• Home
• Membership
• My PhysMath Central

Starting an independent, open access journal

PhysMath Central offers a service to researchers and societies to start independent, open access journals.

Why start a new journal?

There are many reasons to start a new journal. Some researchers may want to provide a home for an emerging field of research, others may want to cut across traditional subject boundaries, and some may simply want to provide an open access alternative to existing journals. For societies, there can be no better way to fulfil their mission of furthering knowledge in their fields than by making research freely available to a global audience.

If you already run a journal, PhysMath Central can easily convert it to our open access model, free of charge.

To find out more about running a journal with PhysMath Central, see "What you need to know about our independent journals program".

If you would like to make a proposal to start a new journal, or convert an existing title, please see "What to include in a new journal proposal".

If you have any questions about the independent journals program, please contact newjournals@physmathcentral.com.

Transferring an existing journal to PhysMath Central

PhysMath Central offers journal editors and societies the opportunity to transfer existing journals and convert them to open access free of charge. An example of a journal that had been subscription-based before it adopted the open access model is Geochemical Transactions, published by the Geochemistry Division of the American Chemical Society.

To find out more about transferring a journal to PhysMath Central, see "What you need to know about our independent journals program".

If you would like to make a proposal to convert an existing journal to open access, please see "What to include in a transfer proposal".

If you have any questions about the independent journals program, please contact newjournals@physmathcentral.com.

What you need to know about our independent journals program

Open access

PhysMath Central is committed to providing open access to all the research articles it publishes. There are no subscription charges.

Open access is defined in three parts: firstly, the articles are freely and universally accessible online; secondly, authors retain copyright to their work; and thirdly, all articles are archived in an open access repository, such as arXiv.org.

This commitment to open access is based on the view that unhindered access to research is essential to the rapid and efficient communication of science.

Online only

All our independent journals are online publications as this sits best with our commitment to open access. However, a version printed annually can be made available for purchase on demand.

To provide consistency, all of our journals are based on the same template, meaning that the layout, online tools and much of the content are standardized across all of our websites.

We also have standardized instructions for authors to make it simpler to apply them across a number of journals. For an example see http://www.malariajournal.com/info/instructions/.

Authors retain copyright

Authors who publish in any of PhysMath Central's journals retain copyright to their articles. This means anyone can disseminate and reproduce the articles, as long as the article's integrity is respected, proper attribution of authorship and correct citation details are given, and that the bibliographic details are not changed.

For full details see our copyright and license agreement (note, this page only discusses "research articles" but for new journals the agreement applies to all articles).

Funding open access - article-processing charges

Starting or transferring a journal to PhysMath Central is completely free of charge.

Our commitment to open access means we do not have subscription charges. Instead, we have an article-processing charge for each accepted article, to be paid by the author, his/her institution or funding body, or by the journal's editors.

For independent journals, the standard article-processing charge is currently £925 for each accepted manuscript. BioMed Central waives charges for authors who lack funds to pay article-processing charges - such waivers are administered by the publisher.

The journal charge can be increased to cover higher costs of running the journal or to be able to waive APCs for a higher percentage of articles. Conversely, Editors may decide that a lower - or even zero - journal charge is needed, for example when journals are supported by societies that use their funds to cover APCs partially or completely.

Researchers at institutions that are members of BioMed Central do not have to pay the article-processing charge directly as it is covered by a payment from their institution.

Institutional members pay BioMed Central an annual fee to cover the article-processing charges for any manuscript submitted by their researchers and accepted for publication during that year. For more information see our Institutional Membership page.

Subsidising APCs

Several journals have opted to subsidise APCs by obtaining and using grants from institutions or charitable organisations. Educational grants from industry are also a possibility, although journals should consider their editorial independence when making such arrangements.

Some journals are published in association with a scientific society that use part of the membership fee towards publication costs. We are happy to discuss such arrangements.

Editor-in-Chief criteria

For an Editor-in-Chief to be successful we need to ensure that he/she has sufficient research experience to be able to deal with the numerous editorial issues that arise when running a journal, and is of a high enough standing in their field to bring credibility to the journal.

