Applause from Shanu Kumar, Harish Ven, and
The myth around academic publishing every researcher should know
A peek into the future of manuscript formatting.
A
few years back, I was showing my 4 year old niece how to build an
aeroplane using Lego blocks. After patiently waiting for me to complete,
she took the finished piece from me. She immediately pulled it apart
and started putting the blocks together to build the Lego aeroplane on
her own.
few years back, I was showing my 4 year old niece how to build an
aeroplane using Lego blocks. After patiently waiting for me to complete,
she took the finished piece from me. She immediately pulled it apart
and started putting the blocks together to build the Lego aeroplane on
her own.
I chuckled to myself. “What a waste of my efforts”!
Funnily
enough, this instance serves as a perfect analogy whenever someone asks
me about the publishing process in the academic industry.
enough, this instance serves as a perfect analogy whenever someone asks
me about the publishing process in the academic industry.
The formatting problem
Anyone
who has submitted a research paper would know the hours spent in
formatting. Worse, re-formatting is another big concern for researchers
applying to multiple journals. Each journal follows its own format for
submission, resulting in repetitive work.
who has submitted a research paper would know the hours spent in
formatting. Worse, re-formatting is another big concern for researchers
applying to multiple journals. Each journal follows its own format for
submission, resulting in repetitive work.
With a lack of standards and more than tens of thousands of journals present, this is a persistent issue.
The problem has become so acute that, in a survey
carried out by Elsevier’s Research and Academic Relations department,
one in three researchers identified ‘preparing manuscripts’ as the
activity they found most frustrating and time-consuming.
carried out by Elsevier’s Research and Academic Relations department,
one in three researchers identified ‘preparing manuscripts’ as the
activity they found most frustrating and time-consuming.
After
spending time and effort on your paper, you would assume that the
formatted manuscript is what the publishers utilize for the final print,
right?
spending time and effort on your paper, you would assume that the
formatted manuscript is what the publishers utilize for the final print,
right?
But what actually happens will baffle you.
The reverse engineering
Submission process is initiated when a researcher submits the doc file (called source file).
Publishers
send this source file to companies called composition suppliers who
convert it into XML. The conversion into XML guarantees a definitive
archive of the publication.
send this source file to companies called composition suppliers who
convert it into XML. The conversion into XML guarantees a definitive
archive of the publication.
The
suppliers use this XML to re-generate the document with all the
formatting requirements set by the publisher. All the formatting you had
done is ignored, and done once again by the typesetters.
suppliers use this XML to re-generate the document with all the
formatting requirements set by the publisher. All the formatting you had
done is ignored, and done once again by the typesetters.
It is like you assemble a cycle and give it to someone, only for them to dismantle it before re-assembling it again!
Is there a way out?Yes. If authors can supply XML directly.
How could this happen?
If they use a writing interface which automatically creates XML in the background as they write. XML-at-source is the terminology.
Using XML-at-source,
it’s possible to auto-format and re-format a research paper in seconds.
The paper will continue adhering to journal guidelines. This will
significantly reduce time and effort that will make the authors happy.
it’s possible to auto-format and re-format a research paper in seconds.
The paper will continue adhering to journal guidelines. This will
significantly reduce time and effort that will make the authors happy.
This will also get rid of all the re-engineering involved that will make the publishers happy.
To generate this kind of value, we at Typeset,
have been building a platform for the research community. We take care
of pain in the authoring process, so that you can focus on your
research.
have been building a platform for the research community. We take care
of pain in the authoring process, so that you can focus on your
research.
The myth around academic publishing every researcher should know
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