Step By Guide To ACS Journals Manuscript Submission
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STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO ACS
JOURNALS MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION
Copyright © 2015 American Chemical Society
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
STEP 1: Choosing a Journal .......................................................................................................... 4
STEP 2: Preparing for Submission ............................................................................................... 5
Ethical Guidelines ......................................................................................................................... 5
Conflict of Interest Disclosure .................................................................................................. 5
Author List and Coauthor Notification ..................................................................................... 5
Copyright and Permissions ........................................................................................................... 6
Journal Publishing Agreement .................................................................................................. 6
Obtaining Permission from Copyright Owners ........................................................................ 6
Funder Reporting Requirement ..................................................................................................... 6
STEP 3: Assembling the Manuscript ............................................................................................ 7
Document Templates .................................................................................................................... 7
Acceptable Software and Tex/LaTeX ........................................................................................... 7
Writing Style and Language Usage ............................................................................................... 7
Cover Letter .................................................................................................................................. 8
Manuscript Components ............................................................................................................... 8
Graphics ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Table of Contents/Abstract Graphic ......................................................................................... 9
Cover Images ............................................................................................................................ 9
Web Enhanced Objects (WEO) ................................................................................................ 9
Crystallographic Information Files (CIF) ................................................................................. 9
Step 4: Submitting the Manuscript ............................................................................................. 11
Starting a Submission ................................................................................................................. 11
Registering for ACS Paragon Plus .............................................................................................. 11
Completing the Submission ........................................................................................................ 11
Managing Peer Review ............................................................................................................... 12
STEP 5: Checking Galley Proofs ................................................................................................. 13
Galley Proofs .............................................................................................................................. 13
Open Access Compliance and ACS AuthorChoice .................................................................... 13
Step 6: Publicizing Your Article .................................................................................................. 14
Publication Date and Patent Dates .............................................................................................. 14
Just Accepted Manuscripts.......................................................................................................... 14
ASAP Publication ....................................................................................................................... 14
Corrections .................................................................................................................................. 15
Sharing Your Published Article .................................................................................................. 15
E-Prints ................................................................................................................................... 15
Reprints ................................................................................................................................... 15
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STEP 1: CHOOSING A JOURNAL
ACS publishes peer-reviewed journals with cutting-edge articles across a broad spectrum of
scientific disciplines. In this step, you will choose the appropriate journal for your manuscript
submission.
Some authors write first and then decide on the most
appropriate journal for their research. Others prefer to
target the manuscript toward a specific journal. Whichever
method you use, be sure to become familiar with the
journal’s editorial scope, its policy on prior publication, its
format, and especially its Author Guidelines.
Each journal offers free access to the first issue of the current year as a Sample Issue. Examine the
Sample Issue to help determine the journal’s style, editorial voice, and target audience.
ACS Journals Scope, Impact
Factor, and Total Citations
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STEP 2: PREPARING FOR SUBMISSION
Be sure to consult the journal-specific Author Guidelines for details on each journal’s additional
policy requirements.
ETHICAL GUIDELINES
All parties—editors, reviewers, and authors—are expected
to adhere to the standards outlined in the American
Chemical Society’s Ethical Guidelines to Publication of
Chemical Research.
The following policies are of particular importance for authors.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURE
A statement describing any financial conflicts of interest or lack thereof is published with each
manuscript. During the submission process, the Corresponding Author must provide this
statement on behalf of all authors of the manuscript. The statement should describe all potential
sources of bias, including affiliations, funding sources, and financial or management relationships,
that may constitute conflicts of interest. The statement will be published in the final article. If no
conflict of interest is declared, the following statement will be published in the article: “The
authors declare no competing financial interest.”
AUTHOR LIST AND COAUTHOR NOTIFICATION
Authors are required to obtain the consent of all their coauthors prior to submitting a manuscript
for publication. If any change in authorship is necessary after a manuscript has been submitted,
the Corresponding Author must e-mail or fax a copy of a signed letter to the Editor-in-Chief
confirming that all of the original coauthors have been notified and have agreed to the change. If
the change involves the removal of a coauthor’s name, the Corresponding Author must, in
addition, arrange for the coauthor involved to e-mail or fax a copy of a separate signed letter
consenting to the change. No changes in the author list will be permitted after a manuscript has
been accepted.
During manuscript submission, the submitting author must provide contact information (full
name, email address, institutional affiliation and mailing address) for all of the co-authors.