When considering a proposed Editor-in-Chief we would expect he/she to have:

• Carried out multiple research studies, as a Principal Investigator.
• Published a significant number of research articles relevant to the scope of the journal, particularly within the last five years, being the senior author on a large percentage of these.
• Received a number of research grants from major funding bodies.
• Held positions within societies or with other journals in the field.
• Given presentations at relevant international conferences, or to have been involved in organising such conferences.

We understand that some of these criteria may not be met because of the nature of the field or the current position of the Editor-in-Chief, hence rather than being a strict list of requirements, the conditions above should be used as a guide for the factors that will be taken into account when assessing a potential Editor-in-Chief.

If you would like to propose a new journal, but do not meet the above criteria, you will need to recruit an Editor-in-Chief before submitting a proposal. He/she must be willing to take an active role in the new journal and will need to sign an agreement to serve as Editor-in-Chief.

Societies wishing to start a new journal are also advised to select an Editor-in-Chief before submitting a proposal, although this is not essential.

Workload

PhysMath Central has developed tools for researchers to run journals under their own editorial control (hence the term "independent" journals). These currently consist of an online manuscript submission system, a tool used to invite peer-reviewers for manuscripts, and an online article-production system. Additional systems to help editors manage their journals are currently in development.

Starting a journal, however, is about more than just handling manuscripts and updating the website. You will have full editorial control over the journal.

Prospective Editors must be willing to recruit an active Editorial Board, pursue research manuscripts from the field, invite/commission commentaries, reviews and other types of articles and help us actively market the journal. It is advisable for prospective Editors to consider recruiting some administrative assistance (either secretarial or from junior colleagues).

Please note that although PhysMath Central will handle article production, we do not currently provide copyediting services for manuscripts. Prospective Editors who would like to copyedit accepted manuscripts will need to organise this themselves, although we can help with such arrangements, if requested.

Peer Review

All articles published in our independent journals, with the possible exception of Book Reviews and Editorials, must be peer reviewed. It is the responsibility of Editors-in-Chief to devise a peer-review policy and organise the peer-review system following the launch of the journal.

Prospective Editors must decide whether their journal will have "open" or "closed" peer review: peer review is closed when the authors do not know the names of the reviewers (the standard for most journals). Peer review is open when authors do know the names of reviewers. In open peer review, reviewers are also asked to declare any competing interests, and a full publication history, including the reviewers' reports, is published with the final article.

If you agree to the above, and would like to make a proposal, please see "What to include in a new journal proposal".

What to include in an initial journal proposal

If you would like to discuss starting a new journal, please provide us with information on the points listed below. Feel free to contact newjournals@physmathcentral.com about any questions or issues you want to discuss before you begin working on the formal proposal.

1. Names and addresses of proposer(s), with fax and telephone numbers.

If you are proposing a journal and do not intend to serve as the Editor-in-Chief, please explain what role you intend to take in the running of the journal, or your position within the society, if it's a society journal.

2. A brief description of the journal, including:

• Title (if this is a new journal please check to ensure it does not already exist).
• A 20-word aim for the journal.
• A 100-word description of the field.
• A 100-word rationale for why the journal is needed. This should include a description of the purpose of the publication: will it be educational, to encourage debate or to provide a home for the latest research?
• A list of topics included (and not included, if useful) in the scope of the journal.
• Expected content, by article type (e.g. reviews, commentaries, research articles). Please check beforehand that these are included in the list of article types currently available in our journals.

3. A full description of your peer-review process. This should cover the following points:

• Whether peer review will be open or closed.
• Whether you will peer review all manuscripts or screen submissions prior to peer review.
• How many reviews you will need to make a decision. Note that we strongly recommend at least two reviewers be consulted for every manuscript.
• Whether manuscripts will be routinely sent to a statistician.
• What the procedure will be if the reviewers are in disagreement.
• Who will make the final decision.
• How quickly you will aim to make a first decision.
• What the procedure will be if an author is unhappy with the decision.

Please ensure that you have read the information covering peer review at "What you need to know about our independent journals program" before devising your peer-review policy.

4. A minimum 100-word overview of existing publications in the field: why is a new publication needed, or if this is an existing journal, where does your journal fit into the current literature?

5. A list of 10 topics or "dream" articles that would be appropriate for the publication, or, if it's an existing publication, 10 previously published articles.

