Online submission to the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (http://jac.manuscriptcentral.com)

David S. Reeves* and Colin W. E. Drummond

JAC Editorial Office, 11 The Wharf, 16 Bridge Street, Birmingham B1 2JS, UK


    Introduction
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 Introduction
 What do I need...
 Key points and features...
 Key points and features...
 Where can I get...
 Improvements offered by the...
 Concluding remarks
 
It is with great pleasure that we announce the launch of online submission and refereeing for the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. This development is part of our continuing commitment to improve the service offered by the Journal. Submissions to the JAC have risen substantially over recent years and we are keenly aware of our responsibility to provide decisions on submitted manuscripts as quickly as possible. We believe the online submission and refereeing system is a crucial development in our quest to improve the Journal’s efficiency in providing both timely decisions and publication.

The website is officially open from 1st May 2002 for new submissions to the Journal. From this date we will be encouraging all authors to submit any new manuscripts using the website.

In order to submit a paper all you have to do is ensure that you have an account. Please note that if you have been the corresponding author on a paper or refereed for JAC since January 2000, and you supplied an e-mail address, it is likely that we will have already created an account for you; you should check for an existing account at the log in screen. If no account exists please follow the instructions on the log in page to create one.


    What do I need to use the system?
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 Introduction
 What do I need...
 Key points and features...
 Key points and features...
 Where can I get...
 Improvements offered by the...
 Concluding remarks
 
Given that you can produce an electronic file of your manuscript through a word processing package of some description, you only need the three following items to access and use the system:

1) Access to the website via a web browser (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator).

2) Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view the PDF (portable document format) of a manuscript (this is freeware and can be downloaded from www.adobe.com). PDFs are a highly flexible but secure method for distributing documents across differing computer and software platforms. Once a PDF is created, it cannot be altered and therefore authors can be confident their manuscripts cannot be changed either deliberately or accidentally. JAC already uses PDFs for the distribution of author proofs by e-mail.

3) An e-mail address where you can receive correspondence about your manuscript (such as an acknowledgement or decision letter if you are an author, or a request to referee a submission).

Most users should find that they already have these components or can readily gain access to them.


    Key points and features for authors
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 Introduction
 What do I need...
 Key points and features...
 Key points and features...
 Where can I get...
 Improvements offered by the...
 Concluding remarks
 
Authors should continue to prepare their manuscripts according to the Advice for contributors. However, corresponding authors can now submit the manuscript as an electronic file through their Author Centre on the website.

The online submission and refereeing system centres around the creation of a PDF of the manuscript. This PDF is used for the refereeing and subsequent Editorial decision.

The creation of the PDF can be arrived at in a number of ways, these are listed below in order of decreasing ease for the corresponding author.

1) Upload your paper as a Microsoft Word document (including tables and figures). If you upload a Word document, the server will create a PDF for you, which you are then asked to check before approving it for submission. For authors who have access to Microsoft Word, nothing could be simpler.

2) Upload a PDF. If you have access to the full Adobe Acrobat software it is possible to create a PDF of the full manuscript and upload this directly. There are also freeware and shareware programs available that will create PDFs. Please note, if your manuscript is accepted for publication you will have to supply the text file for typesetting.

3) Upload a postscript file (.ps) of the text, tables and figures. Postscript is a common format used for printing files. A postscript file can be created by selecting ‘Print to file’.

Other files, such as a covering letter or production-quality graphics files of figures, can be uploaded separately.

More detailed information on allowable file formats, how to create these and the uploading of files can be found on the website.

Before uploading any files, the corresponding author is prompted to complete a number of screens with information about the type of paper, the authors and their affiliations and other information used during the processing of the manuscript.

After administrative checking by Editorial Office staff, the manuscript is then released to the Editor-in-Chief, who selects a suitable Editor. The manuscript is then released to the Editor, who is responsible for seeking and securing referee reports.


    Key points and features for referees
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 Introduction
 What do I need...
 Key points and features...
 Key points and features...
 Where can I get...
 Improvements offered by the...
 Concluding remarks
 
Potential referees are approached by e-mail (which includes the abstract of the submission) and respond directly to the Editor indicating whether they are willing to referee the submission. On receipt of the agreement of a referee, the Editor then releases the PDF of the manuscript for viewing by the referee through their Referee Centre on the website. The referee receives an e-mail with their username, password and instructions on how to access the website. Only the allocated manuscript is available to the referee. The instructions for referees and the report form are available with the PDF and the referee completes and returns their report within the online submission system. Referees can print out the manuscript to read off-screen. They can save their comments separately in a word processor document and then cut and paste these into the online forms.


    Where can I get help?
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 Introduction
 What do I need...
 Key points and features...
 Key points and features...
 Where can I get...
 Improvements offered by the...
 Concluding remarks
 
In the first instance, users of the system should refer to the help and FAQ (frequently asked question) files provided on the website. It is also possible to log a new question for technical support staff, or e-mail support{at}scholarone.com. Of course, the Editorial Office staff will always be willing to provide advice and assistance, and can be contacted via the JAC e-mail box (jac{at}bsac.org.uk).


    Improvements offered by the online submission system
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 Introduction
 What do I need...
 Key points and features...
 Key points and features...
 Where can I get...
 Improvements offered by the...
 Concluding remarks
 
The foremost, and perhaps most important, improvement is speed. There is no need to wait for delivery of several copies of a manuscript by mail or courier service. This applies at each stage of the process where ordinarily the manuscript would have to physically change hands; now the process is essentially instantaneous as access to the manuscript is granted to the appropriate person, be they Editor-in-Chief, Editor or referee. We expect that the time saved over the whole Editorial process should be substantial.

Second is improved communication with authors. At any stage, the corresponding author can log in to the website and inspect the current processing stage that the manuscript has reached. We hope that this will provide a form of running update that is not currently possible.


    Concluding remarks
 Top
 Introduction
 What do I need...
 Key points and features...
 Key points and features...
 Where can I get...
 Improvements offered by the...
 Concluding remarks
 
All involved with the work of the Journal are committed to creating the best environment for authors to submit their work for consideration and to improve the experience for both referees and readers. We appreciate that the introduction of this online system is a major change for both authors and referees, but we hope that both groups will appreciate the improvements the new system offers.

We look forward to receiving your online submissions.


    Footnotes
 
* Corresponding author. Tel: +44-121-633-0415; Fax: +44-121-643-9497. Back





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