Do I get a say in which journals are recommended to authors?
You can suggest a suitable next journal:
- By selecting a specific journal to transfer to from the options provided on the system, where applicable
- By sending the paper through to Transfer Desk. You are welcome to include suggestions for possible next journals in the decision letter you send to the authors. These will be taken into consideration by the Transfer Desk team and may be included in the list of journal recommendations.
If an author is offered a transfer, does this mean that the author must accept this or is the Transfer Service optional for the authors?
The Transfer Desk is simply a service that helps authors find suitable journals for their work and it is completely optional. We will never transfer a manuscript to any journal without the author’s permission.
Will it be indicated in the manuscript files that it is a transfer?
It will not be indicated on the manuscript files that it is a transfer. Once a manuscript is transferred to another journal, the normal editorial process takes place. As the Editor, you can make the decision on each manuscript you receive, as with any other submission.
What will be the status of peer review reports from the previous journal? Will they travel over to the new journal that is considering the article?
In most cases, reviewer reports will not be transferred to the new journal. In some cases, however, the transferring journal may make reviewer reports available to you. If so, you may consider those reports; ignore those reports; or use them in conjunction with your own reviewer reports.
How can I reject a manuscript without offering a transfer?
As the Editor, you have the final say over whether a manuscript is offered a transfer or not. You can always select the option not to transfer the manuscript, if you feel it is not sound (the decision term(s) that do not lead to a transfer may be different from journal to journal. Please get in touch with your Springer Nature editorial contact if you need further clarification on this). However, if you feel a paper could be potentially published elsewhere you can easily opt to direct authors to our Transfer Desk service which will help them identify a more suitable journal to submit their work.
Will you recommend open access journals that require the payment of an article-processing charge?
The Transfer Desk team will consider both open access (OA) and subscription journals (which do not charge a publication fee) when suggesting suitable destination journals. Most journals offer open access publication, either as an option (hybrid open access/Open Choice) or as a fully open access journal.
Please note that Springer Nature can also offer article processing charge (APC) waivers for papers whose corresponding authors are based in low-income countries. Funding may also be available for authors via their country’s government or research institution. To find out more, please see:
APC waivers: https://www.springernature.com/gp/open-research/policies/journal-policies/apc-waiver-countriesFunding & support services: http://www.springernature.com/gp/open-research/funding