Clarinda Cerejo, Editor-in-Chief at Editage Insights, discusses how journals and publishers can get closer to authors in this interactive session.

1. Helping journals and
publishers get closer to
authors
Clarinda Cerejo
Editor-in-Chief, Editage Insights
Editage, Cactus Communications
Crossref LIVE Mumbai
Dec 5, 2018

2. Inside the mind of a journal editor
I’m just swamped with
submissions, most of
them not even
matching the journal’s
scope
Why can’t authors just
follow the simple
formatting guidelines?
Wish I could understand my
authors and tell them exactly
what we’re looking for in
submissions.
2

3. • Global research output trends and their impact
on authors and journals
• Perspectives of authors based on a survey of
almost 7000 authors globally
• How Editage helps bridge the gap between
authors and journals
3
In this session, we will talk about…

4. How many researchers are
there in the world?
How many journals?
How many papers
published per year?
4
Do you know…

5. Science is growing…and how!
The global scientific
population today…
Image: www.freepik.com

6. About 8 million!
Image: www.freepik.com

7. 8 million researchers publish
journals
Clarivate JCR Scopus
3 millionarticles every year, in
33,100
11,655 22,000
Source: STM Publishing Report 2018

8. From Knowledge, Networks, and Nations, Royal Society of London, 2011
8
Growth in number of journals

9. 9

10. Asia’s contribution continues to increase
10

11. • $522 billion in 1996, $1.3 trillion in 2009, estimated $1.9
trillion in 2015
• North America, the EU, and Asia responsible for up to 90%
of global R&D spend
• Asian share of global R&D continues to increase, driven by
China, Japan and Korea, while U.S. and European shares
decrease.
• India now produces 5% of global research outputs, ahead
of Germany, the UK, and Japan (at 4% each)
Global R&D - 2018 highlights
11

12. More pressure!
12
That’s great! But what does all this mean?

13. • Publishing in high-impact-factor journals
linked to grant and tenure decisions
• Need to publish in prestigious
international English-language journals
over local journals
• Emphasis on number of publications and
journal impact factor over research
quality
• Pressure to publish quickly, against long
processing time to publication after
submission
13
Pressure on authors (1/2)

14. 14
• High rejection rates of
international journals
• New industry focus on data
sharing and research promotion
through social media, conferences,
etc.
• Scarcity of local-language
educational resources for non-
native English-speaking
researchers
Pressure on authors (2/2)

15. • Ever-increasing submission
volumes without a proportional
increase in journal subscriptions
and sales
• Increase in the diversity of
submissions, in terms of subject
area and country of origin
• Author demand for rapid
publication
• Difficulty in finding suitable
peer reviewers
Pressure on journal editors (1/2)
15

16. 16
• Need to identify and
appropriately tackle increasing
cases of misconduct
• Increased competition with
other journals
• New industry developments to
keep pace with – new models
of peer review, changes in
submission processes, shift
toward open access, etc.
Pressure on journal editors (2/2)

17. • Survey captured views of 6,903 global researchers
• Report featured in Nature and Nature China
Editage global survey on author perspectives
17

18. – Challenges that authors face at different stages of
academic publishing
– Level of awareness about ethics-related issues such
as plagiarism and authorship
– Attitudes toward open access
– Views on and experiences with peer review
– Pressing concerns in scholarly communications that
authors would like to see addressed
Themes covered in the survey
18

19. Industry support in distribution
@ClarindaCerejo
@Editage
#CSE2018

20. Top countries represented
20

21. 21
Survey language and respondents’ publishing experience

22. 22
Respondent’s language proficiency and tenure

23. 23
Field of study and professional role

24. 24
How challenging authors find manuscript preparation

25. 25
How challenging authors find framing a research question

26. 26
How challenging authors find journal selection

27. Factors considered when selecting a journal
27

28. 28
How challenging authors find addressing peer review comments

29. Views about peer reviewer comments
29

30. 30
Views about journals promising guaranteed or rapid publication

31. 31
How well do authors understand
publication ethics?

32. How well do authors understand plagiarism?
32

33. 33
Views on journal guidelines for authors

34. 34
Difficulties authors face in communicating with journals?

35. 35
Authors’ attitudes to open access publishing
Have you ever published in an open access journal?

