What is Manuscript Central?

Manuscript Central(TM) is a web based system that enables the entire peer-review process to take place online. Authors can upload and then check the status of their paper online. Participants are assigned different roles – author, reviewer, associate editor, and editor-in-chief. Individuals can access only the information to which their roles entitle them, with the editor-in-chief assigned the highest level.

Manuscript Central(TM) will eliminate postal delays, which can be substantial. It also smoothes the peer-review process in other ways. An acknowledgement e-mail lets an author know his paper has been received. The responsible associate editor and reviewers can be assigned quickly. Reminders are automatically generated. The system also allows the editor-in-chief to quickly gather data on such things as the status of papers, submission rates, acceptance rates, reviewers’ performance and turn-around times.

The main goal is to shorten the time from paper submission to decision to publication.