'Author Heroes' can guide you on your publication journey
6. Mai 2022
Von Paige Shaklee, PhD
![Image banner Author Heroes](http://images.ctfassets.net/zlnfaxb2lcqx/fzx2NaKMDQ6X7rkR8M7Ps/b113703ffee0c5af9241f726fa4bdf16/Author-Hero-image.jpg?fm=webp&w=1200&q=90)
Researchers â was your paper rejected? Our Author Heroes can help you get published in another journal.
If youâre an academic researcher, publication in a respected journal is critical to having your work vetted and disseminated to the research community. Unfortunately, millions of researchers encounter rejection during the publication process each year and are faced with taking a gamble on another journal, going through the process all over again. Not only does rejection waste authorsâ time, but another editor will need to evaluate the paper. Likely, new peer reviewers are invited to evaluate the paper, too.
Researchers spend a significant amount of unnecessary time and effort taking a single research article through the scholarly publication process. So we set out to change that.
Turning wasted time into opportunity
Last year, we created the Elsevier Author Heroes team to guide authors from rejection to the journal where they would have the greatest chance of acceptance, quickly and easily. Our Scientific Managing Editors â âAuthor Heroesâ â work closely with journal editors across Elsevierâs portfolios to help more authors get published in Elsevier journals. As part of our Article Transfer Service, Author Heroes step in at the point of rejection, providing tailored editorial guidance and journal recommendations that are likely to lead to publication in another Elsevier journal. We started with a team of just a few Author Heroes. They set out to identify pain points authors and editors experience around rejection and began testing our personalized approach, advising authors on how to improve their rejected articles and guiding them to the best journals for their papers.
We quickly saw that Author Heroes were able to improve the publication process in some essential ways:
1. Build strong collaborations with journal editors to understand the nuanced editorial bar of journals across Elsevier. As Dr Carl PepineWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet, Editor in Chief of the American Heart Journal PlusWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet, shares:
"The breadth of transfers is expanded. I am seeing articles from journals I was not previously seeing. I appreciate the Author Hero hands-on approach and interest in identifying papers that are right for the journal."
![](http://images.ctfassets.net/zlnfaxb2lcqx/58zhnSp7InEnUBeh3r2LIg/91e854e5b37f81db023f5463dbd1dd15/Carl-Pepine-MD.jpg?fm=webp&w=298&q=75)
Carl Pepine, MD
2. Save peer reviewers from a new review request by leveraging feedback from peer reviewers at the first journal and interpreting their reviews with a view of the requirements for alternative journals.
Author Hero Dr Flavian StokkerWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet, Scientific Editor for Elsevierâs optics journals says:
Comprehensive peer-review feedback allows me to create tailored journal transfer offers, and we donât have to ask peer reviewers to invest more of their time. Also, authors can take that feedback to improve their submission and have their paper accepted for publication in another journal.
![](http://images.ctfassets.net/zlnfaxb2lcqx/4qJ6ot0R8pUunLACD961XZ/7de82029f363eff4b78604c12acd1938/Flavian-Stokker-CHEREGI.jpg?fm=webp&w=300&q=75)
Flavian Stokker, PhD
3. Tap into their own subject expertise and breadth of exposure to research crossing their desk.
Author Hero Dr Yi ZhengWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet, Scientific Editor for Elsevierâs cardiology journals, says:
I meet regularly with the Editors-in-Chief of Elsevierâs cardiology journals. I can give updates and obtain feedback from them. This helps me to improve our service to authors.
![](http://images.ctfassets.net/zlnfaxb2lcqx/4uNt53hL22sDYUOSyZD4Xu/e56a507cbdfb375182e099097e6176c8/Yi-Zheng-PhD.jpg?fm=webp&w=300&q=75)
Yi Zheng, PhD
Turning disappointment into delight
In one instance, author Dr Mohd Nizam TzarWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet and his co-authors, Drs Wan Husna, BarakahMeor JamaludinWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet, AsrulAbdul WahabWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet and Chuan HunDingWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet, initially faced disappointment after submitting their paper to the International Journal of Infectious DiseasesWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet. Author Hero Dr Rong FanWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet checked in with the authors to understand their editorial and funding needs and guided them to IDCasesWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet. Within three weeks, their Case Report Exophiala dermatitidis, âthe real black fungusâ fungemia in a patient with COVID-19Wird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnetwas accepted and published in IDCases. Aftwarwards, Mohd wrote:
Dear Rong, Thank you very much for your help, now everything is settled. Iâm super glad that I listened to your advice to transfer my manuscript to IDCases. You truly are an Author Hero!