36. 36
Chinese authors’ attitudes to open access publishing
If you have published in an open
access journal, why?
If you have never published in an
open access journal, why?

37. 37
Indian authors’ attitudes to open access publishing
If you have never published in an
open access journal, why?
If you have published in an open
access journal, why?

38. 38
Brazilian authors’ attitudes to open access publishing
If you have published in an open
access journal, why?
If you have never published in an
open access journal, why?

39. Authors’ views on ideal time to publication
39

40. Problems that need to be addressed
40

41. – Increasing the transparency of the publishing process
– Improving the peer review process
– Decreasing the time taken for publishing, and providing clear
information on the status of review
– Harmonizing the differences between journal systems and
submission guidelines
– Decreasing the cost of publishing and bringing down paywalls
Author-suggested changes needed in the publishing system (1-5)
41

42. – More support with English-language writing for non-
native English speakers
– Dealing with misconduct and data fabrication more
strictly
– Reducing the overemphasis on the impact factor
– Recognizing and rewarding good reviewers
– Making publication easier for early-career researchers
42
Author-suggested changes needed in the publishing system (6-10)

43. Select author comments
43
It is too hard for a young researcher in
Humanities to write a English paper for
submission to international journals. It is
enough hard in English to pass a peer
review…I am not good at writing English, it
is too difficult to write, it takes time, and I
cannot judge my English paper is good or
not.
Often the guidelines provided for
authors on the journals’ websites are
confusing and sometimes
contradictory.

44. 44
…the process is sometimes very time-
consuming and when the article is
published it is already a year and in this
time the knowledge has not been added
to, new references have already been
published and thus one’s article gets
outdated.
I concern that editor may have many
thing, my mail may affect his
decision.
Select author comments

45. 45
There should be a mechanism for authors to provide
feedback to editors about the quality of peer review
comments. This is not to say that authors should be able to
complain about reviewers simply because reviewers have
given unfavorable comments. Authors should be able to
provide feedback about reviewers' comments in terms of
helpfulness, accuracy, and overall quality.
Select author comments

46. It’s time to bridge the gap between journals and authors!
46

47. About Editage: Company Overview
47

48. EDITAGE™ – the flagship brand of
Cactus Communications
Editage is the world’s largest provider of
author services, research communication, and
educational services to researchers,
publishers, institutions, libraries, and
corporations worldwide.
Vision: We are Trusted Advisors
who help make research more
accessible, accelerating global
science and human development,
through a combination of
Inspired People and Great
Technology
• 750+ in-house
employees
• 2,000+
freelancers
worldwide
281,000+ authors,
914,800+ documents,
1,300+ subjects,
16+ years experience
• ISO/IEC 27001:2013–
certified processes and
information security
management systems
system
• 116 BELS and 8 CMPP-
certified writers/editors
Editage: A Global Scholarly Communications Company
Mumbai
Tokyo
Philadelphia
Seoul
Shanghai
Singapore
Presence in Amsterdam and Taipei
Office locations
Beijing
London
48

49. Industry Affiliations
49

50. Publisher and Industry Partners

51. Publication guidance
Support with journal selection,
submission, plagiarism, and
technical review
Manuscript preparation support
A suite of services including editing, translation,
formatting, and artwork that ensure a manuscript
is ready for submission
Custom research services
Literature search, statistical review,
experimental design
Conference services
Poster editing + design,
editing of conference
paper or presentation,
formatting
Copyediting + Author management
Post-acceptance language editing, thorough check for
conformance to journal style, and author communication
XML conversion
Content conversion to XML using standard DTDs or
creating DTDs based on journal requirements
Typesetting
XML first/XML last processes to create
stylized PDFs for print or online use
Issue compilation
Building a full issue, complete with ad
placements, TOC, and cover page
Alternative-text writing
Make content accessible to sight-
impaired readers
Peer reviewer training
Essential training for new
and established peer
reviewers
Author outreach programs
Workshops and webinars to empower
researchers to communicate their science more
effectively
Editage Insights academy
Online courses and handbooks to educate
authors on good publication practices
Editage Insights
A comprehensive multilingual
learning and discussion
platform for all aspects of
scholarly publishing
Infographics
Easy-to-understand visual summaries of complex
science
Plain-language summaries
Non-technical explanatory summary of research paper
Research news story
Science presented with journalistic flair to
engage wider public
Tailored projects
Microsite, newsletters, posters to showcase
ground-breaking research
Video summaries
2-min custom animated videos highlighting
latest discoveries
Author
Services
Journal
Services
Education
Services
Research
Communication
Services
Industry
Needs
Editage Services
51

