Who Does What?

Roles in Scholarly Publishing

Four main parties participate in publishing scholarly journals: scholars, editors and peer reviewers, publishers, and subscribers. Each of them has a different set of concerns and perspectives.¹

Scholars

Scholars create the work that is published. What is most important to scholars is the prestige of the journal, the efficiency and fairness of the review process, the timeliness of publication, and their out-of-pocket publication costs.

Editors and peer reviewers

Editors and peer reviewers provide quality control for the content, including screening submissions, reviewing manuscripts, suggesting revisions, corresponding with authors, and overseeing the final copy. Their main concern is advancing knowledge in their field, creating a prestigious journal, increasing the potential impact of the journal, and obtaining the support of the publisher.

Publishers

Publishers (usually commercial publishers or professional societies) are responsible for getting the journal into the marketplace. What drives publishers is making a profit (or for professional societies, at least breaking even) on the publication. They are concerned about holding costs down and raising subscription rates to create a healthy profit margin.

Subscribers

Subscribers, mostly institutions and libraries, purchase the journals and provide access to the scholars in their community. They are concerned about their budgets and deeply affected by increases in the price of journal subscriptions. They also want to provide access to the most prestigious journals for their faculty and students.

In summary:

The system of scholarly communications that has existed for hundreds of years consists of research and other scholarly writings created free of charge, edited or peer-reviewed also free of charge, printed and published at cost, and sold to libraries and research institutions for dissemination.²

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• Introduction
• Module 1
  Overview of Scholarly Journal Publishing
  Module 1
  Overview of Scholarly Journal Publishing
  Publish or Perish The Scope and Purpose of this Tutorial Taking Your Place in the History of Scholarship Self Assessment Description of a Scholarly Journal An Overview of the Scholarly Publishing Process Roles in Scholarly Publishing Conflicts Among the Players Changing Business Models in Scholarly Publishing The Open Access Model Open Access Business Models The Impact of OA on Authors Types of Articles You can Propose and Publish Collaboration and its Discontents The Responsibilities of Authorship Managing Your Citations Learning About the World in which You Write Get Yourself a Mentor and a Friend Scholarly Publishing is a Long-distance Run What do You Know?
• Module 2
  Laying the Groundwork: Ideas, Journal Research & Queries
  Module 2
  Laying the Groundwork: Ideas, Journal Research & Queries
  Objectives Preparing to Publish - Idea Generation KISS: Keep It Simple; Streamline! Quiz: Are you a KISS-er? Discover Your Next Article Focus Your Ideas Identify Appropriate Scholarly Journals Consult Disciplinary Journal Guides Review Reference Lists and Bibliographies Use Academic Journal Indices Talk to Your Colleagues Balancing Impact with Acceptance Rates Measuring Impact Circulation Figures The Nuances of Journal Characteristics Journal Queries Sending a Query Response Times and Next Steps Progress with Profiling Concept Review
• Module 3
  Deadlines & Details - Manuscript Prep & Submission
  Module 3
  Deadlines & Details - Manuscript Prep & Submission
  Objectives The Research Context Searching the Literature Resources for Searching the Literature The Literature Search as a Non-Linear Process Recording and Organizing Your Information The Writing Process: Overview and Tips Practical Elements of the Writing Process University of Colorado Writing Centers Writing Resources on the Web Understanding Your Disciplinary Style Ethical Issues in Research and Writing Avoiding Plagiarism Other Ethical Pitfalls Using Human Subjects and Animals in Research Attribution of Authorship Obtaining Permission to Use Copyrighted Material Following Instructions for Authors Next Steps: Colleague Review Submitting Your Manuscript Manuscript Checklist Summary and Review
• Module 4
  From Good to Great - The Editorial Process
  Module 4
  From Good to Great - The Editorial Process
  Objectives Submitting a Manuscript Types of Peer Review Masked and Open Reviews The Care and Management of Manuscripts Making the Cut Entering the Review Zone Peer Review Quiz Reviewer Considerations in Evaluating Manuscripts Waiting for Responses Making the Most of In-Between Times What to Expect When You're Expecting Feedback Rejection is Never Fun Requests for Resubmission with Revisions Revision, Revision, Revision Resubmitting your Manuscript You've Been Accepted! Now What? The Production Process Creating Your 'Need to Know' List The A to Z of the Review and Editorial Process
• Module 5
  Making it Yours - Customizing Your Publishing Plan
  Module 5
  Making it Yours - Customizing Your Publishing Plan
  Objectives From Overwhelmed to on Top of it All Identify Where You Want to Go Of Index Cards and Spiral Notebooks Low-Tech Solutions Going for Technology Best Practices in Sustaining Creative Development Continuing Your Education Mastering Scholarly Publishing