FAQ for Authors

1. ScholarOne Manuscript Account

1.1 Can I merge multiple accounts of mine?

Q: I have a ScholarOne Manuscripts account but the submitting author created another for me. Can I merge these accounts?

A: The Editorial Office can merge duplicate ScholarOne Manuscripts accounts for you. Send us an e-mail at rutao.yao@ieee.org with the full name of the account holder, e-mail addresses associated with duplicate accounts and be sure to indicate which is the primary e-mail address that you want to use. The review and submission history of all accounts will also be merged together.

2. Paper Submission

2.1 Would you quickly check my manuscript?

Q: I am not sure if my paper is within TMI’s scope. Can I send the manuscript to the Editorial Office or EiC for a quick check?

A: It is TMI’s policy to only consider manuscripts submitted via ScholarOne Manuscripts. Do not send the manuscript to the Editorial Office or EiC. As described in the peer review and decision process, after the admin checklist or AE assignment stage, a manuscript may be forwarded to the EiC to determine if peer review is necessary. If the paper is outside the scope of TMI, it will be returned to the author with a decision of ‘immediate reject: submit to another journal’ within two weeks.

2.2 Can I submit two papers as part 1 and 2?

Q: Can I submit two highly related papers as part 1 and part 2?

A: In principle, such a double-submission is allowed. They must be submitted as two manuscripts and will most likely be assigned to the same associate editor (AE) to manage. However, please be aware of the following potential problems:

We cannot guarantee they will be reviewed by the same group of reviewers. The AE will determine the relationship between the two papers and choose appropriate reviewers accordingly. Even if the same group of reviewers are invited, the invited reviewer may only agree to review one of them or decline both invitations simply because of the additional workload involved.

Decisions relating to these submissions will be made independently based on their individual merit. The acceptance of one does NOT ensure the acceptance of the other.

The reviewers and/or editor may suggest combining two papers together as a condition for acceptance.

2.3 Can I upload videos for peer review?

Q: Can I upload videos for peer review?

A: Yes. An uploaded file whose “file designation” is “supporting document” can be accessed by the reviewers. Providing a link to videos or other files reside on the author’s personal or institutional website is NOT recommended.

2.4 Upload separate files for figures?

Q: Do I need to upload separate files for figures?

A: The author is only required to do so for the final files for publication.

2.5 Can I cite an unpublished paper?

Q: Can I cite an unpublished paper by our group?

A: If such an unpublished paper is already accepted by TMI or another journal, it can be cited as “in press”. Please ensure your citation always reflects the latest status of the paper.If such a paper is still under review by TMI or another journal, it can be cited as “under review” in a manuscript submitted to TMI, but this is only allowed in the peer review stage. When preparing the final files for an accepted TMI manuscript, please make sure that no paper with a status of “under review” is cited and the content of the citing paper is not compromised.

During the submission procedure, the author can choose to upload additional “supplementary files” that may help the editors and reviewers understand the paper better.

3. Editing/Withdrawing after Submission

3.1 Can I make changes to a submitted paper?

Q: Can I make changes to a submitted paper?

A: It depends on the most recent status of the paper and the type of changes the author wants to make. Please contact the Editorial Office and specify the reason for changes in detail. Do not send the revised manuscript to the Editorial Office.

3.2 How can I withdraw a submitted paper?

Q: How can I withdraw a submitted paper?

A: The author cannot withdraw the manuscript via his/her ScholarOne Manuscripts. Please contact the Editorial Office at rutao.yao@ieee.org and request the paper to be withdrawn from TMI.

3.3 What is the status of my submission?

Q: What is the current review status of my submission?

A: The status of your paper is shown in your submission record on ScholarOne Manuscripts. The meaning of the status is described in the TMI review process webpage.

3.4 Why the review takes so long?

Q: Why is it taking so long to review my paper?

A: Most of the submissions to TMI are highly technical papers and reviewing them is time-consuming in general. We are doing our best to shorten the review process. However, it is not an easy task. To find out more about the peer review process, please visit the TMI review process webpage.

4. After the Review Decision

4.1 When will my paper be published?

Q: I uploaded the final files of my accepted paper but haven’t heard anything back. When will it be published?

A: The electronic preprint of your paper will appear on IEEE Xplore Early Access about 2-weeks after your final file submission. The formal print of your paper in a TMI issue is about 2-3 months after. You may contact Ms. Pilar Etuk (p.etuk@ieee.org), IEEE Journals Production Manager, if you have questions.

4.2 Billing

Q: What is the billing process?

A: The Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), a partner of IEEE, has assumed the roles of invoicing, customer service, and collections. All article processing charges will be processed using CCC’s ‘RightsLink for Scientific Communications’ payment portal.

After your paper has gone through the editorial process, you will receive an email from CCC alerting you to your charges. Following the link within the email, you will have a choice of either paying with a credit card or paying later by raising an invoice where you will be able to change the billing details to whoever will be responsible for paying. You will also be able to add a purchase order number and your institution’s VAT ID. If you choose to 'pay by invoice', a PDF copy will be emailed within 24 hours containing detailed instructions to pay by credit card, check, or wire transfer. For inquiries, contact IEEESupport@copyright.com.

4.3 PubMed

Q: My paper is not in PubMed. Can I upload it to PubMed?

A: Shortly after the final files of an accepted paper are submitted, the information of the paper—title, authors, abstract, etc.—will be automatically added to PubMed and a PMID will be assigned. Or you can submit your paper at https://www.nihms.nih.gov/db/sub.cgi. After the paper appears in print, this information will be updated accordingly.

The authors of an accepted paper can submit the paper to PubMed Central. Currently, only method C—the author or a delegate deposits the final peer-reviewed manuscript into the NIH Manuscript Submission system (NIHMS)—is available to TMI papers. Please visit https://publicaccess.nih.gov/Methods-C-D-BP for more information.

4.4 Permission to reuse figures of my paper

Q: How can I obtain permission to reuse figures or tables of my published paper?

A: You have to obtain such permission from IEEE Intellectual Property Rights Office. Please visit https://www.ieee.org/publications/rights/ for more information.

4.5 Correct a figure in an old paper

Q: The online (IEEE Xplore) version of my paper published in an old issue of TMI has bad quality. What can I do about it?

A: The old issues of IEEE transactions and journals were scanned to pdf file to be put on IEEE Xplore. The scan parameters were often set to maximize the clarity of text but not the images, especially those in TMI that are very important for the readers to understand the paper. IEEE is aware of the problem but doesn’t yet have the resources to rescan all the old issues of TMI. However, you can report such problem to IEEE via IEEE Xplore technical support. If possible, IEEE will have the paper re-scanned. In addition, if you have a scanned pdf file with good image quality, you can also contact IEEE to see if it is possible to replace the current online version with the your author-provided pdf.