Multi-chapter publications

Assigning to AEs
Before the Manuscript FastTrack online peer review system was used, authors of multi-chapter, multi-author publications, such as production manuals, typically submitted all chapters to one Associate Editor. Although that AE then sorted out which of those chapters should be managed by other subject area AEs, a “who’s doing what?” confusion occurred at times.

The online peer review system prevents this. Manuscripts are submitted one at a time by their individual authors or sometimes by the technical editors of production manuals. Ann Senuta or Associate Editor Chair Mary Louise Flint then assign the chapters to the appropriate Associate Editor. In a recent example with one manual, five different AEs were assigned peer review management of its various chapters.

Table of Contents
In addition to the manuscript, submitting authors are asked to fill out the accompanying MF-21 form and attach a table of contents for the full publication. This contents list doesn’t show all the AEs assigned to each chapter, but AEs can email Ann for this information. Or they can search by chapter name in the Manuscripts under peer review on this site.

Role of Technical Editor
All multi-chapter, multi-author publications have at least one Technical Editor who coordinates the project, often decides what chapters go into it and who should write them. While the peer review process is ultimately between a manuscript’s lead author and the Associate Editor, there have been TEs on multi-chapter projects who choose to serve as a funnel for the manual’s peer reviews. These TEs submit all the chapter manuscripts to the peer review system, receive the reviewers from the AEs and then forward them to chapter authors.