State of Authorship Report: Time and Costs Involved in Publishing Research

Researchers devote their lives to making and sharing their discoveries. On the surface, that sounds straightforward - in fact, probably a little too straightforward. Anyone who works in research knows that there is much more involved than doing research.

In order for a researcher to establish credibility in their field, to gain promotion in their organization, and to obtain more grant funding for their research, they must successfully publish and disseminate their work. Often, their career hinges on it.

But how much time and cost are involved in the publication process? And after making investments to share research in a journal, what are the factors that contribute to engaging readers and, subsequently, receiving citations?

We have thoroughly evaluated the time, costs, and considerations involved for researchers publishing and sharing their work, and we have compiled this data in our free white paper, The State of Authorship - Maximizing Impact with the Time and Money You Spend. This paper includes a careful analysis of available research on the topic as well as data from our own survey of authors. You can also find a one-page overview of the key points below.

We hope that this information is useful in clarifying the often overlooked and unanticipated expenses of time and money placed on researchers as they strive to make discoveries and share those with the world. Additionally, we believe that the data surrounding the factors that increase a paper's citation rate will be helpful for researchers who implement the proven methods.

Download our free white paper, The State of Authorship - Maximizing Impact with the Time and Money You Spend and learn about all of the costs and time involved in publishing research and how to increase citations.

Below is a snapshot of this data (right click to save).

Topics covered in the white paper include

• Time involved in publishing a research manuscript (pre-submission, between submission and acceptance, between acceptance and publication, and in the “journal loop” of resubmission)
• Costs involved in publishing a research manuscript (pre-submission costs, submission fees, publication fees, page charges, color figure charges, article processing charges/APCs)
• Factors affecting citation of the published paper (related to the authors' research, the journal selected, and the manuscript itself)
• Conclusions with actionable ways to limit costs and time spent while boosting subsequent citations

Thanks to Ben Mudrak for co-authoring this white paper and contributing to this article.