Aries Systems Corporation

With frequent software releases and powerful configuration options, Editorial Manager® (EM) and ProduXion Manager® (PM) empower thousands of scholarly publications to uniquely customize their workflows – often at no additional cost! There are many helpful features even our most seasoned EM/PM users may be unaware of! We’d like to highlight some small (but mighty!) features and functionality that are often overlooked, but may make a big impact to our users’ workflows.

Re-Open Review

RoleManager -> Edit Desired Role(s) -> Check “Re-Open Review” Permission under Reviewer Invitations section

On occasion, Editorial staff may wish to re-open or send back a submitted review to a Reviewer, either for potential editing, adding additional information, or to adjust attachments. Editors with proper role permissions enabled can use the “Re-Open Review” button on the View Individual Reviews and Comments page for any relevant submission.. The “Re-open Review” letter will be used on default, which may be customized or swapped for a different letter by Editor, if desired. Reviews cannot be re-opened if the current Editor has started and saved a decision.

Separating Reviewer Comments

PolicyManager -> Create/Edit Review Forms -> Edit Review Form -> “Display Comments to Author Text Box” -> Keep Separate from Editor Comments in Decision Chain

By default, all Reviewer comments to the Author are aggregated into the Editor’s “Comments to Author” filed along with any Editor comments to the Author, and subsequently inserted into the Decision letter in a single block. However, publications have the option to configure the Reviewer Form to display the individual Reviewer comments separate from the Editor comments. This simple adjustment allows distinction between comments from Reviewers and each Editor in the decision chain, creating a “cleaner” look on the Editor Decision Form and the Author Decision letter. If this feature is enabled, journal offices are to implement this merge field to their decision letter templates: %INDIVIDUAL_REVIEWER_COMMENTS_TO_AUTHOR%

Import External Correspondence via Email Drop Box

PolicyManager -> Email and Letter Policies -> Configure Email Import

Rather than entering external correspondence manually into Editorial Manager, journal offices can opt to create an email drop box for automatic import. The system drop box creates an email address for Editor use. When configured, submission-related correspondence sent from EM will have an EMID, which is used to link external emails to an EM submission. The EMID must be included in the subject line of the email for it to be properly ingested into the system. This feature creates a more seamless experience for journal staff and allows for easy logging and tracking of all relevant correspondence, all in one place!

Assigning Reviewer Numbers

PolicyManager -> General Policies -> Set Reviewer Preferences

Within Editorial Manager, journal offices can enable automatic Reviewer number assignment for each manuscript under review. If enabled, the number can be assigned when the Reviewer accepts the invitation to review, or when the Reviewer submits their review. The latter helps to avoid “gaps” in the Reviewer numbering in the event the Reviewer accepts the invitation, but fails to submit a review. Reviewer number assignments help manage and order the assigned Reviewers, and are especially critical for blinded workflows in which the assigned number is the key identifier.

Set File Size Maximum

PolicyManager -> Submission Policies -> Set Maximum Size of Uploaded File

Publications have the option to set a maximum file size limit for all submission items. After journal offices configure a megabyte limit (which must be a whole number), it will be applied to all files uploaded into EM, whether or not they are built into the PDF, or access via link in the PDF. This is a per file limit (not total), and applies to both Authors and Editors. This helps publications better manage their data transfer and storage costs. Publications can run a report that will display the number and total size for all uploaded and downloaded files over a specific period (“View File Upload/Download Statistics” in AdminManager).

Customized PDF Watermarks

PolicyManager -> Submission Policies -> Configure PDF Watermarks

Journal offices can customize Author/Editor and Reviewer PDFs within Editorial Manager and ProduXion Manager via a unique watermark. Relevant logos or graphics can easily be uploaded and applied to a cover page or interior pages of a PDF document. Administrators can drag and drop the image to the desired location, then set the watermark size and transparency. Three watermark images are available in the system for user convenience: “Confidential”, “Reviewer PDF”, and “Do Not Distribute.” This allows for easy customization and branding of PDFs for publications.

For questions on the above features or other EM/PM functionality, contact your designated Aries Account Coordinator.