The onset of open-source publication models empowers citizens to access a wide range of past publications that were behind paywalls. AI advancements further enhanced individuals’ ability to gain access to information and publish their creations on different platforms. Innovative advancements in the document management system further simplified this process. Publications are generally document-intensive industries, and their daily routine involves the creation of several custom documents like “Call for Articles," “Notifications for Reviewers, Reivers Comments, Author or Reviewer Agreements, Publication Acceptance, “Article Rejections", and “Publication Policies.” Open-access publishers can sign documents online to fulfill all these activities mentioned above.
Publication Cycle in Open-source Publications and the Role of eSignature Platforms:
The advent of the internet and globalization opened several avenues that were absent for students, academicians, and scholars today. Open-source or open-access journals are scholarly research publications where readers get free access to the information.
According to a “Fredonia Group’s study, Open Access sales reached $1.9 billion in 2023 and $2.1 billion in 2024, up from $1.8 billion in 2022, and are expected to grow to $3.2 billion by 2028. Simba Information's Open Access Journal Publishing 2024-2028 report details the diverse revenue streams in OA Journal publishing in 2024 and beyond. Digital signature platforms can automate every aspect of the publication cycle in open-access publications.
Publication cycle in open-access publishing:
The document management platform promotes effortless document creation, storing, sharing, and sign documents online.
line, allowing publishers to save time and money.
How does a document management system assist publishers in completing the publication cycle?
Create a custom document in every stage of the publication cycle on a digital signature platform.
A publisher or an editorial assistant can create multiple documents customized to communicate with authors, reviewers, scholars, editors, and other institutes affiliated with the publishing house. Publishers can add logos, watermarks, and colors, and customize documents like “call for boos abstracts” or “Article abstracts” effortlessly on the electronic Signature platform.
Store articles safely in a centralized digital repository:
Publishers can segregate articles as per their publication policy and store them safely on the eSignature platform. Publishers can assign indexing numbers and store these documents in a central repository; this process facilitates easy document searching, archiving, retrieving, and disposal.
The digital signature platform offers multiple document-sharing options:
Editorial assistants receive many articles on any given day, and they segregate and assign them for review. An editorial assistant can quickly, easily, and efficiently assign articles to reviewers on the digital signature platform. The editorial team can use multiple sharing options like Bulksend, GetLink, and eSigns workflows to share articles with geographically scattered stakeholders across time zones and locations. Online document management tools can reach multiple stakeholders within no time using different
Lock manuscript digitally with eSignature:
Blind peer review is a common phenomenon in scholarly publishing. Publishers keep the author’s details confidential from reviewers to avoid bias in the review process. Publishers can share articles safely without any breach, only with an intended reviewer. Electronic signature platforms follow global compliance norms and ensure document safety.
Digital signature platforms ensure transparency and trust:
Scholarly publication includes data research and outcomes from several months or years of laboratory research. Scholars experiment with human, animal, and other biological specimens and sign agreements that they keep the research outcome as well as the volunteers’ details. Researchers must obey international laws in clinical trials, and any violation of maintaining confidentiality may attract penalties or criminal charges. Researchers can lock sensitive data and outcomes on electronic Signature by adhering to strict user authentication measures.
Track article review status effortlessly on the electronic document management platform:
Publishers can quickly track an article's review status and act on it if there are any delays from the authors or reviewers. An online document management system can help the publishers accept, reject, or approve articles that reviewers accept, reject, or approve for publication with a few suggestions, boosting the speed and efficiency of the publishers.
Workflow automation on the eSignature platform boosts efficiency:
Author registration, onboarding, uploading abstracts for approval, receiving publishers’ responses, and article review are processes that the publishers cannot skip to maintain publication standards. Conventional email communication and other document-sharing options delay the publication process. An editor can quickly approve an article for publication or communicate the article approval decision with the authors on an electronic Signature platform. Workflow automation streamlines document review, communicating the review outcome with authors or institutes that are interested in scholarly publishing.
Collaboration is key for a smooth review and publication process:
Electronic scholarly publishing involves a robust review process where the editorial team keeps communicating with reviewers, authors, and internal teams for page-making and designing. Digital signature platforms promote collaboration of all stakeholders to reach a consensus towards article publication.
Honor publication deadlines with speed, efficiency, and accuracy:
eSignature platforms are quick and efficient in error-free document creation and sharing. Authors and publishers can avoid manual errors that may often affect the quality of publication in the traditional publication models.
Final thoughts:
Document management system can smoothen the laborious publication process that involves robust document creation, review, document exchange, and sign documents online. Digital signature platforms are fully equipped to facilitate easy document processing and sharing with authors, reviewers, and other stakeholders to promote quick and efficient publishing without any delay. By complying with global norms to honor the privacy and confidentiality of authors and incumbents involved in clinical trials. The online document management tools lock all potential document thefts and risks by denying unauthorized access to documents to trespassers. Advanced AI capabilities in the electronic signature platform automate the entire document management process in the scholarly document publication, review, and publication.