The Newsletter for
Journal PublishersAllen Press, Inc.
May/June 1997
By Ted Freeman, Director of Electronic Publishing
Allen Press, Inc.
We want to provide our clients with a product that has life beyond print. Because the Internet has exposed the limitations of proprietary typesetting formats (e.g., Postscript), nonprint-based formats are now required to leverage the new electronic publishing options. Which of these formats you choose may well be the most important long-term publishing decision you make. The wrong decision may lead you to discover that converting your data later is almost as costly as creating it, not to mention subjecting it to corruption and loss. To help you make informed decisions about what format best suits your immediate and long-term electronic publishing goals, we offer the following short guide to the advantages and disadvantages of the leading formats used in Internet and CD-ROM publishing in the STM field: PDF, HTML, and SGML.
As a prologue, it should be pointed out that any document format in electronic form, including those designed for printing, may be accessed and retrieved over the Internet. Internet publishing can and does sometimes amount to distributing documents in print formats, such as Postscript, TeX, or RTF, by FTP to the user's computer to be viewed or printed by the appropriate locally residing program, which also could be set up as a "helper application" automatically launched by a Web browser. Computer screens, however, are poor displayers of page images, primarily because page-based files are print formats designed to create pages in a printer or imagesetter. They tend to be large, rather clumsy files that offer little of the flexibility and functioning of "hypertext" and "hypermedia" that we associate with electronic publications.
Derived from a print format, PDF (Portable Document Format) is currently the most prevalent format for electronic publishing in the STM market for both on-line and CD-ROM. Why? Not because it offers the best electronic functions or options, but because it is the cheapest and easiest to produce. Virtually all typesetting systems convert to Postscript, from which it is a very short and easy step to PDF through Adobe's Distiller. Many programs also allow you to create a PDF file using PDFWriter as a printer driver. In short, any document you would normally print, you can now instead turn into PDF, which represents the exact appearance of the printed document. The PDF file can then be viewed by anyone with a free program called Acrobat Reader. PDF also can be produced from scans of legacy or hard-copy documents for which no usable electronic form exists. Although PDF is attractive from a financial standpoint, keep in mind that it is still a print-based derivative, and a proprietary one at that, which has several drawbacks.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
HTML
HTML is the native format or tag set of the Web and was designed for hypertext and hypermedia. It is often said that HTML is a simple subset of SGML, though in reality HTML is a simple SGML Document Type Definition (DTD) with a small, more or less fixed set of tags or elements. Its simplicity is one of the reasons HTML enjoys great success, as anyone who surfs the Web can see. But simplicity is also one of its weaknesses, since it is difficult to represent long and complex documents in HTML because of its flat and simple architecture. Since it is the native format of the Web and automatically loaded and styled by Web browsers, it is natural to assume that HTML is the format you should look to if you intend to publish on the Web. But this will depend on both the complexity and long-term value of the material you plan to publish. While HTML is fine for frequently updated or material of temporary value, it is generally unsuitable for large, complex documents with a long life.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
SGML
SGML is a nonproprietary, open standard represented by plain ASCII characters, freeing it from dependence on vendors, particular computer programs, or platforms. This makes it lasting and transferable. Its rule-governed structure gives it a logic and consistency that make conversion to some other format, if necessary, easier and more accurate.
Whereas PDF is locked into how a document looks so the document can be visually recreated on any computer, SGML describes a document in terms of structure and content. Rather than describing titles, heads, or footnotes by point size and typeface, SGML simply marks the text as a title, head, or footnote. Exactly how these elements are displayed is left to the application.
One of SGML's advantages over HTML, which is limited to one tag set, is that SGML is a language within which the user can define any kind of document type imaginable, with as many tags and as complicated an architecture for those tags as is necessary.
In our opinion (and that of most electronic publishing authorities), SGML is the safest bet for long-term viability, as well as the most robust and sophisticated publishing format there is, especially where mixtures of text, graphics, and multimedia are concerned.
As an ISO standard, SGML is backed by the American Association of Publishers (AAP) and dozens of other standards organizations and is widely used by industry and publishing. It won't change in the way that commercial products must change to bolster sales.
The federal government, international companies (such as IBM, AT&T, and Novell), the aerospace industry, Elsevier, IEEE, the American Institute of Physics, and many other scholarly and scientific publishers are using SGML, particularly for serving up titles and abstracts on the Web in an HTML-on-the-fly system, to escape the uncertainty of commercial formats and to enlarge their future electronic publishing options.
ADVANTAGES
DISADVANTAGES
For further information contact Ted Freeman at tfreeman@allenpress.com.
