Aries Systems Corporation

The publishing process sometimes includes expensive and time-consuming bottlenecks, such as lengthy peer review turnaround times, numerous Author revisions, and manual technical checks. Therefore, it is critical to streamline operations wherever possible to save time and reduce costs while maintaining content quality. Traditionally, scholarly journals conduct various tasks required for publication during production – often completing one task at a time. To enhance this process, journal can leverage Task Manager to assign and perform key tasks earlier in the manuscript lifecycle. Task Manager, an Editorial Manager® (EM) feature, allows Editors to complete assignments prior to product and at any time in the editorial workflow, reducing time to publication.

Tasks can be completed in parallel and can be assigned only as relevant both pre- and post- acceptance, before production is formally initiated. With Task Manager, journals can get a head start on copy preparation, checking and requesting missing information, and other preliminary needs. Key editorial tasks that can be completed through Task Manager include language edits, copyediting, artwork permissions, conflict of interest (COI) collection, copyright check, preprint server deposit, and more! Many of these tasks are automatically available within EM, while others are enabled through additional third-party integrations. Journals can configure automated task assignment chains based on specific workflow event triggers, as well as maintain task due dates with automated reminders to further streamline workflow. Elevating the editorial workflow to enable the assignment and completion of important tasks in advance not only reduces bottlenecks downstream during production, but also enhances the user experience for journal staff and accelerates publication times.

To see Task Manager in action, check out the video tutorial below or contact your Aries Account Coordinator (AC) request a free demonstration!