As an international scholarly publisher, IGI Global maintains a global commitment to progressing innovation and the availability of knowledge resources for academicians, independent researchers, industry practitioners, and professionals worldwide. Due to the wide range of topics IGI Global publishes, IGI Global is constantly contracting book and journal projects in a variety of niche areas, making it easy for contributing authors to find a publication that matches their specific needs.
 | | Benefits of Publishing With IGI Global: | - Traditional and Open Access Publishing Models
- Honorariums & Royalties
- Free Use of the eEditorial Discovery® Submission System
- Flexible Timelines (Less Than 1 Year, if desired)
- Rigorous Double-Blind Peer Review Process
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Article and Chapter Scope
However, there is a growing problem of researchers being so eager to release their findings to the world that they choose to submit to publications that are not a good match for their work, as opposed to finding a book or journal that would be more appropriate for their research. Additionally, due to the pressure of finding eligible publications that are recognized by researcher institutions, contributors may be more focused on, for example, the indexing status of a publication rather than on whether or not their paper actually meets the research areas of that title.
This is particularly an issue for journals. Due to a constant focus on indexing, with many researchers unable to receive credit for work published in journals not indexed in specific lists, highly indexed journals have become a catch-all for articles that are relevant, and those that are not. Subsequently, the high volume of manuscripts overburdens the Editor(s)-in-Chief and reviewers of the journal, who must sort through an exorbitant amount of submissions. Thus, when submissions are made that are completely out of scope of the journal, it slows the process further for everyone involved as the Editor(s)-in-Chief attempt to weed out the relevant articles from those that are unrelated.
IGI Global understands authors’ desire to share their research in a timely manner and knows that it can be frustrating to not find an ideal outlet to submit their work to when they are ready to publish. However, it is important to understand that submitting chapters or articles to books and journals that do not match the scope of the work as a whole is a practice that can waste the authors, editors, and Editor(s)-in-Chief’s time. Editors and the Editor(s)-in-Chief will have to expend the effort to review work that is not relevant to their projects and the researchers who submit will waste time having the article reviewed and ultimately rejected, when that time could have been spent in the peer review process for a more appropriate title.
Taking the time to ensure the research aligns with the specific needs stated within the book or journals’ call for chapters/papers page will assist researchers in deciding whether or not their work is appropriate to submit and save the time and resources of everyone involved. Even if a publication does not currently exist that aligns with the chapter or article, it is better to wait for a future project than to submit to a project that is not a match.
Reviewer Scope
Researchers looking to join review boards for both books and journals must also be mindful of the scope of the project they wish to support and whether their expertise is relevant. It is unethical to sign up to be a reviewer in a journal or book that is not within their scope of education/expertise, yet, some issues have arisen in which reviewers have signed on to be included in as many journals or books as possible, simply for recognition and credit purposes, or to be associated with numerous prestigious/highly indexed publications. Thus, when they are assigned an article or chapter to review, they either must decline or, at worst, attempt to review it with no actual experience. This wastes the time of the editors/Editor(s)-in-Chief and cripples the peer review process, leading to longer turnaround times for authors and potentially harmful feedback.
Editor(s)-in-Chief and Editors must be mindful when accepting new reviewers to their journals or assigning reviewers for book chapters. They must ensure the reviewer in question has relevant experience and expertise within the field. Regarding an ethical peer review process, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) states, “In order to assign appropriate reviewers, editors must match reviewers with the scope of the content in a manuscript to get the best reviews possible. Potential reviewers should provide journals with personal and professional information that is accurate and a fair representation of their expertise, including verifiable and accurate contact information” (Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers – Cope, 2017).
Support for Authors and Reviewers
IGI Global continues to offer numerous opportunities for authors and reviewers and seeks out niche topics to ensure that all researchers have a place to contribute their work ethically and relevantly.
IGI Global provides a search mechanism that allows researchers to find appropriate books and journals to submit to by using numerous filters. Researchers may browse by content type, subject area, title, keywords, access type, and indexing on the
Publications Seeking Submission page.
Potential authors and reviewers are welcome to consult with the Acquisitions Division of IGI Global should they wonder if their expertise appropriately matches an IGI Global publication and for support in finding a match for their publication needs.
Citation
COPE Council. COPE Ethical guidelines for peer reviewers — English.
https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.9 Version 2: September 2017. ©2017 Committee on Publication Ethics(CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
About IGI Global – Publishing Tomorrow’s Research Today
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA, IGI Global is a rapidly growing, mid-sized, independent international academic publisher dedicated to releasing high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarly research publications in the three major academic subject areas of
Business & Management,
Scientific, Technical, & Medical (STM), and
Education. Our commitment is to advance the discovery of pioneering scientific research promptly through swift and agile processes, with books released in approximately 6-9 months from start to finish. With more than 200,000 research collaborations with experts from leading institutions around the world, IGI Global anticipates publishing over 1,000 books in 2025, positioning our publishing output among the industry’s giants with centuries of history. Our Open Access Journal Program includes nearly 200 fully open access journals, making IGI Global one of the largest 100% open access journal publishers in the world. Through traditional book publishing and open access options, IGI Global strives to bring cutting-edge research at the pace of innovation, ensuring that
tomorrow’s research is published today.
Learn more about IGI Global
here.