52. Manuscript
preparation
Reporting solid
research
findings
Journal selection
/ submission
Revision support
Post-publication
research
promotion
Author
education
Editage services aligned to the research publication cycle
• Manuscript writing
• Academic translation
• Pharmaceutical support
• Rapid technical
review
• Advanced editing
• Premium editing
• Journal formatting
• Artwork, MOA animation,
graphs, tables
• Research communication
services
• Localized content
• Workshops
• Webinars
• Online courses
Technology platforms to connect authors to our services
• Journal recommendation
tools and services
• Manuscript resubmission
support services
52

53. Author Support Across Geographies
China Japan Turkey
Korea Taiwan Brazil
www.editage.cn www.editage.jp www.editage.com/tr
www.editage.co.kr www.editage.com.tw www.editage.com.br
53

54. Best-in-Class Workforce
54

55. Breadth and Depth of Our Capabilities
55

56. Service Delivery Model: Centers of Excellence
20 Centers of Excellence (CoE)
• Arts, Media, and Communication
• Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology
• Business and Finance
• Chemistry
• Computer Science and Mathematics
• Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Science
• Economics and Statistics
• Education
• Engineering and Technology
• Environmental Science, Energy, and Sustainability
• History, Political Science, and Philosophy
• Literature and Linguistics
• Materials Science
• Medicine
• Neuroscience and Neurology
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Physics
• Plant and Animal Science
• Psychology and Psychosocial Healthcare
• Sociology, Anthropology, and Organizational Behavior
56

57. The Editage Delivery Engine
2,000+ subject-
specific
freelancers
20+
Centers of
Excellence
Media
team
• Designers
• UX Experts
• Project Managers
• Developers
• Trainers
• Language Editors
• Peer Review Experts
• Translators
• Science Communicators
• Content Writers
• Voice-over Professionals
• Trainers
• Content Curation
• Paper Assessment
• Quality Review
57

58. Author Education
58

59. Workshops and Webinars for Authors
Workshops Webinars
No. of programs
completed/available
540+ 155+
No. of participants 30,000+ 30,300+
Countries where workshops
have been conducted
South Korea, Japan, China, Brazil,
India, Turkey
N.A.
Average feedback rating 4.5 (out of 5) 4.4 (out of 5)
Typical topics – Publishing ethics
– Writing and presenting research
– How to select the right journal + The core inefficiency of peer
review
– Make the most of attending conferences: Tips to build your
professional reputation
Languages English, Mandarin, Korean, Portuguese, Japanese
59

60. 60
Workshops and webinars
on journal publication and publication ethics

61. Online Courses and Handbooks for Authors
61

62. Personalized content and coaching at every stage
62
✓ Global community of over 200,000
researchers
✓ Over 3000 original content pieces in 4
languages
✓ Active Q&A forum to receive tips and advice
from community members
✓ Learning content in multimedia formats
✓ Mobile-friendly learn-on-the-go
experience
✓ Personalized email coaching by
publication experts
✓ Researchers sharing personal stories

63. Peer Reviewer Training course
63
✓ Three-hour interactive e-learning course (6
modules), including videos and quizzes
✓ Discussion forum for Q&A
✓ Downloadable peer review report template
✓ Downloadable tools and checklists for
different stages of reviewing
✓ Methodology and statistics reviewing guide
by expert peer reviewers
✓ Advanced tips to boost your stature
✓ Practice review assignment with
assessment and feedback from course
faculty
✓ Certificate of completion

64. Pioneering Thought Leadership as Trusted Advisors for the Industry
Presented at the 2017 International Conference on
Integrated Development of Digital Publishing and
Digital Libraries, China
Workshop at Toyota Central R&D Labs, Japan
Science Talks, Japan
64

65. Survey of ~7000 researchers globally
• Captured author perspectives on
— Challenges faced in publishing
— Time to publication
— Peer review
— Open access
— Publication ethics
• Featured in Nature and Nature China
• China, India, US, Japan South Korea among
top 10 countries represented
• Ongoing discussions with publishers globally
to improve systems and processes
65

