Editorial Manager and ProduXion Manager – an online submission and production tracking systems

In the previous articles, we talked about manuscript editing phases and the role publisher and author play in the production process. To read about these steps in detail, click on the links below: 
• language editing 
• copyediting 
• typesetting (also known as technical editing) 
• proofreading 
• XML publication (academic publishing only). 

In this blog piece, we introduce the tools that enable a smooth submission process and efficient manuscript handling. 

The benefits of manuscript tracking tools 

The academic publishing process involves many steps and people. One single manuscript goes through different editing phases, circulating between the author, editor, reviewer, typesetter and other people involved many, many times. The process is quite straightforward when dealing with academic books where no more than a couple of emails are exchanged throughout the editing and publishing phases. In the case of scholarly journals that receive several dozen manuscripts every year, however, dealing with emails and external tools to track deadlines often becomes unmanageable. 

The production processes change greatly with the use of an online submission and peer review system for handling submissions and an online production tracking system for production works. In this article, we describe these systems and the benefits they bring to journal editors. To read about the advantages these systems provide to authors, click here. 

Online submission system 

Online systems for peer review management provide authors, editors and reviewers with a user-friendly interface for the easy submission of manuscripts: 

• they automate the review by providing access to all relevant documents in a centralized repository  
• eliminate manual handling  
• reduce the possibility of errors or delays, as all the people involved receive tasks within the system and reminders in the case of upcoming deadlines  
• enable managing editors to view all the papers in one place, check their status, apply quality verification tools and assign tasks  
• allow authors to track the status of each of the papers they have uploaded to the system  
• permit reviewers to manage all the peer review invitations and assignments.  

Online production tracking system 

Production tracking systems are additional enhancements, launched once the manuscript has been approved for publication, and after the peer review process has been completed: 

• they provide publishers with an efficient way to manage further editing workflow: language editing, copyediting, typesetting, proofreading, author corrections, editorial approvals, etc.  
• usually, they are integrated with editorial systems, allowing publishers to track each step a manuscript goes through starting with the submission status  
• enable all the parties involved to identify bottlenecks in their processes quickly and take corrective actions without disrupting timelines  
• streamline workflows for both authors and publishers resulting in smoother publication cycles.  

Describing Editorial Manager and ProduXion Manager 

Editorial Manager is a leading cloud-based manuscript submission and peer review system used by academic publishers worldwide, including Sciendo. It was developed by Aries Systems, a well-known provider of workflow management systems for the journal publishing industry for over 35 years. 

Editorial Manager helps journal editors and editorial assistants to manage files, tasks, and communications needed for effective and efficient submission and manuscript administration. The system is highly customizable, it integrates easily with different peer review workflows. 

At Sciendo, we implement a system based on the unique workflow of each journal. We provide editors with training, documentation, and support, enabling them, as well as their reviewers and authors, to work effortlessly with the system. 

Editorial Manager modules 

There are several additional modules which can be integrated with the basic system to make the workflow easier: 

• Reviewers Attachments: enable reviewers to upload attachments with their recommendations, such as images or related materials.  
• Editor Attachments: allow editors to provide supplementary materials to reviewers and/or authors. Reviewers receive access when invited for a review, while authors may view the documents once a decision is made.  
• Author Supplementary Materials: allow authors to submit additional files that cannot be built into a PDF format, such as audio or video. These files are accessible via a link in the PDF.  
• Artwork Quality Checking System: analyzes the quality of files provided by the author. A detailed report describing encountered problems is made available to the author and/or editor.  
• Reference Management System: reference linking adds hyperlinks to PubMed and/or CrossRef for each reference citation in the author’s submission file. Reference Cleanup provides reference lists formatted to a journal’s specific style, reducing copyediting time.  
• Reviewer Discovery: provides a list of potential reviewers that can be assigned to manuscripts. The list is generated from the Web of Science database of users.  

Additional functions may also enable a public acknowledgement of review activity by depositing the data to the reviewer’s ORCID record or Web of Science profile. 

Seamless integration with ProduXion Manager 

Editorial Manager integrates with another Aries product, ProduXion Manager. ProduXion Manager is a cloud-based solution that supports production workflows, and is widely used by many journals at Sciendo. 

ProduXion Manager makes it easy to:  

• transfer a manuscript from editorial to production  
• assign production tasks to editors, authors, and also external contractors  
• perform copyediting  
• typeset the manuscript  
• perform proofreading online  
• publish the finalized manuscript.  

Whilst Editorial Manager can be used independently of ProduXion Manager, many journal editors use both systems to benefit from a complete paper management process, from manuscript submission to final publication. Both systems are also highly customizable and can be adapted to the specific workflow needs of any journal and editorial team. 

The ecosystem of academic publishing integrations 

In addition to the functionalities and modules already mentioned, there are a number of other tools from both Aries and other providers that integrate easily into these systems. Examples of such tools include Similarity Check, Publication Fee Processing and Bibliographic Management: 

• Similarity Check: an automated manuscript evaluation tool, provided by Crossref, which compares submitted papers to the database of already published content to detect potential plagiarism.  
• Publication Fee Processing: a dedicated payment processing module that enables the calculation, collection, and management of article publication charges. The module provides a friction-free way to process APCs and bill authors, funders, or institutions, within existing journal workflows.  
• Bibliographic Management: reference management software helps to copyedit and correct a bibliography in several formats. It saves time by helping to meet style requirements and ensuring the accuracy of the listed cited sources.  

Why invest in an online editorial and production tracking system? 

These systems were created to help editorial teams to make more efficient use of time and effort, whilst increasing the quality of their publications. Specific benefits include: 

• ensuring that the editorial team, reviewers, and authors know exactly what action is required of them  
• reducing the risk of errors, omissions and loss of data  
• speeding up the academic publishing process since tasks become easier or are more automated  
• simplifying data collection for a journal, such as submission numbers, origin of submissions, acceptance rates, processing time, etc.  

Modern online editorial and production systems enhance the publishing experience for all users that work on a manuscript. 

To find out more about these tools and how we can implement them for you, fill in the contact form. 

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