SAGE Open Article

Editor Quick Start

Guide
Article Editor Guide 2015

Table of Contents
Logging into your Article Editor Center 3
Forgot your user name/password? 3

Navigating the Site 4

The Welcome Page 4
Dashboard 4
Article Editor Lists 5

Assigning Reviewers 5
View Manuscripts 5
Viewing the HTML/PDF Proof 6
Reviewer List 6
Adding Your Own Reviewers 6
Using Reviewer Locator Results 7
Inviting Reviewers 7
Invitation Responses 8
Viewing Reviews 8
R-Score 9

Making a Decision 10

Miscellaneous Information 11
Attaching Files 11
Contacting SAGE Open 12

Frequently Asked Questions 13

See also http://sgo.sagepub.com/content/article-editor-quick-guide-0 for more Article Editor Information.

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Article Editor Guide 2015

Logging into your Article Editor Center

1. To access SAGE Open’s online submission site direct your browser to:
http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/sageopen
**Note: you will need to disable your pop-up blocking software in order for the SAGE Open site
to work properly.
2. Enter your user name and password into the appropriate text fields. Your user name and
password are provided for you in the invitation e-mail.

Forgot your user name/password?

If you forget your username or password you can enter your e-mail address into the box at the bottom of
the screen. Please use the e-mail address you were contacted with since it corresponds to your account in
the site.

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Article Editor Guide 2015

Navigating the Site

The Welcome Page
Once you log in and fill in your account information you will be at the Welcome page. The screenshot
below shows 3 centers: an Author Center, Reviewer Center, and Article Editor Center. Your work will
take place in the Article Editor Center.

Dashboard
The Dashboard is where you are able to track the progress of your assigned manuscript(s).

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Article Editor Lists

The Article Editor Lists show how many manuscripts you are working on and the stage at which they are
at in the editing process. The numbers you will see correspond uniquely to the amount of manuscripts
available to you and will fluctuate as additional progress is made. By observing the Dashboard, you are
able to see what step needs to be taken next in order to move the manuscript through the review process.

Assigning Reviewers
View Manuscripts
The first step in assigning reviewers is accessing the manuscript from the Article Editor Lists. Click the
Select Reviewers link (as seen above) to access the View Manuscripts page.

The View Manuscripts page provides a brief overview of relevant information to those working on the
manuscript, including the Manuscript ID number, hyperlinks for contacting authors/ editors, and
additional status information.

Click on the in the Take Action box to access the Select Reviewers page.

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Viewing the HTML/PDF Proof

Located at the top of the Select Reviewers page are links to access HTML and PDF proofs of the
manuscript's current version, as well as Supplementary Files, Original Files, the Abstract, and author
Cover Letter.

Reviewer List
The Reviewer List shows all reviewers who are associated with the manuscript and will populate as you
invite additional people. Note that the list is cumulative, and can act as a receipt of those who have both
agreed and disagreed to the prospect of reviewing.

Adding Your Own Reviewers

While the Reviewer List may initially contain preferred names offered by the author, Article Editors are
encouraged to invite their own group to work on the manuscript. Locate the Create Reviewer Account
box to the right of the screen to begin making accounts for the individuals you are considering. First
names, last names, and current e-mail addresses are the only fields necessary to the process, though more
specific information can be entered by clicking the appropriate link.
**Note: Reviewers will be notified by e-mail when an account has been created. This should not be
confused with the official invitation to review.

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Using Reviewer Locator Results

Please note that Manuscript Central automatically generates a list of potential reviewer names from Web
of Science using keywords from the article. This can be found in the section titled "Reviewer Locator
Results from the Web of Science." While this list is available for you to use should you exhaust your list of
personal contacts, we would prefer that Article Editors invite reviewers that they know personally or that
are in their field first as these search results may not always apply. We rely on the expertise of Article
Editors to secure high quality reviewers for each and every manuscript.

Inviting Reviewers
After selecting your reviewers, the Reviewer List will fill up with any recent selections.

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To prepare a formal invitation, click on the button under the Status column. An e-mail template
will appear with SAGE Open’s invitation text already populating the window. You may edit the text or

leave the default message. When you are ready to send the invitation, click at the
bottom of the window. The Reviewer List will be updated accordingly to reflect if and when the e-mail
was sent.
**Note: If an e-mail was sent in error or you require further confirmation that an invitation successfully
went out, locate the Audit Trail tab to the left of the manuscript page to see a list of recent actions
recorded by the SAGE Open system.