6. A minimum 100-word vision of where you see the journal in five years' time: will it have an impact factor, how many articles will it be publishing, who will be reading the journal?

7. A full curriculum vitae for the proposed Editor(s)-in-Chief, including a publication record.

8. Any further relevant information:

• If this is a society journal, please provide a brief description of the aims and history of the society and how many members it currently has.
• If this is an existing journal, please give a brief history of the journal, including how long it has been published, by whom, and any indexing services it belongs to. A brief description of the reasons for transferring the journal would also be useful.

When your proposal is complete, or if you have any questions about starting a new journal, or transferring an existing publication, please contact newjournals@physmathcentral.com

Please be aware that from time to time we may discuss journal proposals with others in the field in order to help with our assessment. If you would prefer your proposal to remain confidential please mark this clearly at the top of your documents.

What to include in an initial proposal to transfer an existing journal to PhysMath Central

If you would like to discuss transferring a journal, please provide us with information on the points listed below. Feel free to contact newjournals@physmathcentral.com about any questions or issues you want to discuss before you begin working on the formal proposal.

1. Names and addresses of proposer(s), with email, fax and telephone numbers.

If you are proposing a journal and do not intend to serve as the Editor-in-Chief, please explain what role you intend to take in the running of the journal.

2. A brief description of the journal, including:

• The journal's full title.
• A 20-word aim for the journal. Please indicate whether this is a continuation or whether the transfer would be an opportunity to adapt the journal to changing conditions.
• A list of topics included (and not included, if useful) in the scope of the journal.
• A 100-word description of the field.
• Which types of articles (e.g. reviews, commentaries, research articles) does the journal accept? Please check that these are included in the list of article types currently available in our journals.
• A list of 10 previously published articles that are characteristic of the journal.
• The Editorial Board (you can attach a document or provide a link if this information exists online).
• How the journal is currently funded. If it is subscription-based, is this the only source of revenues? For subscriptions, please provide the current number of subscribers (individual and institutional). Has the journal attracted advertising and/or sponsorship revenues in the past, and are there plans for the future?

3. A full description of your peer-review process. This should cover the following points:

• Whether peer review will be open or closed.
• Whether you will peer review all manuscripts or screen submissions prior to peer review.
• How many reviews you will need to make a decision. Note that we strongly recommend at least two reviewers be consulted for every manuscript.
• Whether manuscripts will be routinely sent to a statistician.
• What the procedure will be if the reviewers are in disagreement.
• Who will make the final decision.
• How quickly you will aim to make a first decision.
• What the procedure will be if an author is unhappy with the decision.

Please ensure that you have read the information covering peer review at "What you need to know about our independent journals program" before describing your peer-review policy.

4. Information on the journal's past and present, and ideas for the future:

• Please give a brief history of the journal, including how long it has been published and by whom.
• If this is a society journal, please provide a brief description of the aims and history of the society and how many members it currently has.
• Is the journal published in print and/or online? Since when? If it's a print journal, please send us a few sample issues.
• Has the journal published supplements in the past? Are there plans to continue doing so?
• Which indexing services are currently covering the journal?
• Does the journal have an impact factor? In which category? How has the impact factor developed over the years?
• How many articles has the journal published per year in the last five years? How many of them were full-length research articles and reviews?
• What are the reasons for considering the transfer and/or conversion to open access?
• Are there plans to introduce any changes, e.g. to the Editorial Board, the scope, or any other policies?
• How is the journal positioned in its field? What are particular strengths (e.g. subject coverage, "clientele")? For any weaknesses, what could be strategies to achieve improvements?
• Please provide a minimum 100-word vision of where you see the journal in five years' time: will it have an impact factor (or how will it have changed, and why), how many articles will it publish per year, who will be the target audience and contributors?

5. Information on technical aspects:

• Who owns the journal title?
• Would a transfer of the journal be acceptable within the terms of the current publishing contract?
• Who holds the copyright to articles published to date?
• If the journal is published online, please provide details about the technical format the articles are published in.

6. A full curriculum vitae for the proposed Editor(s)-in-Chief, including a publication record.

When your proposal is complete, or if you have any questions about transferring an existing publication, please contact newjournals@physmathcentral.com.

• Submit a manuscript
• Sign up for article alerts
• PhysMath Central blog
• Start a new journal