What to include in an initial proposal to transfer an existing journal to BioMed Central

If you would like to discuss transferring a journal, please provide us with information on the points listed below. Feel free to contact newjournals@biomedcentral.com about any questions or issues you want to discuss before you begin working on the formal proposal.

1. Names and addresses of proposer(s), with fax and telephone numbers.

   If you are proposing a journal and do not intend to serve as the Editor-in-Chief, please explain what role you intend to take in the running of the journal.

2. A brief description of the journal, including:

   • The journal's full title.
   • A 20-word aim for the journal. Please indicate whether this is a continuation or whether the transfer would be an opportunity to adapt the journal to changing conditions.
   • A list of topics included (and not included, if useful) in the scope of the journal.
   • A 100-word description of the field.
   • Which types of articles (e.g. reviews, commentaries, research articles) does the journal accept? Please check that these are included in the list of article types currently available in our journals.
   • A list of 10 previously published articles that are characteristic of the journal.
   • The Editorial Board (you can attach a document or provide a link if this information exists online).
   • How is the journal currently funded? If it is subscription-based, is this the only source of revenues? For subscriptions, please provide the current number of subscribers (individual and institutional). Has the journal attracted advertising and/or sponsorship revenues in the past, and are there plans for the future?

3. A full description of your peer-review process. This should cover the following points:

   • Whether peer review will be open or closed.
   • Whether you will peer review all manuscripts or screen submissions prior to peer review.
   • How many reviews you will need to make a decision. Note that we strongly recommend at least two reviewers be consulted for every manuscript.
   • Whether manuscripts will be routinely sent to a statistician.
   • What the procedure will be if the reviewers are in disagreement.
   • Who will make the final decision.
   • How quickly you will aim to make a first decision.
   • What the procedure will be if an author is unhappy with the decision.

   Please ensure that you have read the information covering peer review at 'What you need to know about our independent journals program' before devising your peer-review policy.

4. Information on the journal's past and present, and ideas for the future

   • Please give a brief history of the journal, including how long it has been published and by whom.
   • If this is a society journal, please provide a brief description of the aims and history of the society and how many members it currently has.
   • Is the journal published in print and/or online? Since when? If it's a print journal, please send us a sample issue or two.
   • Has the journal published supplements in the past? Are there plans to continue doing so?
   • Which indexing services (PubMed, Medline, others) are currently covering the journal?
   • Does the journal have an impact factor? In which category? How has the impact factor developed over the years?
   • How many articles has the journal published per year in the last five years? How many of them were full-length research articles and reviews?
   • What are the reasons for considering the transfer and/or conversion to open access?
   • Are there plans to introduce any changes, e.g. to the Editorial Board, the scope, or any other policies?
   • How is the journal positioned in its field? What are particular strengths (e.g. subject coverage, 'clientele')? For any weaknesses, what could be strategies to achieve improvements?
   • Please provide a minimum 100-word vision of where you see the journal in five years' time: will it have an impact factor (or how will it have changed, and why), how many articles will it publish per year, who will be the target audience and contributors?

5. Information on technical aspects

   • Who owns the journal title?
   • Would a transfer of the journal be acceptable within the terms of the current publishing contract?
   • Who holds the copyright to articles published to date?
   • If the journal is published online, please provide details about the technical format the articles are published in.

6. A full curriculum vitae for the proposed Editor(s)-in-Chief, including a publication record.

When your proposal is complete, or if you have any questions about transferring an existing publication, please contact newjournals@biomedcentral.com.