Review of ScholarOne

A Review of ScholarOne

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Table of Contents

Introduction

The write-up presents a review of ScholarOne, a leading manuscript management system used by academic journals, publishers, and research societies to streamline the submission and peer review process. With advanced workflow automation and collaboration features, ScholarOne aims to improve scholarly publishing efficiency, transparency, and communication. This review of ScholarOne will consider my experience handling the system for almost a decade.

Overview of ScholarOne

ScholarOne allows authors to submit manuscripts online and track their status throughout the editorial process. Editors can then assign submissions to reviewers, who can access and annotate papers directly in the system. ScholarOne centralizes communication, ensuring prompt responses and timely decisions at each stage.

Run by Clarivate, ScholarOne‘s key features include customizable submission forms, plagiarism screening, peer review workflow management, automated reminders and notifications, analytics dashboards, and more. These capabilities make ScholarOne a robust end-to-end solution for managing submissions.

Importance of Efficient Manuscript Management

An efficient manuscript management system is critical for academic journals and publishers seeking to uphold rigorous editorial standards and meet author expectations. Streamlining cumbersome manual tasks allows editorial staff to focus on improving content quality and author experience.

A system like ScholarOne eliminates version control issues, reduces administrative workload, and minimizes delays by facilitating collaboration. Automated checks and prompts also enhance consistency and transparency throughout the process. Overall, optimized workflows translate to reputational gains and competitive advantage for publishers.

This article provides an in-depth review of ScholarOne and examines how the platform powers manuscript management for scholarly journals and publishers. Key topics covered include:

  • Core capabilities of ScholarOne and how it streamlines submissions
  • Benefits of ScholarOne for enhancing efficiency and collaboration
  • This review of ScholarOne will also include a comparative analysis of alternative systems
  • Best practices for optimizing ScholarOne utilization

The goal is to equip you with a comprehensive understanding of ScholarOne’s functionality and value proposition as a manuscript management solution.

Understanding the Functionality of ScholarOne

ScholarOne is a comprehensive manuscript management system that aims to streamline the entire publication process, from initial submission to final publication. At its core, ScholarOne provides a centralized platform for authors to submit manuscripts, editors and reviewers to access submissions and provide feedback, and publishers to oversee the entire workflow.

Some of the key features of ScholarOne include:

  • Intuitive dashboard for authors, reviewers, and editors to view submission status updates in real-time
  • Robust submission system for authors to upload manuscripts and supplementary files
  • Configurable review forms and scoring metrics to standardize the evaluation process
  • Automated email notifications to keep all users updated on the status of submissions
  • Reporting tools to track metrics like review times, acceptance rates, and more

With its modular architecture, ScholarOne allows publishers to activate only the features and configurations that best suit their needs. The system is also highly customizable, with options to tailor everything from user permissions to email templates based on each journal’s unique requirements.

Streamlining the Submission, Review, and Publication Process

By centralizing all stages of the publication process on one platform, ScholarOne makes it easier for users to collaborate and keep track of the status of manuscripts. Key ways it streamlines workflows include:

  • Simplified submission process for authors with standardized templates and forms
  • Automatic assignment of reviewers and editors by the managing editor
  • Online annotation tools for editors and reviewers to provide feedback on manuscripts
  • Faster review times by allowing concurrent reviews by multiple reviewers
  • Reduced administrative workload for staff to process submissions and assign reviews

ScholarOne reduces manual tasks, enhances transparency through status tracking, and facilitates more efficient collaboration to accelerate publication times.

Examples of ScholarOne Implementation in Scholarly Publishing

Many leading academic publishers and societies have successfully implemented ScholarOne to manage their publications, including:

  • Journal of Marketing Research: Published by Sage, the journal uses ScholarOne to manage journal submission workflow
  • BMJ: Reduced time from submission to first decision by over 50% after adopting ScholarOne
  • IEEE: Uses ScholarOne to facilitate over 200,000 submissions annually for its highly selective journals

These examples highlight how ScholarOne can scale to support manuscript volumes from a few hundred to several hundred thousand per year, demonstrating its versatility across scholarly publishers of all sizes.

Advantages of Implementing ScholarOne

ScholarOne offers several key benefits for publishers and editors looking to streamline their manuscript management workflows. By centralizing submissions, peer reviews, and editorial decisions on one intuitive platform, ScholarOne can enhance efficiency, collaboration, and transparency across the publication process.

One of the most significant advantages of ScholarOne is how it automates and simplifies manuscript tracking. Editors can easily monitor submission status, reviewer invitations and responses, comments, and decisions all in one place. This eliminates the need for spreadsheets, email chains, and other manual systems to coordinate submissions.

ScholarOne also facilitates customizable workflows to match each journal’s specific needs. User roles and permissions, review forms, decision letters, and more can be tailored to streamline processes. Automatic reminders improve reviewer follow-up, while real-time reports provide insights to monitor performance.

