RSC Publishing Blog

To celebrate Open Access Week (23-27 October), we want to know why you think open access publishing is important to chemistry. To enter upload your thoughts to Twitter before 12 noon (UK time) on Friday 27 October for the chance to win an article processing charge (APC) voucher for RSC Advances.

How to enter

Simply tweet why you think that open access is important to chemistry and include the #RSCcomp hashtag.

You can tell us why in any way you choose, you could record a short video, draw or paint, write a song or poem or just write a short paragraph.

To be in with the chance of winning please upload your entry between Monday 23 October 2017 and 12 noon (UK time) on Friday 27 October 2017.

If you’re submitting a written entry, please write it on a PowerPoint slide or similar and then convert it to a JPEG before uploading it to Twitter. Please make sure the writing is legible in the image.

Selecting a winner

We’ll randomly select one winner, from all the entrants, on Friday 27 October 2017. We will contact them directly before announcing the result on our Twitter feed.

Getting you started

You can find out more about open access publishing on our website.

Here’s some questions to get you thinking about how open access is helping to advance the chemical sciences.

1. How do you benefit from having free and permanent unrestricted access to scholarly research?
2. If the licence allows users to download, copy, reuse, and distribute data provided in the original article what does this mean for future research?
3. Open access articles are made free to access online immediately and permanently in their final published form; what benefits does this offer?

If you have any questions about the competition please email publishing@rsc.org

Follow the competition

During Open Access Week you can follow the competition using the hashtag #RSCcomp.

More about RSC Advances

We deliberately push the boundaries with RSC Advances, always looking for new and unique ways to make the scientific developments we publish accessible to the widest possible audience. Community-led, with an international team of associate editors, a dedicated reviewer panel and features such as article-based publishing, RSC Advances has been gold open access since 2017. This move has given researchers free access to a broader scope of high quality work and offered new, affordable open access publishing options to authors around the world.

We have partnered with Publons – a third-party reviewer recognition service – for a twelve-month trial on ten of our journals, so you can effortlessly keep a verified record of every review you complete. We really value your reviewing and editorial contributions and want to ensure you get more recognition for them.

How it works
When you submit a review to a participating journal you will be asked if you want to opt in to Publons, you can then instantly start building your verified peer review and editorial record to showcase the full extent of your contributions and influence in your field. Publons tracks your reviews without compromising reviewer anonymity, by default, only the year of the review and the journal title will be shown on reviewer profiles for our journals.

Benefits
Publons gives you access to a range of tools and data to benchmark your reviewing and editorial activity, and provides you with up-to-date verified evidence of your peer review contributions, which you can include on your CV and in funding applications. You also have the option to link your Publons record to your ORCID account to show your publication and peer review activity together. Publons is free for researchers.

Participating journals

• Analyst
• Chemical Communications
• Chemical Science
• Dalton Transactions
• Journal of Materials Chemistry A
• Journal of Materials Chemistry B
• Journal of Materials Chemistry C
• Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry
• PCCP
• RSC Advances

Read more about the partnership on our news pages

For more information about Publons, visit publons.com/benefits/researchers

Publishing in parallel. What does it mean and how is it relevant to the theme of  Peer Review Week 2017? Well, the Royal Society (RS) journal Royal Society Open Science has been collaborating with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) to jointly peer review and publish chemistry content since 2015. This ‘publishing in parallel’ model, with two societies working to publish one journal, is unique in scientific publishing.

Here, we collaborate again, to explain how the arrangement came about, how it works, and why we think it contributes to the transparency of science.

How does the collaboration work?

In short, the peer review and final editorial decisions of all chemistry papers submitted to Royal Society Open Science are managed by a team of chemistry editors and in-house staff at the Royal Society of Chemistry. Published papers appear with both journal and Royal Society of Chemistry branding in our collection of chemistry papers.

How is the collaboration unique?

This is the first collaboration between two societies publishing in one journal. Royal Society Open Science receives direct submissions, as well as transferred manuscripts from several Royal Society of Chemistry journals (RSC Advances, Chemical Science, Chemical Communications). It’s an exciting venture helping both societies build strategic links, while ensuring they retain a larger fraction of the high-quality content submitted to their journals. Royal Society Open Science gains from the expertise and insight of the editors, while the Royal Society of Chemistry is able to raise its already considerable profile in more multidisciplinary fields of research.

How did the collaboration come about?

