Article Transfers: A Primer for Editors
How article transfers can boost your journal's reputation while supporting authors and the research community.
What are article transfers?
As an Editor, you have invested significant effort in attracting submissions to your journal. Each submission reflects the authors' confidence in your journal's quality and reputation. Even when a submission is not quite right for your journal, you have a valuable opportunity to guide those authors towards success.
This is where our article transfers program comes in. It empowers you with greater control and choice over the fate of rejected papers, while allowing you to offer enhanced support to authors. By directing them to another Karger journal better suited to their work, you reciprocate the authors' trust, uphold your journal's standing, and support the wider academic community.
All Karger journals adhere to rigorous editorial policies and robust peer review processes, ensuring redirected articles receive the same thorough evaluation. As an Editor, you can transfer articles with confidence, knowing that the same high-quality standards are upheld across the Karger portfolio. By utilizing the article transfers program, you not only maintain the quality and focus of your own journal but also contribute to the overall success of authors and the advancement of scientific knowledge across related fields.
What are the benefits of article transfers?
Article transfers can enhance the reputation of your journal in several ways:
- Maintaining journal scope: Redirecting articles that are not the right fit for your journal helps maintain its focus, while still supporting valuable research in related fields.
- Improved author experience: By offering authors the option to transfer their article to a more suitable journal rather than outright rejection, you provide a better service and experience for authors. This can enhance your journal's reputation for being author-friendly and supportive.
- Higher quality submissions: By participating in a transfer network, your journal may receive high-quality articles that were originally submitted to an unsuitable journal. This can help to further strengthen the overall quality of your journal.
- Increased submissions: As authors become aware of your journal through the transfer process, it may lead to increased direct quality submissions in the future, potentially growing your journal's impact.
- Reduced reviewer burden: Transferring articles with existing peer reviews reduces the need for repeated reviews of the same article. This helps alleviate reviewer fatigue and can enhance the reputation of your journal with reviewers.
- Faster decision times: Article transfers can speed up the overall peer review process by saving time and effort for both, authors and editors compared to outright rejection and re-submission. Faster decision times are attractive to authors and can enhance your journal's reputation for efficiency.
- Strengthened relationships: Participating in article transfer networks fosters collaboration between Karger journals and their communities. This collaborative approach can enhance your journal's reputation as a journal that cares about advancing scholarship in your field.
By strategically redirecting articles, you uphold your journal's integrity while supporting the dissemination of knowledge across the scientific community. This approach demonstrates editorial leadership and a commitment to excellence, showcasing your journal's dedication to author service and efficient publishing practices.
How does the article transfer process work?
This is how our article transfers process works:
- Strategic transfer decision: When you decide to reject an article, you have two options: reject it outright or, if the work is scientifically robust and may be better suited for another journal, recommend a transfer. By recommending a transfer, you start guiding the article to a potential new home.
- Tailored journal recommendation: If suitable alternative Karger journals are available for the work, you will be presented with options. Your expertise is crucial here – please review each journal's aims, scope, and other relevant factors to identify the best fit. Once you have selected the most appropriate journal, you can send the transfer recommendation to the authors.
- Empowering author choice: The authors receive a decision letter which includes a transfer recommendation. This recommendation presents your suggested journal as the default option, along with any additional alternatives, if available. Authors can accept your recommended transfer option, choose an alternative Karger journal from the offered selection, or decline the transfer offer without any obligation. This process respects author autonomy, allowing them to make an informed decision about their article's future while retaining full freedom to submit their work elsewhere if they prefer, ensuring the final choice always rests with them.
- Seamless transfer: When authors accept a transfer offer, their submission details, manuscript, and any existing peer review information are transferred to the chosen journal's submission system. However, a transfer recommendation does not guarantee acceptance. The receiving journal conducts its own independent evaluation and peer review process, with the final decision resting solely with its Editor. This maintains each journal's editorial independence while facilitating the transfer process.
- Independent evaluation: When evaluating articles transferred to your journal, treat them with the same quality, integrity, and robustness criteria as standard submissions to your journal. Consider any existing peer review reports from the original submission, as these can inform your decision-making process. By utilizing these existing reviews, you can reduce reviewer burden and provide timely decisions to authors while maintaining your journal's standards.
For more detailed information about our article transfers process and step-by-step guidance on how to effectively implement this service as an Editor, please refer to our article transfers information pack for Editors.
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