ONLINE SAMPLES
ONLINE SAMPLES
ONLINE SAMPLES
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Plan to attend the 1997 Allen Press Electronic Publishing Seminar scheduled for September 17-19. Look in the next issue of JP for more details. |
Based on average increases of the past 10 years, we project the average institutional price for all U.S. society scientific, technical, and medical (STM) journals in 1998 to be 7% to 8% higher than the average 1997 price.
Our Allen Press 10-year study shows that prices for U.S. society-published journals increased an average of 7% annually during 1988–1997. This study included journals that did not raise prices.
The average price change for 1997 for 177 journals in the group we studied was 8.1%.
About half of the nonprofit STM societies are expected to raise their prices for 1998 journal volumes. For studies spanning 10 years, an average of 48% of the society journals studied in the Allen Press Buyer's Guide to Scientific and Scholarly Journals (formerly the Cooperative Subscription Catalogue) increased their prices each year.
Of the half of U.S. societies that will raise their journal library prices for 1998, we estimate the average price increase will be 13% to 14%. These figures suggest that some price increases cover two years of inflation.
Some of these publishers also increased pages or issues in 1997 for their journals.
For commercial journals, it is a different story. Librarians report that most of the larger for-profit publishers, especially those in Europe, usually raise their journal prices about every year. It is different for each year and for each publisher.
Association and society journals will continue to be good buys and good sources of information for libraries. Prices for these journals are substantially lower than all journals that have been increasing at the rate of 10% to 12% or more a year, according to the Faxon Company and EBSCO Subscription Services.
According to EBSCO, depending on the collections, U.S. libraries had to pay an average of 19.6% more on 1996 non-U.S. titles than they did in 1995.
Most major STM publishers (83%) generally provide new rates to subscription agencies by September according to EBSCO. This means that the society publication managers should set their 1998 prices by spring to early summer to be included in the 1998 Allen Press Buyer's Guide and price mailings to agencies.
The Buyer's Guide is mailed to more than 10,000 research and university serials librarians and subscription agents worldwide. It's an excellent way to generate new subscriptions, improve subscription renewals, and provide librarians and agents with accurate pricing information.
Space reservations should be made by June 2, 1997, and materials received by June 13, 1997. Please contact S. Rachel Wright for more information by phone at 800 627-0629 or 785 843-1235, by fax at 785 843-6153, or by e-mail at rwright@allenpress.com.
Conference Display Program:
For inquiries and registration, contact Tammy Reasoner, AM&M, by phone at 800 627-0629 or 785 843-1235, by fax at 785 843-1274, or by e-mail at treasoner@allenpress.com. |
By Gary Michael Smith, Chatgris Press
Tracking manuscripts for a peer-reviewed journal can be a daunting task. A specialty science journal may receive as few as 10 or 20 papers a month, whereas a general-interest journal might receive a hundred or more. In either case, it is important that submissions are processed in an orderly and organized manner to best use the time of the editors and the referees.
To this end, the first task upon receipt of a new manuscript is to print a referee assignment form, which is used to assign names of potential referees. The form also serves as a record of who was contacted and includes notations indicating the status of responses.
The initial check-in label is another critical step in the manuscript-tracking process. This label indicates all pertinent requirements that, if not adhered to by the authors, could prevent the paper from further processing. Some of this information may include a statement of submission, the appropriate number of copies of original figures, and use of the proper style and format.
After completing the initial check-in label, the submission is assigned a manuscript number. This number is chronological and should be recorded separately from the manuscript and associated materials on a pad or in a log book, and then lined through so that when the next submission is received, there will be no fear of duplicating or skipping a number. The electronic file recording of all manuscript information also is a good record.
Once referees have agreed to review a particular manuscript, the journal's staff needs to prepare packets that include a copy of the manuscript, a printout of the review forms, original glossy prints of figures (if the illustrations are of a format that does not photocopy well), and postage-paid return envelopes for the review and the prints, if applicable. Also, include a letter thanking the referees for reviewing the paper and giving a deadline for the review. This packet is mailed to the referees, and the word-processing and database manuscript and referee files are updated with the date the manuscript was sent.
The referees will return comments by fax or e-mail, whichever is preferred by the editorial staff. When the review is received, the date is input into the word-processing and database manuscript and referee files, and the review is filed with the manuscript. When all reviews for that manuscript have been received, the editorial staff will prepare a decision packet for the editor of the journal. For new manuscripts, this packet includes the reviews and a copy of the manuscript. These items are placed in a folder separate from but on top of the manuscript folder. For revised manuscripts, the packet will include all previous reviews, along with responses from the authors and the most recent revision of the manuscript.