One of the goals of the Royal Society of Chemistry was to facilitate networks to support community needs. In discussion with the Royal Society, both parties agreed collaboration would be a great way to achieve these aims. By handling the chemistry section, the Royal Society of Chemistry was able to offer its authors the option to publish open access in compliance with their funding requirements; the option of objective peer review with no restrictions on scope, article length or impact; the possibility of open peer review and open data publication, as well as more widespread visibility in an interdisciplinary scientific journal – all  unique features the Royal Society of Chemistry was unable to offer its authors at the time.

How does the collaboration contribute to transparency in peer review?

Uniquely, the collaboration provides both societies an opportunity to see how another publisher works, and to openly discuss respective experiences regarding peer review and journals, which is not a given in the publishing landscape. This is of great benefit to both societies and can only improve services for authors and readers.

In particular, the collaboration provides authors with the chance to observe and compare the benefits (and challenges) of closed versus open peer review. While it is not mandated, Royal Society Open Science encourages open peer review for all authors and referees, including those submitting chemistry papers. Over the last year, almost three quarter of authors and well over half of reviewers have taken advantage of this option.

When both parties agree to open peer review, we publish the decision letters and reviewer correspondence alongside the final article. We hope eventually to be able to assign reports a DOI to allow them to be effectively cited, and to help researchers build their portfolio of outputs. The advantages of open peer review include improving the transparency of the published paper’s journey from submission to acceptance; it provides a mechanism for referees to self-identify and to gain recognition for their hard work (as does the journal’s integration with Publons); and helps
reviewers to compare and write better reports.

Finally, Royal Society Open Science has introduced Registered Reports, which will make research more transparent and help to fine-tune study design, as well as minimising some forms of publication bias. The Royal Society of Chemistry has been instrumental in raising awareness of these article types more widely among the chemistry community.

How has the collaboration been received by the chemistry community?

Both societies have been pleasantly surprised by the support and feedback the collaboration has received. Authors involved have been almost universally positive. The societies have benefited in a number of ways. Royal Society Open Science struggled to attract high-quality and diverse chemistry submissions before the collaboration. Now, a fifth of all manuscripts are submitted to the chemistry section. The transfer of scientifically sound research papers from the Royal Society of Chemistry to Royal Society Open Science is important in in giving all authors a platform to publish their work, especially if it helps people avoid repeating negative results, which previously have mostly ended up hidden away in lab books.

Our Chemistry Subject Editor, Professor Anthony Stace FRS, has also echoed the successes of the collaboration:

“As the subject editor with responsibility for chemistry submissions to Royal Society Open Science, I have found the experience of working with both the RS and the RSC to be very rewarding. As already noted, some Royal Society journals have in the past found it difficult to attract high-quality chemistry papers, but through this collaboration and the ability of the RSC to attract work of the highest standard, we have seen a significant reversal of that situation. Hopefully, some of this success will spill over into other Royal Society journals.”

What challenges does the collaboration face and how have you overcome them?

The chemistry community’s initial lack of familiarity with Royal Society Open Science was a challenge. However this has been addressed by ramping up joint marketing efforts; with the Royal Society of Chemistry providing details about the collaboration to chemistry researchers, and expanding the number of journals offering transfers, ensuring much greater visibility for Royal Society Open Science. As can be seen in the corresponding graph, a quarter of submissions received by the journal are now from the chemical sciences.

A future challenge will be the introduction of article processing charges by the journal. Authors will be supported during the transition to charging and APC by discounts and waivers for resource-limited authors, ad hoc waivers for invited pieces and the Royal Society of Chemistry’s own experience of the transition of RSC Advances; they will be helpful in supporting the process and ensuring it runs as smoothly as possible.

What’s next for the collaboration?

More of the same! As well as increasing the number of published papers, the editors are exploring opportunities to commission high-quality reviews and special collections, to raise the profile of researchers in emerging fields. We will also be launching an Advisory Board comprising internationally renowned experts, who will assist the editors in providing ad hoc advice. The first 18 months of the collaboration have laid great foundations for further success – watch this space!

View our collection of Chemistry articles or contact us for questions regarding Royal Society Open Science.

Andrew Dunn – Senior Publishing Editor, Royal Society

Alice Power – Editorial Coordinator, Royal Society

Michaela Muehlberg – Deputy Editor, Royal Society of Chemistry

We are delighted to announce the RSC Twitter Poster Conference 2017 (#RSCPoster) will be happening on Monday March 20th (9am GMT) to Tuesday March 21st (9 am GMT).