66. Research Communication Services
66

67. Research impact only within the community.
Importance of research is difficult to see other
than by researchers in the same field
Journal A
• Open access
• APC: $2,100
• IF: 2.3
• Peer reviewed
Why is only publishing good papers not enough?
Journal B
• Open access
• APC: $2,090
• IF: 2.5
• Peer reviewed
• Video abstracts
• Infographics
• Plain English
summary
• Quick share on
social media
Research impact spread widely to society.
Appeal to media/policy
stakeholders/investors
V.S.
Researchers are increasingly busy.
Through interactive media, research
information is easier to understand
and easier to transmit more quickly
67

68. Research Communication Services: Overview
68
https://www.editage.com/research-communication/

69. ✓ Short animated videos
highlighting core research
findings
✓ professional voiceover
✓ Simplified language, high-
quality graphics
✓ Journal/university branding +
DOI + author information
See sample video summaries here:
www.editage.com/research-
communication
Research Communication Services: Video Summaries
69

70. Research Communication Services: Infographics
70
✓ At-a-glance visual
summary
✓ High recall value
✓ Format tailor-made
for sharing

71. Research Communication Services: Research News Story
71
Title
Summary sentence
Artwork
Author perspective
(quotation)
News story
Author and paper details
✓ 300–500-word
news story
✓ Science
journalistic style
of writing
✓ Format tailor-
made for media
pickup

72. ✓ 200-word summary of research article
✓ Non-scientific language
✓ 1-min read of the why and what of
the research
Research Communication Services: Plain-language Summary
72
Title
What is the research about
Why is it important

73. Challenge:
Wanted to showcase his body of work on across 9 research
papers in an audiovisual summary
Solution:
Customized Video Summary support by Editage
Impact:
Dr. AlMangour now has an engaging short video that
summarizes his work over the last ~5 years and is being used for
presentations at symposia, applications for grants, etc.
The video has also been picked up and published on Additive
Manufacturing Today
Author Services: Selected Samples
73
Dr. Bandar AlMangour
Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University
Researcher, Saudi Basic Industries
Corporation

74. Challenge:
“None of the authors use English in everyday life, so we do
not know at all what plain language is.”
Solution:
Plain-language Summary writing support by Editage
Impact:
The summary was published and tweeted by Functional
Ecology and some researchers retweeted it and drove traffic
and attention to the article.
Author Services: Selected Samples
74
Dr. Yasuhiro Sato
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Japan
Society for the Promotion of Science

75. Why Choose Editage
75

76. What Makes Editage Unique
• Global size, footprint, and internal leadership background; vast
experience in key markets (Japan, China, Korea, US, Europe)
• 16+ years in helping authors get published
• The diversity of the author community we serve
• Our commitment to internal recruitment, training, retention, and
professional standards/certification
• Centres of Excellence approach to project management and
workflow
• We understand, participate in, and drive the evolution of the
industry
• Relationships with industry product and service providers
(Altmetric, Kudos, Overleaf, etc.), allowing multifaceted
collaborations supporting author needs
76

77. Four Pillars That Set Us Apart
Support at every stage of the
publication cycle
• Deep understanding of the research and
publication cycle
• Services that align with the different stages of
the publication process
• Personalized coaching and Q&A access at every
stage
Scalable, high-quality, and full-
service delivery
• Specialised delivery model – Centres of
Excellence (CoE) and T&F dedicated team
• Widest spectrum of author services
• Global distribution across time zones allows
faster delivery
Strong technology platform
and innovative team
• Large in-house technology team of 70+ people,
with diverse skill sets
• Exploring AI to improve processes
• Rich experience with new products and
integrations
• Local job management systems and payment
gateways
Pioneering author education
• Active industry participant committed
to helping authors succeed in their career
• One of the largest providers of non-commercial
author outreach through Editage Insights
(250,000+ readers per month)
• Workshops and webinars conducted by
publication experts globally
7777

78. 78
Questions

79. Thank You
Primary point of contact:
Daniel Prathipati
Senior Managing Editor, Publishers and Institutions
Editage, Cactus Communications
Mumbai, India
E: danielp@cactusglobal.com