

Wendy has worked in various professions and passions, including portrait photography and banking, before entering the field of medical publishing. Previously she worked at Mayo Clinic Arizona as a medical administrative assistant, credentialist, and general surgery residency coordinator for the Department of Medical Education. Wendy became managing editor for the neuroscience publications of Cephalalgia and Headache Currents. She joined the Origin Editorial team in March of 2018. At present, she supports the editorial office for ASHA journals. Wendy has previously provided editorial office management services for Restorative Medicine, Anesthesiology, and ILAR Journal. Wendy was a previous board member for ISMTE. She has database skills using these two platforms ScholarOne and Editorial Manager manuscript management systems.

Ann Casper

Consultant

acasper@origineditorial.com

Ann is Editor-in-Chief of Penelope Institute—an institute for the profoundly gifted. She is also an academic editor with extensive journal experience as Managing/Copyeditor for Animal Sentience and Senior Editor/Editorial Intern Mentor for Society & Animals. She has 17 years of editorial experience, including as a photojournalist, ghostwriter, production editor, and editorial assistant. Ann has also tutored English Language Learners, classmates and colleagues at University of Wisconsin–Madison, graduate students in engineering, K–12 immigrants and refugees, and gifted students. In addition to editing publications in the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, Ann is also collaborating to build her own editing website and form a creative collective with fellow musicians, writers, filmmakers, and artists. Ann loves learning about architecture, psychology, and classical music. For fun, she writes poetry; hosts open mics and performs standup comedy at the local tea bar; practices vinyasa yoga; bikes; and ventures to parks, concerts, and museums. Ann also enjoys moonlighting as a cat and dog “Nanny” in Chicago.

Alicia Byrne

Consultant

abyrne@origineditorial.com

Alicia has been with Origin Editorial since 2014, when she joined the team as the Managing Editor for Wilderness & Environmental Medicine, the official journal of the Wilderness Medical Society. Alicia brings a background in editorial processes, copyediting, and proofreading to Origin. She also edits the biannual Origin newsletter and is a member of ISMTE.

Abbie Flynn

Consultant

aflynn@origineditorial.com

As part of the marketing team, Abbie maintains Origin Editorial's and Origin Reports' social media accounts. For Origin Reports, she coordinates webinars, handles client communications, and manages the company's blog. Abbie also creates product demonstration videos and updates the Origin Reports website.

Sherrie Hill

Consultant

shill@origineditorial.com

Sherrie has been with Origin Editorial since 2017. She has worked in the editorial office for several journals and is currently working as the Assistant Peer Review Manager for the American Journal of Audiology. Additionally, Sherrie is the Project Manager for the editorial office reporting software application, Origin Reports. She uses her background in engineering to help design the customized editorial office charts, tables, and reports available in the application. Sherrie also provides personalized customer support for all Origin Reports users with reporting issues or questions.

Diane Dunham Drexler

Client Coordinator/Consultant

ddrexler@origineditorial.com

Diane began as a chemistry and physics instructor, providing a seamless transition to academic publishing. She served as the Publications Manager for the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and managed its premier journal Neuropsychopharmacology. Later, she steered the college’s new initiative, Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews, from its launch through the sixth volume, including liaising with the publisher’s medical illustrator to create NPPR’s signature graphics. Diane has worked closely with abstract management submission designers and production teams to create online meeting abstracts and eBooks. She is exceptionally skilled in eJP, EM, and believes in a collaborative effort. Joining Origin Editorial in 2012 as the Publications Director for the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, she managed the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation until her more recent role of Peer Review Manager for Applied Physics Letters at the American Institute of Physics. Additionally, she manages the Journal of Clinical Lipidology, a publication of the National Lipid Society. Diane serves on several committees at ISMTE and is a member of CSE. She has Diane received her undergraduate degree from The University of Mary Washington in Virginia and her MEd in Secondary Science from Converse University in South Carolina.

Steve Cavanaugh

Client Coordinator/Consultant

scavanaugh@origineditorial.com

Steve got his start in publishing with Mosby Year-Book in Philadelphia in 1995, after working as a teacher, chef and various sundry jobs up and down the East Coast of the US. After returning to the Boston, Mass area, he worked in IT until returning to publishing with the journal Pharmacotherapy in 1999. He joined the Origin Editorial team in 2013 and has worked on a variety of journals in medicine, environmental science and physics.

Denise Kuo

Client Coordinator/Consultant

dkuo@origineditorial.com

Denise is a highly accomplished journal operations professional with 20 years of experience in scientific publishing. She has expertise in team leadership, customer relationships, and leading successful complex projects to implement efficiencies for improved productivity and reduction in costs. Denise is respected as a strong people leader excelling at developing and mentoring teams in providing high-quality, meaningful insight to senior management and other stakeholders for positive results. Before coming to Origin, she served as Director of Journal Operations, Circulation Journals and JAHA at the American Heart Association where she was responsible for ensuring standardization and implementing workflow efficiencies across the 13-journal portfolio. She is a member of ISMTE and CSE. She has served as a CSE Mentor and as a member of the SSP Marketing and Communications Committee.

