Scientific publishing: questions and answers

Requests are submitted during an announced publishing cycle; the cycle opens and closes on its announced dates (which an approved decision may extend). Open and upcoming cycles are listed on the publishing services page.

A platform account, then the request form: work type and publishing route, general data, contributors, the documents required for the work type (listed in the guide to work types with the page limits), any permissions needed for third-party material, and the declarations. The draft is saved automatically.

Each contributor with an e-mail address receives a link to accept or decline being listed on the request; their answer is shown on the request.

Administrative screening by the publishing secretariat (the request may be returned for completion with a deadline), scientific assessment by the unit council, an initial decision by the decision body that nominates the reviewers, peer review, then any requested revisions and their verification, and the final decision. The request's status and next step are shown under "My publication requests".

The decision body nominates at least three reviewers and two of them are invited. If the two reviews disagree, a tie-break reviewer is invited from the nominees. A reviewer who declines is replaced by the next nominee.

The blinding the approved publishing policy sets (double-blind, single-blind or open) applies. Under double-blind review you do not see the reviewers' names and they do not see yours.

Awaiting university approval

The proposed rule is an average of at least 80% with no score below 75%. This rule awaits the university's approval, and the decision body takes the final decision in every case.

Awaiting university approval

The deadline is set in the revision request and reminders are sent before it passes. The file is not closed automatically when the deadline passes, only by a recorded decision. The proposed default (six months) awaits the university's approval.

The rights officer prepares the agreement and another person approves it; you and the publisher then upload the signed copies on the work page, and a third person verifies the signatures. No approved e-signature service is available at present.

Rights clearance, editing and proofreading, typesetting and cover design, the proof that you review and approve, the final approval, then the edition with its ISBN and legal deposit.

Awaiting university approval

Entitlements are prepared, verified and approved by three different people and then sent to finance. The platform is not connected to the finance system, so it never shows an entitlement as paid. Remuneration amounts await the university's approval.

Each digital format has its access policy: everyone, signed-in readers, specific audiences or units, or an individual licence. Paid reading is not available because there is no approved payment service.

Your access is checked on every request, and the file is shown in the reader without a download unless downloading is allowed. Files are not encrypted, though, and this is not DRM: the file reaches your device to be displayed.

On the edition page choose "Report a correction" and describe the error and where it is. The secretariat investigates, a decision is taken (corrected edition, correction notice, withdrawal or rejection) and implemented, and a correction notice is shown on the edition.

You receive notifications in the platform when the status changes or a task is waiting for you, and by e-mail once its message templates are approved and published. Text messages (SMS) are not available at present.