The Royal Society of Chemistry Twitter Poster Conference is an online event held entirely over Twitter to bring members of the scientific research community together to share their research, network and engage in scientific debate.

Building upon the success of the previous two Analytical Science Twitter Poster Conferences, we have broadened the scope of the poster conference to include all areas of the chemical sciences.

How do I take part?
During the event simply tweet an image (e.g. JPEG) which will be a digital poster summarising your research along with #RSCPoster, the most appropriate subject area hashtag and the title of your work.

The hashtags required are:

Analytical – #RSCPoster #RSCAnal

Chemical Biology – #RSCPoster #RSCChemBio

Education – #RSCPoster #RSCEdu

Environmental – #RSCPoster #RSCEnv

Inorganic – #RSCPoster #RSCInorg

Materials – #RSCPoster #RSCMat

Nanoscience – #RSCPoster #RSCNano

Organic – #RSCPoster #RSCOrg

Physical – #RSCPoster #RSCPhys

For instance, if you are presenting an analytical poster you would tweet “Poster Title” #RSCPoster #RSCAnal. Throughout the day you can then answer any questions posed to you by other people on Twitter and ask questions about other posters. Make sure you follow #RSCPoster throughout the day as the conference progresses.

You also need to upload your poster and details to the conference Tumblr site, under the appropriate subject category, to ensure you are in contention for a prize. Access the Tumblr site here.

When is it?
Posters tweeted with #RSCPoster with the most relevant subject hashtag and also uploaded to Tumblr between 9am GMT March 20th and 9am GMT March 21st will be eligible to win prizes. Make sure you ask and answer lots of questions to ensure your work is well understood!

Is my research area suitable?
The conference is open to anyone working in any area of science whose research topic falls within one of the subject hashtag categories. If you’re unsure if your poster is suitable for the conference, just get in touch and we can advise.

What can I win?
The main aim of the event is to meet new scientists, share ideas and learn about the latest developments in different scientific areas. The scientific committee will select posters which stimulate wide interest and feature innovative, high quality, exciting research. Posters prizes will be awarded for content & accessibility, design and researcher interaction with the conference. There will also be an audience award for the most tweeted poster.

Who is organising the event and how do I find them?
At different points throughout the day members of each scientific committee for each subject area will be logging in to Twitter and searching #RSCPoster to ask questions about some of the posters. Make sure you check back in at different times to see if you have any new questions and also make sure you ask questions about other posters. Members of the organising and scientific committee and their Twitter names are listed below and make sure you follow the RSC journal twitter accounts relevant to your research for updates.

How do I register?
Pre-registration is not necessary; however we will need to verify who you are and where you do your research to be eligible for the prizes. We strongly recommend you do this before the event by emailing us and letting us know:
•    Your name, address and contact details
•    The title or topic of your poster
•    Your twitter ID

Conference Chairs
Matthew J Baker, University of Strathclyde, @ChemistryBaker
Craig Banks, Manchester Metropolitan University, @ACT_mmu

Organisers
Samuel Illingworth, Manchester Metropolitan University, @Samillingworth
Edward Randviir, Manchester Metropolitan University, @EdwardRandviir

Royal Society of Chemistry

Subject Chairs

Roy Goodacre, University of Manchester, #RSCAnal, @RoyGoodacre

Martin Resano, University of Zarragoza, #RSCAnal, @MartinResano

Michael Johnson, University of Arizona, #RSCChemBio, @blacksciblog 

Marloes Peeters, Manchester Metropolitan University, #RSCChemBio, @Peeters_Marloes

Claire McDonnell, Dublin Institute of Technology, #RSCEdu

Kristy Turner, University of Manchester, #RSCEdu, @doc_kristy

Damien Arrigan, Curtin University, #RSCEnv, @arri_aus

Doug Macfarlane, Monash University, #RSCEnv, @DRMacFarlane

Polly Arnold, University of Edinburgh, #RSCInorg, @ProfArno

Rebecca Melen, Cardiff University, #RSCInorg, @rebecca_melen

Athina Anastasaki, University of California, Santa Barbara, #RSCMat, @AthinaAnastasa1

