Pure and Applied Chemistry

Information for and Responsibilities of Conference Editors of IUPAC-Sponsored Meetings

1. Papers based upon the plenary or main lectures of a Conference (or Symposium) sponsored by IUPAC are normally offered for publication in an issue of the official IUPAC journal, Pure and Applied Chemistry. Such collections typically comprise 8 – 12 papers averaging 10 Journal pages each, for a total of up to about 120 Journal pages. More comprehensive publication coverage of an event, to include papers based upon selected non-plenary presentations, is subject to prior negotiation with the Scientific Editor of Pure Appl. Chem., and is encouraged for those regular events that have a proven record of strong authorship support and readership interest. Subjects of particularly compelling scientific interest and topicality may be eligible for consideration as Special Topics, which are comprehensive collections of works that usually occupy an entire issue of the Journal.
2. The Organizing Committee of a Conference appoints a Conference Editor, who assumes overall editorial responsibility for the publication outputs of the event, and is identified in that capacity on the appropriate title page in Pure Appl. Chem. The person appointed as Conference Editor is expected to have a good command of written English and to be an expert in the subject matter of the Conference.
3. Shortly after the Organizing Committee is notified that IUPAC sponsorship for the Conference has been approved, the Scientific Editor and Conference Editor will liaise to exchange views on the scope for publication coverage and a preferred procedure for managing peer review and revision of manuscripts.
4. The Conference Editor submits a proposal for publishable outputs to the IUPAC Secretariat (copied to the Scientific Editor) at least six months before the event. This proposal should include the names, contact details and provisional lecture titles of prospective authors, and motivation for any departure from the usual publication coverage.
   Should the proposal be restricted to plenary outputs, the submission is essentially for information and is approved routinely, but any proposal for more comprehensive coverage is subject to considerations of scientific merit and practical feasibility. The parties will then agree on the scope of the project and on a procedure for peer review of publishable outputs.
   The Conference Editor is expected to keep the IUPAC Secretariat informed of any amendments to the author shortlist as they occur.
5. The foregoing agreement is reached, preferably at least three months before the event, whereupon all formal correspondence with prospective authors is then conducted by IUPAC through the medium of Manuscript Central. Formal invitations are issued, together with information about procedures to be adopted for preparation of manuscripts in accordance with IUPAC Instructions to Authors Instructions for Authors, and for electronic submission to Manuscript Central. Alternative options are proposed to those authors who experience difficulties in following recommended practice.
6. Authors are expected to submit manuscripts at any time from receipt of the formal invitation until an agreed deadline after the Conference (usually no more than 8 weeks). Ideally, peer review and revision of manuscripts are completed about 12 weeks after the event. In general, the aim is to publish outputs 24 – 36 weeks after conclusion of the Conference.
7. Manuscript Central is an online manuscript handling system used to process all manuscripts for publication in Pure Appl. Chem. Authors submit their manuscripts directly to Manuscript Central, and the site is accessible to the Conference Editor and the Scientific Editor throughout the period required for peer review and revision, in accordance with an agreed procedure.
8. An agreed procedure for peer review is implemented as soon as manuscript submissions commence. The Conference Editor may exercise the option to manage peer review of plenary/main lecture manuscripts as a responsibility of the Organizing Committee, and in consultation with any additional referees of choice. In that case, the Conference Editor shall make recommendations for implementation by the Scientific Editor.
   Alternatively, the responsibility for managing peer review may be delegated to the Scientific Editor, who shall consult referees nominated by authors and/or the Conference Editor, and shall monitor and evaluate any revision, in consultation with the Conference Editor where necessary.
   In those cases where more comprehensive publication coverage of an event is envisaged, either of the foregoing options may be exercised, but Conference Editors are encouraged to avail themselves of the services of the Scientific Editor, in order to diminish the attendant workload, and to expedite peer review and timely publication of the collection.
9. Authors are strongly encouraged to nominate preferred referees at the time of manuscript submission, and this information will be available for discretionary use by either editor.
10. The duties of the Conference Editor include advising on the layout and sequencing of papers, and soliciting or drafting any peripheral text such as a Preface.
11. Each author will be offered the opportunity to purchase offprints of the published contribution. An Offprints Order Form should be completed and submitted to the IUPAC Secretariat for this purpose.
12. Each main author (not coauthors) will receive a gratis copy of the Pure Appl. Chem. issue containing the Conference papers.
13. All authors are expected to complete a Copyright Assignment Form transferring the copyright of their contribution to IUPAC. The form should be completed and submitted directly to the IUPAC Secretariat at the time that the manuscript is submitted to ManuscriptCentral.
14. Up to five gratis copies of the issue of Pure Appl. Chem. containing the Conference papers will be provided to the Conference Editor/Officers of the Organizing Committee.

2008-07-01