Invitation Responses
Rather than needing to respond directly, reviewers are able to click on one of several links contained
within the invitation e-mail in order to provide the SAGE Open website with a decision. When clicked,
these links will automatically update the Reviewer List and forward you an e-mail notification regarding
the decision. If the reviewer chooses to reply to the e-mail instead of clicking one of these links, you are
able to manually enter this into his status. To do so, click the drop down box next to the reviewer’s name
and select the response. An e-mail template will appear according to the selection. Please send this e-
mail regardless of the response.

Viewing Reviews
Once a reviewer has completed a review you will be notified via e-mail. You can follow the same steps
outlined in the View Manuscripts section to locate any reviewer submissions currently within the system.
Click to access a pop-up window with the reviewer’s score and comments.

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R-Score
The R-score is an internal reviewer rating system that rates reviewers on timeliness and the quality of the
review. The score is based on a scale of 1-3, 3 being the highest. It is up to you whether or not to utilize
the R-score function in the site.

To access the R-score click on the button and scroll to the bottom of the score sheet. Make
you selection in each category and select Save.

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Making a Decision
Once all reviews have been returned, the manuscript will move into the AE Make Decision step in your
Article Editor Lists. Enter your Article Editor Center and follow the same steps outlined in the View
Manuscripts section to make your decision.

Your final decision as an Article Editor will be comprised of two components: the verdict (Accept, Accept
Pending Minor Revision, Major Revision, Reject) and additional comments to the author. Refer to any
reviewer submissions to arrive at a conclusion, and provide the author with any closing remarks.

When you are done, click the button to generate a mockup e-mail for the author. The
popup template will contain decision information and reviewer comments, and the letter may be edited
as you see fit. As your final step, save the draft and click the button to submit your
decision. The draft you complete will be sent off to the SAGE Open Editorial Office prior to reaching the
author. Here, an administrator will embed the aforementioned editor comments into the draft and
complete the remainder of the editing process manually.
**Note: The e-mail presented to the author will be delivered in your name, as to legitimize the decision
SAGE Open has come to. Reviewers will always remain anonymous.

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Miscellaneous Information
Attaching Files
If you need to attach a file to an e-mail, you can do so at the bottom of the template.

Click the ‘Choose File’ button and select the appropriate file from your system. Make sure to click the
button or the file won’t go through.

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Article Editor Guide 2015

Contacting SAGE Open

If you have any specific questions regarding the editing process and your role as an Article Editor, you
may contact the manuscript's Editor-in-Chief and admin directly by clicking on their hyperlinks
throughout your Article Editor Center. For more general inquiries such as login retrieval and website
navigation, please contact sageopen@sagepub.com.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need to create an account on the website?
SAGE Open receives manuscript submissions online through SAGE Track, powered by ScholarOne
Manuscripts™. For this reason, all Article Editors, reviewers, and authors are required to have an
account. When you first log in you’ll be asked to complete some account steps. If you’d prefer not to
work in the site, please contact the editorial office at sageopen@sagepub.com and we’re happy to work
with you via email instead.

Can I avoid using the website?

While we prefer that Article Editors familiarize themselves with the website, our editorial office is happy
to take care of any tasks that might prove difficult. Refer these requests to sageopen@sagepub.com.

How did you receive my name for the invitation?

We research scholars working in related areas to identify editors appropriate for each paper. We also
receive personal recommendations from other scholars we've approached.

What is the turnaround time?

The general turnaround time is five weeks with one week dedicated to securing reviewers, three weeks
for their reviews, and one week for your decision. This timeline is certainly flexible, however, and we’re
happy to grant extensions when requested.

Is this a blind review?

The reviewers and author(s) are blinded from each other. However, the decision letter will be sent out
from the Article Editor. This is to ensure that the decision letters come from a reputable academic.

Do you have a review board that I can select reviewers from?

No, at the moment we do not. Due to the wide range of submission topics that we receive we don’t have
a permanent board of reviewers. For that reason we ask that you use your expertise of the topic to select
appropriate reviewers.

How should I proceed if I can't find any reviewers?

If you are unable to find anyone willing to act as a reviewer for the manuscript, you can contact the
editorial office at sageopen@sagepub.com for assistance. Our team will provide you with possible names
and contact information from our files and attempt to find a match for the article. Additionally, if only
one reviewer can be secured, the Article Editor may step in as the second reviewer. Your involvement in
this role will be blinded from the author.

