Publishing with Springer

Mario Aigner, Mathematics Editorial

Agenda

• Why should you publish?

• About Springer

• Publishing in Journals

• Publishing Open Access

• Publishing Books
Why should you publish?
• Present new and original results or methods, exchange ideas, communicate
with peers.
• Advance (not repeat) scientific knowledge, enhance scientific progress.
• Credibility of results.
• Grant writing & research funding.
• Recognition & career advancement.
• Personal prestige, satisfaction & “enjoyment”.
Why not just blog about your work?

Publishing with professionals ensures

• Quality control and acknowledgement – peer review

• Professional publishing services (e.g. Abstracting & Indexing )

• Innovative publishing technology (POD/PTO, XML) for computers and mobile

devices

• Cross-referencing of literature through hyperlinks

• Global distribution, immediate global visibility

• Sustainable marketing

• Technical and administrative support

• Long-term archiving and preservation

Topics: All about Springer

• Who is Springer..
• Content platforms
• .. and why publish with us?
• Springer THE largest scientific eBook Publisher
• Springer for Authors
• Springer Author Academy
• Information on publishing and publications : springer.com
• Author Marketing @ Springer
SpringerNature
• SpringerNature is a global, leading, scientific publisher.

• SpringerNature publishes more than 3,000 journals.

• Springer is THE largest scientific eBook publisher in the world.

• Leader in Mathematics, top in Physics and Engineering

• 21.6% of all Nobel Prize winners are Springer authors.

 All winners of the 2011 Nobel Prizes in medicine, physics,

chemistry and economics are Springer authors and editors.
Content platforms - SpringerOpen

• >100 journals
• since 2010
Content platforms – databases and reference works

• zbMATH +
LiveReference
 .. and why publish with us?

• Springer is an e-first publisher

• Your work is immediately available worldwide!

• Widest distribution in various formats for computers and mobile devices

• Springer’s standardized production processes.

An article takes, on average, only 20 days from acceptance to online
publication.

• Sustainable (e-)marketing
Topics: All about Journals

• Before you start writing

• What journal editors want
• Types of journals
• How to structure your article
• How to choose the right journal
• Journal product pages and guidelines
• What our authors say
• Submitting your article
• Submission considerations – ethics
• Improving your chances of getting accepted
Topics: All about Journals (cont.)

• Impact Factor
• Impact Factor – Points to consider
• What is peer-review and why is it important?
• Acceptance and publication of your article
Types of journals

• Traditional academic research journal – Main venue for primary research,

rigorously peer-reviewed.
• Letters journal – Rapid communication of interim work, peer-reviewed, a
good way to get very new and ongoing research initially published.
• Review journal – Covers current trends, usually peer-reviewed, contains some
commissioned material.
• Professional journal / magazine – Mainly review and how-to articles, lots of
commissioned material, heavily edited but not necessarily peer-reviewed.
Before you start

• Read the journal and the journal product page.

• Talk to colleagues /peers about their experiences with journals you are
considering.
• Make use of the expertise of your library staff.
• Check where collaborating/competing research groups and researchers
publish their work.
• Make the decision about where to submit your paper before you complete
your paper.
That way you can ensure that the content and style fit the Aim & Scope of the
journal.
• Is an Impact Factor important to you? Or are you more concerned about
usage/visibility?
• Follow the references in your own paper. Where were the original papers
published and read? Check publisher sites, you can often find useful
information in the ‘for authors’ section.
• Avoid journals with no clear submission and reviewing process.
What our authors say

How important are the following factors for you when deciding to submit a manuscript to a particular journal?
Top 1 Box (very important; in percent)

The journal's reputation

Quality of journal's papers
Quality of peer review
International scope
Speed of publication
Impact Factor
Electronic submission system

Coverage by major A&I

Readership
Advanced online publication
Editors / editorial board
Prior experience with this journal
Design / layout
"Author pays" open-access model
0% 100%

(N = 19,220 respondents, 5-point rating: 1=very important to 5=not important at all) Results 2009
Journal product page and guidelines
Author instructions
Online reviewing system – Editorial Manager
Submitting your article

• Prepare a cover letter

• Read the guidelines for the journal very carefully and make sure that you
conform to these.

• Decide which model you want for disseminating your paper: Traditional /
Open Access.