Because all of the author names are automatically imported into the electronic Journal Publishing
Agreement, the names must be entered into ACS Paragon Plus in the same sequence as they
appear on the first page of the manuscript. (Note that co-authors are not required to register in
ACS Paragon Plus.) The author who submits the manuscript for publication accepts the
responsibility of notifying all co-authors that the manuscript is being submitted. Deletion of an
author after the manuscript has been submitted requires a confirming letter to the Editor-in-Chief
from the author whose name is being deleted.
Ethical Guidelines to Publication
of Chemical Research
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COPYRIGHT AND PERMISSIONS
JOURNAL PUBLISHING AGREEMENT
A properly completed and signed Journal Publishing
Agreement (JPA) must be submitted for each manuscript.
ACS Paragon Plus provides an electronic version of the
Agreement that will be available on the My Authoring
Activity tab of the Corresponding Author's Home page once the manuscript has been assigned to
an Editor. A PDF version of the Agreement is also available, but Authors are strongly encouraged
to use the electronic Journal Publishing Agreement. If the PDF version is used, all pages of the
signed PDF Agreement must be submitted. If the Corresponding Author cannot or should not
complete either the electronic or PDF version for any reason, another Author should complete and
sign the PDF version of the form.
OBTAINING PERMISSION FROM COPYRIGHT OWNERS
The authors are responsible for obtaining any permission
necessary to reproduce tables, figures, charts, schemes,
photographs, text excerpts, etc., from the copyright owner.
An author must also obtain permission to use her/his own
material if s/he transferred copyright or plans to transfer copyright to a publisher other than ACS.
If authors are using material that appeared in an ACS journal, and ACS owns copyright to the
material, permission is not necessary. See Permission Requests and Credit Lines for complete
instructions and forms.
FUNDER REPORTING REQUIREMENT
Authors are required to report funding sources and grant/award numbers.
Enter ALL sources of funding for ALL authors in BOTH
the FundRef tool in ACS Paragon Plus and in your
manuscript to meet this requirement.
See also Open Access Compliance and ACS AuthorChoice.
Journal Publishing Agreement
Forms and Instructions
Permission Requests and Credit
Lines
Instructions for Funder Reporting
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STEP 3: ASSEMBLING THE MANUSCRIPT
Be sure to consult the journal-specific Author Guidelines for details on each journal’s
requirements. General information on the preparation of manuscripts for ACS Journals may also
be found in The ACS Style Guide.
DOCUMENT TEMPLATES
Most ACS journals provide document templates for submission. Some journals require the use of
templates, so be sure to consult the journal-specific Author Guidelines before formatting your
manuscript.
The templates facilitate the peer review process by allowing authors to place artwork and tables
close to the point where they are discussed within the text. Use U.S. Letter (8 1/2" by 11") paper
size setting in the word processing program as the original document page size for preparation of
all manuscripts. Do not use A4 or other size paper settings.
Read the appropriate README file before downloading the template. This file contains detailed
information on what to expect when you download and use a template.
ACCEPTABLE SOFTWARE AND TEX/LATEX
See the list of Acceptable Software and appropriate File Designations to be sure your filetypes are
compatible with the submission system.
If your word processor’s “Track Changes” function has been used, all changes must be accepted
(incorporated as final) before the manuscript is submitted.
ACS Authors have two distinct options for submitting
work authored in TeX/LaTeX, and the achemso style
package is also available to assist with manuscript
preparation.
WRITING STYLE AND LANGUAGE USAGE
Authors should consult The ACS Style Guide for guidance
on style, word-usage conventions, nomenclature, physical
quantity symbols and units, abbreviations, use of italics,
and punctuation. The ACS Style Guide also provides insight
on what editors and reviewers look for in evaluating
manuscripts. Spelling and use of periods and commas in
numbers should conform to U.S. usage.
Any author who is not fluent in English may want to consider obtaining assistance with
manuscript preparation from a colleague whose native language is English to help eliminate errors
in style and grammar. Alternatively, authors may want to have their manuscripts edited
professionally before submission to improve clarity. The ACS ChemWorx English Editing
Preparing and Submitting
TeX/LaTeX Manuscripts
The ACS Style Guide
ACS ChemWorx English Editing
Service
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Service can provide language editors who are native English speakers and who have completed an
advanced degree in your area of study, to help you polish your work.