Once the editor has reviewed the packet, he or she will decide to accept the manuscript, accept it with minor or major revisions, or reject it. If the decision is accept with minor or major revisions, the manuscript is returned to the authors, who must respond to the referees' comments and revise the manuscript accordingly. When the responses and revised paper are resubmitted, the editor normally will return the manuscript with the responses to the referees for an additional review. When the referees submit their reviews, the editor will decide again on the acceptability of the manuscript.
This is a brief overview of the manuscript-tracking process. Other considerations include knowing how much time to allow for a late referee, the best approach to solicit the paper's timely return, and knowing the difference between a reviewer and a referee.
When I first became the managing editor for a peer-reviewed journal, I found myself having to figure out what to do on a daily basis. After realizing that little information existed regarding how to send and track manuscripts through the peer-review process and how to monitor and track referees' activities, I started documenting everything to help me formulate a set of operating procedures. Five months later, I had a manual that reminded my staff and me what to do and explained to all newcomers the ins and outs of our particular office environment.
The Peer-Reviewed Journal: A Comprehensive Guide through the Editorial Process is a guide to help those who wish to develop their own procedures specific to the needs of their journal. The text is presented in an order that emulates the flow processes within the editorial office.
Chapter 1 identifies a suggested structure for editorial office staff responsibilities. Chapter 2 presents an example of a standard workflow for various aspects of manuscript receipt, review, and decision-making, while Chapter 3 offers advice on developing and maintaining an accurate database. Chapter 4 covers the journal's responsibilities for preparing a paper for publication, and Chapter 5 touches on the parts of the publication process that are affected by the editorial office.
Chapter 6 details preparation procedures for attending conferences and professional meetings where manuscripts will be received for consideration for publication. This chapter offers a modified set of procedures for checking in manuscripts and acquiring information and assembling special sections of a supplement.
Chapter 7 provides suggestions on what to include in monthly and annual reports for tracking journal progress and monitoring trends.
A "Suggested Reading" section contains articles that may be of interest to the editorial staff of a peer-reviewed journal, and an index helps the reader to quickly locate specific items of interest. Figures include numerous flowcharts, forms, letters, and faxes for a variety of contingencies.
For more information on The Peer-Reviewed Journal: A Comprehensive Guide through the Editorial Process, contact the author, Gary Michael Smith, at 504 895-5219, or mail queries to Chatgris Press, 1037 Milan, New Orleans, LA 70115-2729.
By Karen Hellekson, Director of
Copyediting Services, Allen Press, Inc.
Copyeditors will tell you there are several texts so standard in the printing and copyediting industry that they are only known by shortened names. "Webster's Tenth," the moniker for the industry's standard dictionary, is really Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition. Just any old Webster won't do, as the name is in the public domain. Webster's Tenth is in turn based on Webster's Third, an unabridged dictionary.
The primary grammatical handbook used in the copyediting field is "Harbrace," more formally known as Hodges' Harbrace College Handbook, revised twelfth edition.
This little green book contains some controversial information—for instance, Harbrace notes that "Sometimes, splitting an infinitive is not only natural but desirable"—but its scope and clarity make it essential.
In the scientific field, the bible of style is "CBE Sixth," properly titled Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, sixth edition, published by the Council of Biology Editors. With sections on math, statistics, chemical names, subatomic particles, cells, plants, and astronomy, to name only a few, this book provides overviews of many scientific fields. An impossible-to-read index mars the usefulness of this book, and many editors dislike the number style this book touts: CBE Sixth uses numerals for everything except as the first word in a sentence and except to avoid confusion.
Finally, the text that all copyeditors swear by is Substance & Style: Instruction and Practice in Copyediting, by Mary Stoughton, revised (1996) edition. This is a hands-on book, with sample text to copyedit and answers following.
Other resource books of general interest to copyeditors of scientific journals include:
All these texts allow the copyeditor to obey the primary rule of copyediting: When in doubt, look it up!
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Getting the Word Out
Successful publications and organizations promote themselves year-round to recruit new subscribers and members. If your subscription or membership base is slipping despite periodic direct-mail promotions and renewal efforts, here are a few additional ideas to consider: Throw a Party! Hosting a reception at a meeting is more fun than running a booth and it can be more effective. For something different, try a breakfast get-together. Don't Overlook Your Own Publication. A membership application or journal subscription card bound or blown into your publication or newsletter is one of the most cost-effective promotions you can run. Promote with Reprints. Most authors order 100-200 reprints of their articles. Give your reprint printer copies of your membership/subscription promotional brochure, with instructions to include four or five with each set of reprints sent to authors. |
By Michael Scheibach, Ph.D.