• NEVER submit your paper to more than one journal at the same time, that
would be violating Publishing Integrity.
 Submitting your article

Submission to publication 3—12 months

Do not be discouraged by a rejection – it might just be that you should choose another journal
Submission considerations - ethics

• The work described has not been

published before.
• It is not under consideration anywhere
else.
• Publication has been approved by co-
authors and responsible authorities.
• Permissions obtained from copyright
owners.
• No data fabrication or falsification.
Impact Factor

The Impact Factor

Formula:
Number of citations in 2014 to articles published in 2013+ 2012
2014 IF* = -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total citable articles published in 2013 + 2012

*published in June 2015

Impact Factor – Points to consider
• Discipline specific!

• Depends on the publishing culture of a scientific community, e.g. average time

when a paper is cited

• Depends on the number of scientists who research and write in a particular

area

• Other factors influence the formula e.g. number of issues published per year

• How “hot” the topic is

• There is much debate over Impact Factors in the scientific community.

However, there is no doubt that an Impact Factor is seen as a benchmark of
quality of the journal in many academic communities.

• ISI Impact Factors (8,000 journals)

SCOPUS Impact Factors (16,000 journals)
What is Peer Review and why is it important?

• Peer review is a process of self-regulation. When you submit an article,

other experts in the field evaluate your article, your research and
methodology, to determine if your paper is suitable for publication.

• Peer review is employed to maintain a high quality standard of published

papers and to provide credibility.

• Nearly every manuscript requires revisions, often two or three revisions.

• If you receive reviewer comments for re-submission, ACT on them.

• Consider peer review feedback as advice to help you improve your article. Do
NOT take offense.

• Minor revision does not guarantee acceptance after revision. Address all
comments carefully.
Acceptance and publication of your article

How we work:
• Once the article has been accepted and is ready for publication, it will immediately be
published online.
• This is called ‘Online First’. The article has a DOI number (a Digital Object Identifier)
and can now be read and cited. For example: DOI: 10.1007/s10681-012-0632-1
• Pages numbers and an issue numbers are only assigned once it is included in the next
available or appropriate issue.
• Once the issue has been compiled it will be published in print.
• Newest trend: Consecutive Article Publishing. Only article numbers, no page numbers,
only one stage of publishing, issues defined by what was published in a certain
calendar period.

Article workflow

Manuscript Typesetting & Proof to author Proof Published

accepted Author Forms (and editor) correction OnlineFirst
Topics: All about Open Access

• What is Open Access?

• The success story of Open Access
• Open Access by subject
• Open Access in Springer
 What is Open Access?

• Open access makes a scientific article freely available to anyone with an internet
connection and does not require a journal subscription to read the article.
FREE FOR EVERYONE!
• Authors retain copyright for open access articles and may re-use articles
• Author grants publisher the license to publish the article and indentifies the
publisher as the original publisher.
• Author also grants any third party the right to use the article freely, as long as its
integrity is maintained and its original authors, citation details and publisher are
identified. Creative Commons: “The author or copyright owner irrevocably grants to
any third party, in advance and in perpetuity, the right to use, reproduce or
disseminate the research article in its entirety or in part.”

Green OA: Additionally to publishing in a non-OA journal

author puts the article on a repository/own website (self-archiving) .

Gold OA: Publish OA right away.

 What Springer offers

Springer - GREEN OA

• Authors may also deposit their version of the article in any repository, provided
it is only made publicly available 12 months after official publication or later.
• He/ she may not use the publisher's version (the final article), which is posted
on SpringerLink and other Springer websites, for the purpose of self-archiving
or deposit.
• Furthermore, the author may only post his/her version provided
acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication and a link is
inserted to the published article on Springer's website. The link must be
provided by inserting the DOI number of the article in the following sentence:
“The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/[insert
DOI]”."

Springer - GOLD OA

• Hybrid OA: OpenChoice – possible in traditional journals (subscription based)

• Fully OA: BioMed Central & SpringerOpen
Open Access@Springer: SpringerOpen

• SpringerOpen runs on the BiomedCentral platform, a pioneer in OA publishing

• SpringerOpen is e-only with continuous publication (continuous article
numbering, articles browsable per month and per year)
• Open access journals have a rigorous peer review system, just like subscription
journals
• Article Processing Charges (APCs) vary according to publisher at Springer they
are around 500 – 1,500 EUR

-- paid by the “author”  via research grant or other funding

-- paid by a member institution (currently 379 institutions, in 42 countries

have a membership with BioMed Central / SpringerOpen. Check with your
library!)

