Submitting a Manuscript

Submit manuscripts from the dashboard by clicking the link in the Author Resources section.

You are directed to step 1 of the 7 step process for submitting a manuscript.

Note: Although all journal submission processes use the same 7 step process, each journal can configure Manuscript Central to ask for information and required fields that differ from the examples shown in this guide.

Always follow instructions carefully when submitting manuscripts.

 

To begin, select a manuscript type from the dropdown list. Next, complete the Title and Running Head (Short Title) fields. Next, type or paste your abstract into the Abstract field.

Note:Required information is denoted by a 爏ymbol.

Click 爐o move to Step 2. You can also use the Progress Bar to step through the pages.

Special Characters

Because text boxes on this screen are plain text fields and Manuscript Central converts these fields to HTML, a Special Characters popup box is provided.

Place your cursor where you want to insert a character or formatting option and click . Click a character to insert it. When formatting you'll need to insert the tag at the beginning of the phrase and again at the end point.

 

When you close the Special Characters box, note that an HTML tag is now inserted. Clicking 燼llows you to verify the code.

 

Assigning keyword attributes to a manuscript submission can be important for matching editors and reviewers to your manuscript. Journals have several options for setting up this step. In the example below, keywords are displayed in a scrolling. There is also an option to search on a keyword.

 

To add a keyword to your manuscript submission, select a word and click . The selected keywords display in the fields to the right.

Note: Select multiple keywords by holding the Ctrl key while selecting words.

Click 爐o move to Step 3.

 

In this step of the submission process, confirm your name and institution information and add any co-author information.

Note: If the journal has configured Manuscript Central to do so, your information (as the submitting author) is pre-filled in the My Authors list.

Adding a New Author

To add a co-author, enter their information in the required fields. You must include the co-author's email address or the manuscript will not submit. In some journals, this automatically creates an account for the co-author.

Finding an author

If configured for the journal, you can search the database for existing co-author accounts by typing the author's email address and using the Find feature.

If the author's email address is found, the system will pre-fill the Add a New Author fields with editable information.

Note: A co-author cannot be added if you edit both the first and last names, making them inconsistent with those already in the system.

Adding multiple institutions for an author

You can enter multiple institutions and departments for co-authors.

Clicking the link displays a popup box. Enter the information and click 爁or each entry.

Ordering and editing co-author information

You can adjust the order in which all authors appear in the My Authors section by selecting from the Order dropdown list.

Click 爐o move to Step 4.

 

Step 4 allows you to specify preferred and non-preferred reviewers and editors of your manuscript. Journals editors, when assigning reviewers for your manuscript, take preferred and non-preferred reviewers into consideration.

Add a Reviewer

To add a reviewer to the list, enter the information. Click the appropriate 爐o designate them as either a Preferred Reviewer or a Non-Preferred Reviewer.

Note: Reviewers you designate as Preferred display green in the list. Those designated as Non-Preferred display in red.

Add an Editor

Since journals know the list of editors, they may create a dropdown list from which to choose. Select an editor's name and click the appropriate 爐o designate them as either a Preferred Editor or a Non-Preferred Editor.

Note: Editors you designate as Preferred display green in the list. Those designated as Non-Preferred display in red.

Click 爐o move to Step 5.

 

This page allows you to submit a cover letter with your manuscript. To enter a cover letter, type or copy/paste it into the text box.

You can submit a cover letter in one of 3 ways:

• Type your cover letter in the text field
• Paste an existing cover letter into the field
• Browse to and attach an existing file

Other sections

The journal may also have configured questions for you to answer; e.g., Number of words or links to copyright transfer forms.

Click 爐o move to Step 6.

 

Upload all files associated with your manuscript from this page. Be sure to follow journal-specific directions regarding which file types they accept.

 

Click Browse and navigate to the file location on your computer. Double-click to place the file into the Upload new files field.

You must pick an appropriate file designation for each file you upload. Here is a brief description of file types that may be available:

• Main Document: The main content of a manuscript
• Figure: An image file that depicts a graph or chart
• Image: An image file that shows a drawing or photograph
• Supplementary Files Not for Review: Files intended for reference or background information, but not suitable for peer review
• Supplementary Review Files: Files that provide valuable background or reference information for peer review
• Table: An image or other format document that contains a table
• Table Data: The data used to create a table

?span style='font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>         TeX/LaTeX Suppl File: Any file that is part of a TeX/LaTeX document.

Note: The main body of the TeX/LaTeX document (i.e., a file ending with ".tex") should be designated as a Main Document. All files referenced by a main TeX/LaTeX document should be designated as a TeX/LaTeX Suppl File (including other ".tex" files).

 

The number and size of files you are allowed to upload varies by journal. Clicking 爓hen you have used all fields on the page usually gives you more upload fields.

During upload, a Details popup window displaying file attributes appears for each file. Click 爐o move to the next file. Click 燼t the end of the file upload process.

Uploading Image Files

The image file popup window allows you to specify how the image is referred to in the text of the manuscript. This phrase then hyperlinks to the image itself in the HTML version of the files. During review, when someone clicks the link in the HTML document, they are directed to the image file.

 

To hyperlink an image to the HTML file:

• Type the name of the image in the What do you call this image in the manuscript? field.
• Optionally, type a caption or legend for the image (text appears under the image).

NOTE: The image caption field has a limit of 512 characters.

Note: If you try to upload an image with a width and height greater than 40 megapixels (40 million pixels), you will receive an error message stating that you need to upload a lower-resolution version (smaller file) for peer review.

Viewing Uploaded Files

After upload, all files are displayed in the My Files section. You can change the order of the files and edit details.

Sending Files Off-Line

Some journals allow authors to submit files offline. You can submit your manuscript without attaching any files if the Files to be sent in off-line section displays.

To use this feature, enter the number of files you are sending in off-line in the field and click .The system displays the appropriate number of fields. Enter a file name/description for each file and select a file designation from the dropdown list.

Click 爐o move to Step 7.

 

The final step in the manuscript submission process is to review all information and to view the HTML and PDF proofs of the manuscript. Completed steps display a . Incomplete steps display an . The system will not allow you to submit your manuscript until all sections display as completed.

 

Clicking 爄n a section allows you to edit that step's information. Invalid special characters in the title and/or abstract results in an error message in the Step 1 section with information on which character is invalid.

Note: you can print this screen for your records by using the browser print button prior to submission.

Viewing Proofs

Prior to submission you must view the HTML and PDF proofs of your manuscript. The journal may also provide a MedLine format for viewing.

After you have viewed the proofs, checkmarks display.

HTML Proof

Click HTML. A window displays your HTML proof. Click the links to view the individual files.

You can use ScholarOne Image Spy to proof your images more carefully. This link displays at the bottom of all image files:

The image opens in an Image Spy window and instructions for use are displayed.

PDF Proof

Clicking PDF allows you to view your proof in Adobe Acrobat. By default, the first page of the proof is the cover and metadata, with the concatenated files appearing after. Displays are configurable by the journal.

Submitting your Manuscript

When you have reviewed all data and files and are ready to submit your manuscript and associated data to the journal, click . A submission confirmation message displays. You will also receive confirmation by email.