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Soft Matter, now in its 9th volume, has quickly become one of the leading journals in the field. With a unique scope and filling an important niche for soft matter scientists, the journal has gone from strength to strength since launch. It has grown in market share and visibility and attracts some of the leading soft matter researchers as authors.
It is crucial for the Editorial team to ensure that Soft Matter remains true to its roots and is the journal of choice for authors and readers alike. Articles accepted for publication in the journal must demonstrate an important advance in the fundamental understanding of the soft matter system and articles must be accessible to the journal's broad readership which includes (bio)physicists, chemists, engineers, materials scientists.
To ensure Soft Matter publishes only the most significant advances in the field, we have undertaken several steps to tighten our acceptance criteria. We have made use of the flexibility of ScholarOne to enable us to achieve this. Upon submission, authors are required to provide a justification for their submission. They must state what important fundamental question is addressed in their manuscript and why the research will appeal to Soft Matter's broad readership.
These fields are important at several stages in the manuscript process. Firstly, they prompt the authors to consider the journal readership and criteria during the submission process. If the answers to these questions are not easy, authors can consider whether they have chosen the most appropriate vehicle for the dissemination of their research. Secondly, the editors use the answers to these required fields during the initial assessment of the manuscript, in deciding whether the manuscript meets the journal's criteria. The decision of whether to send the manuscript for peer review is an important method of ensuring authors receive a quick decision on their manuscript if it is unsuitable and also of decreasing unnecessary burden on referees. The authors' justification enables editors to quickly assess these two important factors in the decision. Thirdly, for those papers sent for peer review, the referees also review the justification provided by the authors.
ScholarOne has enabled the facile introduction of these fields to the manuscript submission process and the easy sharing of the information with referees.
These steps are assisting us in making sure that Soft Matter publishes the most relevant work and remains a leading journal in the field.
It is crucial for the Editorial team to ensure that Soft Matter remains true to its roots and is the journal of choice for authors and readers alike. Articles accepted for publication in the journal must demonstrate an important advance in the fundamental understanding of the soft matter system and articles must be accessible to the journal's broad readership which includes (bio)physicists, chemists, engineers, materials scientists.
To ensure Soft Matter publishes only the most significant advances in the field, we have undertaken several steps to tighten our acceptance criteria. We have made use of the flexibility of ScholarOne to enable us to achieve this. Upon submission, authors are required to provide a justification for their submission. They must state what important fundamental question is addressed in their manuscript and why the research will appeal to Soft Matter's broad readership.
These fields are important at several stages in the manuscript process. Firstly, they prompt the authors to consider the journal readership and criteria during the submission process. If the answers to these questions are not easy, authors can consider whether they have chosen the most appropriate vehicle for the dissemination of their research. Secondly, the editors use the answers to these required fields during the initial assessment of the manuscript, in deciding whether the manuscript meets the journal's criteria. The decision of whether to send the manuscript for peer review is an important method of ensuring authors receive a quick decision on their manuscript if it is unsuitable and also of decreasing unnecessary burden on referees. The authors' justification enables editors to quickly assess these two important factors in the decision. Thirdly, for those papers sent for peer review, the referees also review the justification provided by the authors.
ScholarOne has enabled the facile introduction of these fields to the manuscript submission process and the easy sharing of the information with referees.
These steps are assisting us in making sure that Soft Matter publishes the most relevant work and remains a leading journal in the field.