COVER LETTER
A cover letter must accompany every manuscript submission. During the submission process, you
may type it or paste it into the submission system, or you may attach it as a file.
Consult the journal-specific Author Guidelines for details on requirements of the cover letter.
MANUSCRIPT COMPONENTS
The following items are parts of the typical article manuscript. Consult the journal-specific
Author Guidelines for details on each journal’s requirements.
Title. Titles should clearly and concisely reflect the emphasis and content of the manuscript and
be accessible to a broad audience.
Author List. Include all those who have made substantial contributions to the work. To facilitate
indexing and retrieval and for unique identification of an author, use first names, initials, and
surnames (e.g., John R. Smith) or first initials, second names, and surnames (e.g., J. Robert
Smith). At least one author must be designated with an asterisk as the “Corresponding Author”—
the person to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract. A summation of the most important results and conclusions.
Body Text. The main content of the manuscript.
Acknowledgement. This section should acknowledge financial support, technical assistance,
advice from colleagues, gifts, etc.
References. Consult each journal’s Author Guidelines for details on how to style references.
Journal titles in the Reference list should be abbreviated according to Chemical Abstracts Service
Source Index (CASSI, http://www.cas.org/products/print/cassipr/index.html). The References
chapter [PDF] of The ACS Style Guide is available at no charge, for additional guidance.
Supporting Information. This information is provided to the reviewers during the peer-review
process and is available to readers of the published work. Supporting Information must be
submitted at the same time as the manuscript. See the list of acceptable filetypes.
It’s a good idea to confirm that your Supporting Information is viewable. Viewers for Supporting
Information (SI) filetypes are freely available on the Web so you can check your supporting
information.
If Supporting Information is included for publication, add a statement at the end of the manuscript
indicating the nature of the material and the means by which an interested reader may obtain
copies directly:
Supporting Information Available: [Description of material.] This material is
available free of charge via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.
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GRAPHICS
The quality of the illustrations in ACS journals depends on the quality of the originals provided
by the authors. Figures are not modified or enhanced by the journal production staff.
All graphics (illustrations) must be prepared and submitted in digital format. Each journal
determines how the graphics should be provided. Some journals want them to be placed in text
where called out. Others want them to be placed at the end of the manuscript file or uploaded
separately. Consult the journal-specific Author Guidelines for details.
Any graphic (figure chart, scheme, or equation) that has
appeared in an earlier publication should include a credit
line citing the original source. Authors are responsible for
obtaining written permission to re-use this material.
Additional guidance on creating graphics for manuscripts may be found in The ACS Style Guide,
chapters 15 (Figures), 16 (Tables), and 17 (Chemical Structures).
TABLE OF CONTENTS/ABSTRACT GRAPHIC
Most ACS journals require a graphic for the Table of Contents for certain manuscript types. This
graphic should be submitted along with the original manuscript submission. It is also displayed
with the Abstract.
Consult the journal-specific Author Guidelines for details on each journal’s requirements.
COVER IMAGES
Most ACS journals publish artwork on the cover. For these
journals, authors are encouraged to submit images suitable
for use on the cover.
Consult the journal-specific Author Guidelines for details on each journal’s requirements.
WEB ENHANCED OBJECTS (WEO)
The Web editions of ACS journals allow readers to view multimedia attachments such as
animations and movies that complement understanding of the research being reported.
WEOs should be uploaded in ACS Paragon Plus with ‘Web Enhanced Object’ selected as the file
designation. A list of compatible WEO formats is available at
http://pubs.acs.org/page/4authors/submission/weo.html.
CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC INFORMATION FILES (CIF)
Crystallographic Information Files should be furnished as supporting information. Some journals
also accept structure factor tables and these should also be furnished as supporting information.
Check each journal’s Author Guidelines to see whether or not the specific data types should also
be deposited in a crystallographic database.
Guidelines for Table of
Contents/Abstract Graphic [PDF]
Permission Request Form
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STEP 4: SUBMITTING THE MANUSCRIPT
Manuscripts, graphics, supporting information, and required forms must all be submitted in digital
format through the ACS Paragon Plus online submission site. Hardcopy manuscripts are not
accepted.
Authors must also submit all revisions of manuscripts via ACS Paragon Plus.
Be sure to review the journal’s Author Guidelines
carefully before proceeding to the submission site. Close
attention to all of the requirements will help expedite
review and reduce the time to publication. A Sample
Checklist is available to help authors assemble all the materials needed for a quick and easy
submission.