![](http://images.ctfassets.net/zlnfaxb2lcqx/3MNvs6kEoYmcFtWBzXxXIF/c75455c1f9ee4532a33b41bc0709f6b1/Rong-Fan.jpg?fm=webp&w=262&q=75)
Rong Fan, PhD
An international team of 100
With these positive early signs, we have rapidly grown the team to be able to serve more authors in the research community. Today, Author Heroes is a team of about 100, with in-house Scientific Managing Editors across the globe who range in expertise from food science to nursing, energy research, bioinformatics, education and engineering. We are guiding authors from more than 300 Elsevier journals to the journal that hold the highest chance of acceptance.
Conserving research resources
Author Heroes is also building a strong collaboration with the open access Cell Press journal Heliyon,Wird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet where Author Heroes serve as Scientific Managing EditorsWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet alongside the Lead, Section and Associate Editors. In addition to continually honing their editorial skills and broadening their scientific knowledge by considering manuscripts at Heliyon, Author Heroes are able to make time-saving offers to authors who have been unsuccessful at other Elsevier journals.
For example, an Author Hero could offer an author a Transfer Recommended Accept into Heliyon: Author Heroes use the peer reviewer feedback and their own editorial evaluation from the first journal to guide authors on appropriate revisions that will result in their rapid acceptance at Heliyon and present that offer to authors. Heliyon Lead Editor Dr Christian SchulzWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet writes: "We are delighted we can offer authors a great experience through the Heliyon-Author Heroes collaboration and help more authors to get their articles published more easily and quickly. We are mutually committed to conserving research resourcesWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet, and this collaboration allows us to take a significant step forward in that commitment."
![](http://images.ctfassets.net/zlnfaxb2lcqx/6XRkgG39WQ5Fj8k1sAaZA3/7ae5408bcc84bb60fd101f572978c53f/Christian-Schulz.jpg?fm=webp&w=300&q=75)
Christian Schulz, PhD
General surgery resident Dr Rongzhi Wang of the University of Alabama at Birmingham was recently supported by Author Hero Dr Anna BoyumWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet and rapidly accepted into Heliyon. He wrote about his experience:
I enjoy and appreciate the transfer process. I have nothing but good things to say. My project was presented at Academic Surgical CongressWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet and submitted to the Journal of Surgical ResearchWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet. Unfortunately, my manuscript got rejected. I was offered a transfer to one of the two alternative journals: Surgery in Practice and ScienceWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet and Heliyon. After revision, I transferred my manuscript to Surgery in Practice and ScienceWird in neuem Tab/Fenster geöffnet through the online portal. However, my manuscript quickly got rejected.
I contacted Dr Boyum and asked about the possibility of transferring to another alternative journal. Dr Boyum responded very quickly and offered to share my manuscript with Heliyon editors for considering a transfer. Within one week, Dr Boyum reached out to me and notified me that my manuscript got accepted by Heliyon. I appreciate Dr Boyumâs responsiveness. I am impressed by the efficiency and flexibility of the entire transfer process.
![](http://images.ctfassets.net/zlnfaxb2lcqx/3IzFY8YpW5jXgPpzpnjfeE/1029d691b650d890398376f3fd1f57a1/Anna-Boyum.jpg?fm=webp&w=250&q=75)
Anna Boyum, PhD
By the numbers
We are continually improving on our Author Heroes editorial service through community feedback to improve publication outcomes for authors. Three months into 2022, more than 50,000 initially unsuccessful authors have been offered guidance about the next steps for their manuscript through a tailored transfer from an Author Hero. Of those authors who have followed the Author Hero guidance, more than 1,000 authors have already been published.
Mitwirkende*r
![Paige Shaklee, PhD](http://images.ctfassets.net/o78em1y1w4i4/1vzmTs9kH0XSt6t7g0vGnF/666db844a9ccf91e189fe43e43c25b96/Paige-Shaklee.jpg.png?fm=webp&w=88&q=75)
PSP
Paige Shaklee, PhD
Director of Author Heroes
Elsevier