As a part of its commitment to open science, the Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is piloting a new peer review process, called transparent peer review, in two of its journals, ACS Central Science and The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. For authors and reviewers who choose to participate, transparent peer review makes the reviewers’ comments and the authors’ response to the reviewers visible to readers of a published article.

“This new approach provides insight into an essential part of the publication process that has been typically kept private,” says Sarah Tegen, Ph.D., senior vice president, Journals Publishing Group at ACS. “Transparent peer review promotes open science by providing access to the exchange between reviewers and authors. It serves another function in helping to educate early career researchers who are just beginning to review or publish research articles. Seeing real examples of other researchers’ reviews and comments can be an invaluable tool for these young scientists.”

Traditionally, ACS journals have used a model of peer review in which the reviewers’ comments and the authors’ response were visible only to those who participated in the review of the manuscript. Under this new format, readers will benefit by seeing how peer review shaped and strengthened the final article. For a manuscript to undergo the new process, all authors and reviewers must opt into transparent peer review. If all parties agree, their reports and responses will be published alongside an article as Supporting Information.

“As an open access journal, ACS Central Science is always looking for more ways to support open science,” says Carolyn Bertozzi, Ph.D., editor in chief of ACS Central Science. “This pilot allows us to experiment with opening a new aspect of a publication in the hopes that access to this information is a valuable and educational resource for our readers, especially our trainees.”

“The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters has long been at the forefront of its field, quickly disseminating high-quality communications to the global community of physical chemists,” says Gregory D. Scholes, Ph.D., editor in chief of The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. “This pilot project gives our readers even more insight into the journal’s content and editorial decisions.”

Transparent peer review is available now for manuscripts submitted to ACS Central Science and The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. Authors who wish to participate will be given the option to do so upon submission of their manuscript in ACS Paragon Plus. Reviewers will be given the option to participate when invited to review the manuscript.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive press releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.

New initiative extends the Press’s commitment to the publication of books by historically underrepresented authors through direct financial support

In keeping with its mission and longstanding commitment to grow diversity in the ranks of published authors, the MIT Press (MITP) announces the launch of the Grant Program for Diverse Voices. The initiative will expand funding for new work by authors whose voices have been excluded and chronically underrepresented across the arts, humanities, and sciences. The grant program will be supported by the Press’s existing Fund for Diverse Voices.  

The MIT Press welcomes applications from new or returning authors from diverse backgrounds. Candidates who have significant personal experience or engagement with communities that are underrepresented in scholarly publishing are strongly encouraged to apply. Grants may support a variety of needs, including research travel, copyright permission fees, parental/family care, developmental editing, and any other costs associated with the research and writing process. Grantees agree to give MITP the right of first refusal on book projects. 

Diverse Voices grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis and will be evaluated twice a year, in the spring and the fall. Prospective and current authors interested in applying for a grant should contact the MIT Press acquisitions editor in the field in which the author publishes. A list of Press editors and publishing fields is available online. 

Grant winners are selected by the Grant Program for Diverse Voices Committee. The inaugural Committee is composed of Amy Brand, director and publisher at the MIT Press; Gabriela Bueno Gibbs, assistant acquisitions editor at the MIT Press; Rockelle Henderson, president and CEO of Rock Inked; Victoria Hindley, acquisitions editor at the MIT Press; Gita Manaktala, editorial director at the MIT Press, Robert Prior, executive editor at the MIT Press; Noah Springer, associate acquisitions editor at the MIT Press; and Kate Silverman Wilson, community and resource development associate at the MIT Press. 

“There is much work to be done to enhance diversity and inclusion at university presses,” said MIT Press director and publisher Amy Brand. “The MIT Press Grant Program for Diverse Voices is an important step in our ongoing commitment to amplify marginalized voices and help change the culture of academic publishing.”

The new grant program is supported by the Press’s Fund for Diverse Voices, a gift fund that helps grow the publication of new books by underrepresented groups at the MIT Press. 

One of the first programs of its kind at an academic press, the Fund for Diverse Voices also enables the MITP to offer competitive advances to talented authors, cover the cost of high-quality production features, hire developmental editors, and ensure that these works reach the widest readership possible.

To learn more about the Grant Program for Diverse Voices, visit mitpress.mit.edu/campaign/grant-program-diverse-voices. 

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has joined the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Publishers Compact, committing to develop and implement sustainability principles aimed at accelerating progress towards achieving the SDG by 2030.

By joining the SDG Publishers Compact, the IET joins publishing organisations from around the world in a commitment to act as champions of the SDG and publish content that will help inform, develop, and inspire action in that direction.

Vincent Cassidy, Head of Academic Markets at the IET, commented: “The IET’s publishing strategy aligns with our overarching mission to share knowledge that helps make better sense of the world in order to solve the challenges that matter. Signing the SDG Publishers Compact is a meaningful way that we can reinforce our commitment to these goals and join other publishers in advancing their progress.”

As a specialist publisher for the global engineering and technology community, the IET actively publishes a wide range of books and journals in subject areas that support the SDG – providing researchers and practitioners around the world with information they need to tackle the biggest societal and sustainability challenges.

Joining this compact is an important action that supports the IET’s own 2030 strategy, which was inspired in-part by the SDG. As a diverse home across engineering and technology, the IET is committed to supporting the vast opportunities that these fields have to uncover engineering feats and technological advances that will aid in solving societal problems in the future.

To find out more about the IET Strategy 2030, please visit: https://www.theiet.org/about/vision-and-strategy/the-iet-strategy/

To find out more about the United Nations SDG Publishers Compact, please visit: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sdg-publishers-compact/