STARTING A SUBMISSION
To begin a manuscript submission, the Corresponding
Author clicks on one of the links for “Authors &
Reviewers” from most pages on the PUBS Web site.
Alternatively, each journal site has a link to “Submission
& Review”. The URL http://paragonplus.acs.org/login points directly to the submission site.
REGISTERING FOR ACS PARAGON PLUS
Before submitting a manuscript, the Corresponding Author (or a designee who will be making the
submission and handling the peer review process) must register on the ACS Paragon Plus Web
site. Once registered, an author may submit manuscripts to any ACS journal and may check the
processing status of submitted manuscripts.
The submission site employs state-of-the-art security mechanisms to ensure that all electronically
submitted manuscripts are secure. These same security mechanisms are also utilized throughout
the peer-review process, permitting access only to editors and reviewers who are assigned to a
particular manuscript.
Complete instructions for registering and navigating the submission process are contained inside
the submission system.
COMPLETING THE SUBMISSION
After logging in to ACS Paragon Plus, the Corresponding Author selects the appropriate journal
for submission from the pulldown menu on this page, called the Home page. Users can also
manage previously submitted manuscripts and handle reviews, etc., from the tabs labeled “My
Authoring Activity” and “My Reviewing Assignments”.
After selecting a journal, the Corresponding Author fills out all of the requested information,
beginning with Step 1 and continuing until all pertinent information and necessary files have been
Go to the ACS Paragon Plus
Submission Site
Simple Submission Checklist
[Word]
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provided. At this time, the Corresponding Author will make decisions about whether the
manuscript will be published as Just Accepted.
The manuscript file accessed by the reviewers is a PDF version of the manuscript submitted by
the Corresponding Author. Authors may either submit both versions, or they may submit only the
required word-processor or TeX/LaTeX version, and have the system create the PDF version for
their inspection prior to the final step of manuscript submission. See File Upload Options for
details on which files should be submitted.
Authors will view and approve the PDF version of their manuscripts prior to formal submission to
the Editor.
MANAGING PEER REVIEW
Upon successfully submitting the manuscript, the Corresponding Author begins to receive emails
from the ACS Paragon Plus system and from the Assigned Editor about the peer review process.
The Assigned Editor will request manuscript revisions if needed, and any necessary forms such as
the Journal Publishing Agreement.
Please note that editorial decisions are based on many factors. Reviewer concerns are considered
very seriously. The editors will expedite any additional rounds of reviews to ensure a timely
decision.
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STEP 5: CHECKING GALLEY PROOFS
If a manuscript is accepted, and the Corresponding Author has indicated that the manuscript
should be published as a Just Accepted manuscript, the peer-reviewed but unedited manuscript is
usually published on the ACS Publications Web site as a PDF file within 30 minutes to 24 hours
after acceptance.
GALLEY PROOFS
Meanwhile, the manuscript moves on to the production phase. After all revisions needed to satisfy
the comments of the reviewers have been made, and all forms have been submitted, the
manuscript is sent to Journal Production for editing and composition. There, galley proofs are
created.
Correction of the galley proofs is the responsibility of the Corresponding (submitting) Author.
The Corresponding Author of an accepted manuscript will receive e-mail notification and
complete instructions when page proofs are available for review. Alterations should be restricted
to serious changes in interpretation or corrections of data. Extensive or important changes on page
proofs, including changes to the title or list of authors, are subject to review by the editor.
It is the responsibility of the Corresponding Author to ensure that all authors listed on the
manuscript agree with the changes made on the proofs. Galley proofs should be returned within
48 hours in order to ensure timely publication of the manuscript.
OPEN ACCESS COMPLIANCE AND ACS AUTHORCHOICE
At this point in the process, authors should be considering whether to take advantage of ACS
AuthorChoice to make their articles freely available upon publication—and/or to comply with the
Open Access policies of their funding agencies.
The ACS AuthorChoice option establishes a fee-based mechanism for authors or their research
funding agencies to sponsor the open availability of their articles on the Web at the time of online
publication. Under this policy, the ACS as copyright holder will enable unrestricted Web access to
a contributing author’s publication from the Society’s Web site in exchange for a fixed payment
from the sponsoring author. ACS AuthorChoice will also enable participating authors to post
electronic copies of published articles on their own personal Web sites and institutional
repositories for noncommercial scholarly purposes and allow immediate open access to an article
as soon as it is published on the ACS Web site.