Publishing Director, Alliance Communications Group
For those of us in the scholarly publishing field, this is indeed an exciting period. Everywhere around us, publishers are either placing their journals online or working toward that goal. New terms—such as secondary publisher and aggregator—are entering the publishing lexicon. New concerns—such as copyright protection, free access, and password security—are being raised. New acronyms are littering our vocabulary: SGML, PDF, HTML. The word on the street is that libraries are demanding journals in electronic format. The phrase "Publish or Perish" has been replaced with "Online or Outdated."
Yet just as America managed to adjust to a new era at the beginning of the twentieth century, so, too, can we, as scholarly publishers, survive the beginning of the twenty-first century.
In the early 1900s, people had to brace themselves against the onrush of unprecedented technological change—electrical appliances, motion pictures, automobiles, flying machines, radio, and factory automation. Elmer Rice's play The Adding Machine dealt with the replacement of a man with an ability to add numbers by hand—quickly and accurately—with a machine that could add numbers faster, more accurately, and at less cost. And Sinclair Lewis's Babbitt became the quintessential character representing modern man's sense of anomie, of disorientation in a world becoming too overwhelming, less personal, too complex.
Most Americans, however, adjusted to the technological changes that signaled the beginning of modernity. Moreover, they have continued to adapt to technology, from television and space travel, to videotape and computers.
Now, the country is once again feeling the excitement and trepidation of a new century, a new millennium. Technological change is occurring at an exponential rate, with many of us feeling the need to run full speed to keep up, while at the same time fighting the urge to pull up a chair and watch the action.
The advent of the World Wide Web has opened a new era, one beyond the Industrial Age, the Modern Age, the Information Age. As the country nears the year 2000, we are witnessing the maturation of the Online Age: an era of electronic information available to anyone anywhere any time.
Without question, it is becoming increasingly important to develop plans to place information online; these plans, though, should be based on clearly identified goals, not reactionary ones. For example, a journal publisher, asked why he wanted to put his journal on the Internet, responded, "Because that's what everyone else is doing." That's not a very good reason.The major benefit from membership in many societies is the journal—the print journal. If the journal goes online, there needs to be a strategy for protecting the membership base. If an online journal represents an added value, it also can mean added revenue. Members may be more than willing to pay an additional (and reasonable) fee to gain access to the online version. This means understanding ownership issues, developing adequate security, and implementing a system for electronic commerce. It also means budgeting money for preparing electronic files. Going online is not free, despite thoughts to the contrary.
"And what about libraries?" you ask. Yes, libraries are looking at electronic journals as a means to reduce their acquisition and warehousing costs. But most librarians are first and foremost interested in the content, not the delivery system. If you have a well-respected print journal, librarians will continue to subscribe to that journal in the years ahead.
The bottom line is this: Scholarly publishers must understand the dynamics of the Online Age in order to survive. They must be able to adjust. Even more important, publishers must constantly remind themselves that they are in the content business, not the computer business. Content, after all, is what publishing is all about, isn't it?
By Challis Breithaupt, Meeting Manager, AM&M
One of the essential elements in ensuring the success of any meeting is a site visit. This familiarizes you with the hotel or function space and allows you to meet with the people who will be instrumental in helping you to achieve your meeting goals.
At this meeting, you will have the opportunity to share those goals with each member of the meeting team. It is important that all of you communicate freely to get as many questions answered at this initial meeting, as well as to exchange phone numbers and business cards. Remember, this team has a big stake in the success of your meeting.
The key people include:
During each meeting be prepared with a list of questions, thoughts, and ideas for each of the team members. Don't be shy about asking those tough questions and expressing your feelings on the level of service you expect from each department. This is your meeting: You need to be sure all of your questions are answered and that you leave your site visit with a positive feeling about the choices you have made and energized about your future meeting.
By John Maddox
Advertising Director, AM&M
The advertising rate card is one of the most important elements of a media kit, yet it is often overlooked. Designed to provide enough information for a prospective advertiser to make an informed buying decision, the rate card also conveys subtle messages about the publication. As with any printed promotional piece, it should be appealing to the eye, easy to read, and concise.
A well-designed rate card will likely include the following elements:
This may seem like a lot of information to include without using every inch of space on the page. To avoid a cluttered rate card, consider the following ideas to help keep all of this information easy to read and concise: use columns; use boldface subheads to identify each element; use spot color in strategic positions; use a serif typeface for text; and make certain that any folds in your design work with the printed material.
Following these guidelines will help keep the advertising rate card easy to read and will present all of the information needed by advertisers to make their buying decisions.
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