ScholarOne fosters seamless collaboration among editors, reviewers, authors, and publishers by centralizing the submission and peer review process on a single platform. All users can access the same information and documents without having to email attachments back and forth.

Streamlined workflows also lead to quicker review turnaround times. Reviewer scoring and feedback are instantly processed rather than waiting for surface mail. Similarly, authors receive decisions rapidly, whereas editors need to coordinate schedules for in-person meetings.

Enhanced visibility through real-time analytics promotes accountability. Editors can ensure reviewers and staff complete tasks on time, while publishers can monitor journal performance KPIs like submission volume, acceptance rate, and review duration.

Potential Challenges and Considerations with ScholarOne

Implementing any new system comes with potential challenges and considerations. ScholarOne is no exception. Some common issues that publishers may face when adopting ScholarOne include the following:

  • Learning curve: Like any new software, ScholarOne has a learning curve. It can take time for editors, reviewers, and authors to get accustomed to the interface and workflow. Providing training resources and support can smooth the transition.
  • Integration with existing systems: Integrating ScholarOne with a publisher’s existing manuscript tracking systems or online submission portals requires IT resources. There may be costs associated with customizing integrations or migrations. Close collaboration with ScholarOne’s technical support is vital.
  • User adoption challenges: Encouraging authors, reviewers, and editors to embrace a new system can be difficult. Clear communication about benefits and editorial incentives helps drive engagement. Gradual onboarding also allows users to adjust.
  • Limitations: While feature-rich, ScholarOne may not offer the specialized functionality some publishers need compared to niche platforms. Understanding must-have vs. nice-to-have features is essential.
  • Cost: ScholarOne’s pricing, among others, is based on modules, users, and submissions. Costs can add up for large publishers. However, efficiency gains often offset expenses over time. Smaller publishers may find open-source alternatives that are more budget-friendly.

Strategies for Smooth Adoption

When transitioning to ScholarOne, you can:

  • Set realistic timelines for rollout and migration
  • Involve stakeholders early to understand the needs
  • Provide extensive training and support
  • Start with a pilot before organization-wide adoption
  • Gather user feedback to refine processes

While ScholarOne has some drawbacks, its benefits often outweigh its limitations. With careful change management, publishers can successfully harness ScholarOne’s capabilities.

Best Practices for Maximizing ScholarOne’s Effectiveness

Implementing a new manuscript management system like ScholarOne can seem daunting, but following some key best practices can ensure your organization gets the most out of its functionality. Here are some tips for optimizing ScholarOne usage:

Practical Tips for Utilizing ScholarOne’s Features

  • Conduct extensive user testing during implementation to identify any workflow issues early on.
  • Set up robust user roles and permissions to streamline collaboration while maintaining security.
  • Leverage automated workflows for streamlined review assignments, status updates, and notifications.
  • Integrate ScholarOne with existing systems like submission gateways and A&I databases for end-to-end management.
  • Use reporting dashboards to gain actionable insights into operational metrics and KPIs.

Fostering User Adoption Within Your Organization

Getting internal teams to embrace new systems can be challenging. Consider these strategies to drive ScholarOne adoption:

  • Provide comprehensive training resources and documentation tailored to each user group.
  • Incentivize usage by highlighting specific benefits aligned with user needs and priorities.
  • Solicit regular user feedback to address pain points and improve the overall experience.
  • Designate power users across departments to provide peer support and share best practices.
  • Celebrate usage milestones and achievements to maintain engagement over time.

Innovative Ways to Improve Manuscript Management

Progressive publishers are exploring innovative ways to get more value from ScholarOne, including:

  • Using metadata APIs to feed manuscript data into external analytics platforms.
  • Building custom workflows beyond out-of-the-box capabilities as needed.
  • Adding altmetrics to provide authors with richer readership insights.
  • Integrating with ORCID to streamline contributor identification.
  • Leveraging reporting APIs to create customized operational dashboards.

By being proactive and creative with ScholarOne’s extensive configuration options, publishers can take their manuscript management to the next level.

Concluding Review of ScholarOne

In this review of the ScholarOne manuscript system, we have explored the key features and benefits of this powerful manuscript management system. From streamlining submissions to facilitating collaboration between authors, reviewers, and editors, ScholarOne offers an efficient workflow that enhances the entire publication process.

Some of the standout advantages discussed include:

  • Automated tracking and organizing of manuscripts
  • Customizable review forms and automated reviewer selection
  • Robust reporting tools for in-depth analytics
  • Enhanced communication and transparency around manuscript status

For publishers and journals looking to modernize their operations, streamline collaborations, and improve the author and reviewer experience, ScholarOne deserves strong consideration. Of course, as with any complex system, there may be challenges around initial setup and integration and potential limitations compared to niche tools. However, with the correct implementation approach focused on change management and user adoption, ScholarOne can yield tremendous dividends.

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