Fiona Hatton, University of Sheffield, #RSCMat, @fi_hat

Gemma-Louise Davies, University of Warwick, #RSCNano, @GemmaLouDavies

Karen Faulds, University of Strathclyde, #RSCNano, @FauldsKaren

Ryan Mewis, Manchester Metropolitan University, #RSCOrg

David Nelson, University of Strathclyde, #RSCOrg, @TheNelsonGroup

Committee Members

Zoe Ayres, University of Warwick, @zjayres

Perdita Barran, University of Manchester, @PerditaB

James Batteas, Texas A&M University, @jamesbatteas

Gonçalo Bernardes, University of Cambridge, @gbernardes_chem

Margaret Brimble, University of Auckland, @BrimbleM

Holly Butler, University of Strathclyde, @HollehButler

Richard Dluhy, UAB College of Arts and Sciences, @radluhy

Malika Jeffries-EL, Boston University, @Chem_Diva

Simon Lewis, Curtin University, @SimonWLewis

Jean-Francois Masson, University of Montreal, @Masson_chem

Warren Piers, University of Calgary, @Wpiers1

Michael Seery, University of Edinburgh, @seerymk

Nick Stone, Univeristy of Exeter, @profnickstone

Marcel Swart, University of Girona, @marcel_swart

Renee Webster, Monash University, @reneewebs

Register for #RSCPoster

We look forward to meeting you in March!

Frequently Asked Questions (will be regularly updated)

Do I need to check the copyright and permissions needed for figures or any other parts of my poster which have already been published?
Yes. Copyright owners have the exclusive right to copy their work and to issue copies of their work to the public, and it is an infringement for anyone else to do so without the copyright owner’s permission. If you are reproducing material contained in a Royal Society of Chemistry publication (journal articles, book or book chapters) you may do so providing that you fully acknowledge the original Royal Society of Chemistry publication and include a link back to it. If you wish to include material that has been published by another publisher, you will need to check how the publisher/copyright owner of the third party material wishes to receive permission requests. Information on this can be found on our Permission Requests page at http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/copyright/permission-requests.asp under “Use of third party material in our publications”.

If I include unpublished work in my poster, will I still be able to publish this in a peer-reviewed journal afterwards?
Subject to the usual conditions outlined in the License to Publish, being a part of the Twitter conference will not prevent you using some of the information included in your poster as part of an article in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal. Please note this policy varies by publisher and if you intend to submit your research for publication elsewhere after the event, you should check the individual policy for that journal and publisher.

What size should my poster be?
You can choose any dimensions for your poster, the important thing is that the text and figures are clear for people to read and understand. Using Microsoft PowerPoint, we found a text size of between 12-16 were clear to read when saving an A4 slide as a JPEG and uploading to Twitter. Using an A0 template, the text needed to be between 50 and 60 to be legible. You can use any software you like to create your poster, as long as the image you upload is clear for others to read. We recommend testing your poster on Twitter before the conference to make sure you are happy with your image.

My image is too big for Twitter – what can I do?
We strongly recommend uploading the highest resolution image possible, but it won’t always be so simple. If your image is too high resolution, simply upload a lesser quality image of your poster to Twitter, then upload the high resolution image to the Tumblr page. You might also like to redirect any interest shown in your work towards Tumblr.

This week, we are excited to be joining in the celebrations for Peer Review Week – a global event recognising the essential role that peer review plays in maintaining scientific quality.

At the Royal Society of Chemistry, we are passionate about ensuring that our journals deliver rigorous and fair peer review.  We wouldn’t be able to achieve that commitment without the amazing contribution of our reviewers.

So far this year, nearly 40,000 individual reviewers have provided a review for one or more of our journals.  Between them they have submitted over 120,000 reviews!  Every one of them is contributing to the efforts of our community to advance excellence in the chemical sciences.

Our community is truly a global one, with reviewers coming from over 100 different countries.

This Peer Review Week, we want to celebrate just some of the individuals who’ve made significant contributions to our journals by reviewing for us this year.  We’ll be publishing a list of the top 10 reviewers for each of our journals throughout this week, starting today with our materials and nanoscience journals.

While it’s not possible to list all of them here, we would like to thank each and every reviewer for their support.  We’d also like to say an extra-special thank you to the members of our journals’ editorial and advisory boards who often serve as senior reviewers and adjudicators.

Each day, a different set of journals will publish their Top 10 reviewers for 2016, as selected by the editor for their significant contribution to the journal

Make sure you come back everyday this week to see the top reviewers for our journals.

If you would like to become a reviewer for any of our journals, just contact the journal by email with details of your research interests and an up-to-date CV or résumé.  You can find more details in our author and reviewer resource centre.