I’ve only secured one review. Can I act as the second reviewer?
Yes. While we do prefer that you secure two reviewers in addition to yourself, in cases where only one
review is in and you are having trouble securing additional reviews you can act as the second reviewer.
Your comments as reviewer will be blinded from the author(s).

Do I need to communicate often with the Editorial Office/Reviewers?

We don’t require that you communicate frequently with the editorial office or reviewers. The peer
review system is set up to send invitation letters to reviewers and automatic reminder emails when they
go overdue. You’ll also receive automated email reminders from the editorial office periodically in your

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role as an Article Editor. Feel free to get in contact with the editorial office if you have any questions or
require any assistance.

Please note: Invitations to reviewers, reminders to reviewers, and follow up emails to reviewer responses
are all sent either from the Article Editor or on behalf of the Article Editor. If you would not like your
name to appear in these emails you can remove it from the email before sending or contact the editorial
office at sageopen@sagepub.com.

Why is the manuscript covered in red text?

Red text will always indicate an overdue action, such as inviting reviewers and making a final decision.
In additional to distributing reminder emails, SAGE Open will textually integrate these reminders into
the manuscript page as a means of broadcasting its status to everyone presently involved. The general
turnaround time for a manuscript is five weeks (one week to secure reviewers, three weeks to complete
reviews, and one week to make a decision), with red text generated according to this preset schedule.
Please be attentive of any due dates and attempt to work within the allotted timeframes.

How do I submit my decision?

Once the reviews have been returned we ask you to make a decision on the paper within one week.
Please note when making a decision that SAGE Open evaluates the scientific and research methods of
each article for validity and accepts articles solely on the basis of the research. Unlike traditional journals,
SAGE Open does not limit content due to page budgets or thematic significance.

The four decision options are:

 Accept – this accepts the paper as is without requiring any revisions

 Accept pending minor revision – this returns the paper to the author for minor revisions.
Assuming these are met the paper will be accepted upon resubmission

 Major Revision – this returns the paper to the author to make major revisions.

 Reject – this rejects the paper outright. This decision is to be used only if the research or
methodology is poor.

The reviewers’ comments will be automatically pulled into the decision letter, and we encourage you to
enter your own comments as well. Once you’ve returned your decision it will be sent to the editorial
office for approval. We use the approval step to make sure everything is in order before sending it out to
the author, and will rarely ask that an Article Editor change the decision.

Please note: The decision letter is sent from and signed by the Article Editor. This is to show that the peer
review was handled by a qualified expert in the field and the decision was not made by the editorial
office at SAGE.

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Do I have to send a revision back out for review?

No. This is completely up to you. If you feel the necessary revisions were made and/or you can suggest
some minor changes yourself without sending it back for review you can. Contact the editorial office at
sageopen@sagepub.com to have the paper moved directly into the decision step.

What sort of compensation does the Article Editor receive?

Serving as an Article Editor for a SAGE Open manuscript is considered a one-time, guest editor role. We
are happy to offer a free SAGE book* and one month of access to our online journal content as a thank
you to editors. We understand the work is essentially voluntary and make each invitation request with
the hopes that it will be rewarding for those academics who are helping to spread quality research to a
broad audience.

*Please note this is for a single book only, and volume sets are exempt from the free book offer. Please
contact sageopen@sagepub.com if you have any questions.

Why does the author need to pay a fee when their article is accepted?
Every article will go through traditional peer-review to vet strength of research, methodology, and
conclusions before it can be accepted. If, and only if, it has been accepted will the author acceptance fee
be assessed. Submitting to the journal is free.

The open-access (that is, free, subscriptionless access) model is supported by the fee at the end of the
process for accepted articles; there are no subscriptions and, therefore, no subscription fees to otherwise
support the costs of publication. These include copyediting, production, and hosting the article online.

How do I submit a manuscript?

SAGE Open receives manuscript submissions online through SAGE Track, powered by ScholarOne
Manuscripts™. Authors should register for an account at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/sageopen,
where they will create a login ID and password. SAGE Track will serve as the center for editorial staff to
communicate with authors, editors, and reviewers electronically, and it will function as the platform for
the review process.

See also http://sgo.sagepub.com/content/article-editor-quick-guide-0 for more Article Editor Information.

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