-- waived (economic hardship, invitation from EiC)

 The success story of Open Access

Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) is hosted and maintained by Lund

University in Sweden
Open Access by subject

(Bio)medicine is the field where Open Access was first establish because of funding,
e. g. the NIH.
Most Open Access journals are still in Health Sciences, but other fields are catching up
fast.

Fully Open Access journals by subject

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

Source: http://www.doaj.org • date: January 25, 2012

Topics: All about Books

• Science, Technology and Medicine (STM) book market

• Different types of books
• Unique at Springer
• Publishing your book with Springer
• The importance of eBooks in Scientific Publishing
Different types of books

• Monographs
• Single author, high quality, niche subject: long shelf life
• Contributed volume
• Editor(s), multiple chapter authors: long shelf life
• Proceedings
• Proceeding are collected papers from a conference: short shelf life
• Textbooks
• Written for a specific higher education course: high usage
• Reference Works, Encyclopedia, Handbook or Atlas
• Comprehensive and complete: tertiary literature
• Often A-Z format
 Unique at Springer

• SpringerBriefs
• Providing a format for publishing research, longer than an article,
shorter than a book
• Between 50 and 125 pages
• Organized in focused subject series

• SpringerTheses
• Books series publishing only the “best of the best” theses
• Internationally top-ranking research institution nominate their
best thesis annually for publication in the series
• If the thesis is published in the series, the author is rewarded a
cash prize equivalent to € 500

• SpringerReference
• Dynamic platform with updates, much like WikiPedia (but peer
reviewed)
• Final Reference Work on SpringerLink and available in print
 Publishing your book with Springer

• All books available as eBook and traditional print

(POD).

• Proposals are externally reviewed.

• Springer carries out all the typesetting, formatting,

etc.

• Springer Editors guide you through the process.

• Publishing with Springer doesn’t cost you

anything*.

• Complementary copies for participating authors

and editors.

• 33% discount on all other Springer books after

your first book.
* Except potential language editing, copyrights for figures/photographs …
E-Books

The importance of eBooks in Scientific Publishing

Reach printed version vs the online version

Paper subscription model Online database model

• Libraries • Researchers • Authors • Publishers

More content/service Easier to search Online first Lower distribution costs
Higher usage Easier to cite Wider distribution Better marketing
Better tracking 24/7 access Global readership efficiency

Preservation Remote access More citations New markets

E-Books

The importance of eBooks in Scientific Publishing (cont.)

• eBook usage has overtaken print book!

• Print is now often rather an add-on to ebook!

• Availability and discoverability are key determinants of eBook usage.

• Coming up next: enhanced ebooks, search functions, videos, simulations,…

• eBooks have a long ‘shelf’ life.

• Sales figures for ebooks starting to be higher than print!

Using an editing service - Language editing with Edanz

• Edanz is an external company, independent of Springer. Using an editing service is

neither a requirement nor a guarantee of acceptance for publication. Edanz will charge
authors directly for these language polishing services, please visit their website for
more information (link).
• Edanz works with expert scientific editors; English editing for scientists, by scientists.
• Edanz aims to provide services to raise your chances of acceptance and to ensure clear
communication of your research.
• Edanz can help you with:
• language editing, development of your abstract and with writing an effective cover
letter
• advise on your journal selection
• an expert scientific review of your manuscript (similar to a peer review) before you
submit to your target journal
• interpreting the peer review comments, and assess whether the changes you have
made are sufficient to satisfy a peer-reviewer
Springer for Authors

• A number of years ago Springer established a marketing department that would only
be concerned with the needs of our authors. Many tools are at your disposal, to name a
few:
• Author Homepage – dedicated page on springer.com to answer to all needs you, as an
author, may have. (springer.com/authors)
• AuthorZone – a regular newsletter full of tips and interesting news for our authors.
Follow the AuthorZone on facebook (www.facebook.com/AuthorZone) or Twitter
(http://twitter.com/#!/authorzone).
• Author Academy – a dynamic platform to answer all questions you may have as a new
or as an experienced author.
• Rights & Permissions – Do you want to do more than just cite another publication? Do
you wish to re-use published material? You may want to check with the Rights &
Permissions department what the possibilities are. (springer.com/rights)
Comments or Questions?

Dr. Mario Aigner

Mathematics Editorial

Springer
Basel, Switzerland

email: [email protected]