Glenn Collins

Client Coordinator/Consultant

gcollins@origineditorial.com

Glenn graduated from Cornell University in 1991 with a BS in Biology. After working in a microbiology lab for a few years at Pall Corporation he started his STM publishing career at John Wiley and Sons in 1995. He left Wiley and moved to San Diego in 2000 where he first worked for the journal Brain Research before becoming the managing editor of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). After twelve plus years as the Executive Managing Editor of the JACC journals Glenn moved to Origin Editorial where he assumed the role of Publications Director/Managing Editor for the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM). In this role he oversees the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and its open access companion the Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation. In 2021 Glenn assumed the position of Director of Sales, Publications and Social Media for ACRM. Glenn has helped develop and launch five (and counting) new journals in the STM field. Glenn is a past president of ISMTE.

Dave Allen

Client Coordinator/Consultant

dallen@origineditorial.co

Dave has over 21 years of publishing experience. He started his publishing career with the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, which self-published a journal and textbook, eventually becoming the Director of Publications. He then moved to take editorial leadership of CIG Media Group, LLC, which operated eight clinical oncology journals. From there he became a Publisher for Elsevier, specializing in oncology and radiology, with a portfolio of 12 journals, overseeing their operations for seven years. Dave moved to Origin Editorial in 2018 where he continues to manage journals as well as provide consultations for scientific societies. His Origin clients have included the American Association of Thoracic Surgery, the American Heart Association, and Cochrane. Dave has recently started as the Editorial Director for a large client. Dave has extensive experience in project, people, and budget management in the private and non-profit sectors. His experience includes developing and implementing new initiatives; creating and managing complex workflows and processes; forecasting and developing budgets; supervising employees; and collaborating with commercial sponsors, governing boards, and society leaders. Dave is the vice chair of the ISMTE Sponsorship Committee.

Erin Landis

Managing Director

elandis@origineditorial.com

Erin has more than two decades of leadership, strategic planning, project management, and relationship-building experience. As the Managing Director of Origin Editorial, she guides strategy, business development, and operations. Before Origin, she was the Vice President of Publications for the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), where she oversaw the editorial and financial operations, as well as the strategic direction of several GI-related publications, including five peer-reviewed journals. Erin recently served as the president of ISMTE and serves as the chair of the Global Event Oversight Committee and as a member on the Education & Standards Committee. She’s also a member of SSP and CSE where she has served as a mentor. Also, she is a current member of the CSE DEI Committee. She also served as co-chair of the Publishing Professional Peer Group for the Council of Medical Specialty Societies and was a member of the writing group for the C4DISC Toolkits for Equity Project’s “Antiracism Toolkit for Organizations.” Erin received her degree in psychology from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA.

Kristen Overstreet

Senior Partner

kristen@origineditorial.com

Kristen oversees operations for Origin Editorial and Origin Reports, including managing the process of finding experienced team members to provide services to Origin’s clients. Kristen is a Past President of the ISMTE Board of Directors and currently serves the ISMTE on the Early Career and North America Meeting committees. She is also a member of the CSE, recently serving on their IAB Task Force, and FORCE11, serving on the Research Data Publishing Ethics Working Group. For more than 20 years, Kristen has been known for elevating journal operations and improving journal and peer review management through use of effective policies and procedures. She provides consultation to Origin clients regarding effective peer review management and speaks regularly on peer review operations and ethics at industry meetings.

Jason Roberts, PhD

Senior Partner

Jason@origineditorial.com

Dr. Roberts is a globally recognized peer review management specialist, publisher and intermittent academic investigator on all matters related to the conduct of peer review. He is focused on improving the quality, rigorousness and successful delivery of scholarly communications, regardless of discipline. After earning a doctorate in Geography from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, Dr. Roberts began a career in publishing at Blackwell Science in Oxford, England and then Boston, Massachusetts, eventually becoming a Senior Editor of US-based medical journals. In 2010, Dr. Roberts formed Origin Editorial, one of the first, and now largest, independently owned companies to offer professional peer review management for journals. Dr. Roberts is a past-president of ISMTE. Dr. Roberts has a particular interest in improving standards of reporting in biomedical journals and the monitoring of publication ethics issues. He has contributed book chapters and research articles on these topics and collaborated closely with the EQUATOR Network, the Ottawa Centre for Journalology and the Committee on Publication Ethics. Dr. Roberts is a co-author of Peer Review: Reform and Renewal in Scientific Publishing” (2017, Against the Grain Publishing). He currently sits on the editorial board of the journal Research Integrity and Peer Review and is a frequent reviewer for papers on the subject of peer review for Learned Publishing and The BMJ