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STEP 6: PUBLICIZING YOUR ARTICLE
PUBLICATION DATE AND PATENT DATES
Accepted manuscripts will be published on the ACS Publications Web site as soon as page proofs
are corrected and all author concerns are resolved. The first date on which the document is
published on the Web is recorded on the Web article and in a separate line at the bottom of the
first page of the document in the printed issue.
Publication of manuscripts on the Web may occur weeks in advance of the cover date of the issue
of publication. Authors should take this into account when planning their patent and intellectual
property activities related to a document and should ensure that all patent information is available
at the time of first publication, whether Just Accepted, Articles ASAP, or issue publication.
All articles published ahead of print receive a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number,
which is used to cite the manuscript before the print publication.
JUST ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPTS
Just Accepted manuscripts are peer-reviewed, accepted
manuscripts that are posted on the ACS Publications Web
site prior to technical editing, formatting for publication,
and author proofing—usually within 30 minutes to 24
hours of acceptance by the editorial office. During the
manuscript submission process, Authors can choose to have their manuscripts posted online as
Just Accepted manuscripts. To ensure rapid delivery of the accepted manuscript to the Web,
Authors must adhere carefully to all requirements in the journal’s Author Guidelines. If an author
chooses to have a manuscript published online as a Just Accepted manuscript, it is considered
published when the Just Accepted version appears on the Web. All activities pertaining to patents
and intellectual property must be completed before this time. Note that publishing a manuscript as
Just Accepted is not a means by which to comply with the NIH Public Access Mandate.
ASAP PUBLICATION
Publication on the Web as an ASAP Article
could occur almost immediately or within just a
few working days of receipt of the page proof
corrections. Authors should take this schedule
into account when planning intellectual and
patent activities related to a manuscript.
The actual date on which an accepted paper is
published on the Web is recorded on the Web version of the manuscript and on the first page of
the PDF version. An article may remain an ASAP article until it is assigned to an issue. In some
cases, articles will bypass publication as ASAP and instead become part of a published issue
immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
about Just Accepted Manuscripts
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CORRECTIONS
If errors of consequence are detected in a published paper, the author should send a correction via
the ACS Paragon Plus Environment for publication in the journal’s Additions and Corrections
section. All corrections are made at the discretion of ACS.
SHARING YOUR PUBLISHED ARTICLE
E-PRINTS
Corresponding Authors will receive information for sharing free electronic downloads of their
published manuscripts via an author-directed URL.
Under the ACS Articles on Request policy, the Society will provide (free of charge) to all
contributing authors a unique URL within the ACS Web site that they may e-mail to colleagues or
post on external Web sites. These author-directed links are designed to facilitate distribution of an
author’s published work to interested colleagues in lieu of direct distribution of the PDF file by
the author. The ACS Articles on Request policy allows 50 downloads within the first year after
Web publication and unlimited access via the same author-directed links 12 months after Web
publication.
The ACS AuthorChoice option establishes a fee-based mechanism for authors or their research
funding agencies to sponsor the open availability of their articles on the Web the time of online
publication. Under this policy, the ACS as copyright holder will enable unrestricted Web access to
a contributing author’s publication from the society’s Web site in exchange for a fixed payment
from the sponsoring author. ACS AuthorChoice will also enable participating authors to post
electronic copies of published articles on their own personal Web sites and institutional
repositories for noncommercial scholarly purposes and allow immediate open access to an article
as soon as it is published on the ACS Web site.
REPRINTS
When authors are sent the galley proofs of their paper, they will receive a link to a Web site where
they may order author reprints. They may also call Cierant Corporation, 866-305-0111, from
9AM to 5PM EST. Reprints will be shipped within two weeks after the issue publication date.
Neither the Editors nor the Washington ACS Office keeps a supply of reprints; requests for single
copies of papers should be addressed to the Corresponding Author.
Under the ACS Articles on Request policy, the Society will provide (free of charge) to all
contributing authors a unique URL within the ACS Web site that they may e-mail to colleagues or
post on external Web sites. These author-directed links are designed to facilitate distribution of an
author’s published work in lieu of direct distribution of the PDF file by the author. The ACS
Articles on Request policy allows 50 downloads within the first year after Web publication and
unlimited access via the same author-directed links 12 months after Web publication.