Commissioning leaders in the field and experts in particular areas to submit articles is a great way to get your journal noticed and to declare that it has an interest in publishing in a particular subject area. Commissioning can be highly instrumental in increasing the readership and overall impact of a journal.
Why commission?
- Commissioning reviews or commentaries from well-respected experts in the field can increase the journal’s credibility and attract other authors to submit
- Commissioning articles in a topical or emerging area indicates that the journal is up to speed with the field and may attract more research articles from this area
- If you would like to attract more research submissions on a particular aspect of the journal's scope, commissioning a review on this area helps indicate to your audience that the journal is interested in publishing in this area and may, in turn, attract more research. You could also consider running a thematic series to highlight a particular area
- For new journals, commissioning is crucial for ensuring that the journal has sufficient high-quality content for consistent publications
Generating ideas
As Editor or Editorial Board member you may have a number of ideas for review or commentary articles that you would like the journal to commission and we’d love to hear your suggestions (both the topic area and author).
For Editors-in-Chief/Section Editors we recommend regularly asking your Editorial Board for commissioning suggestions, as well as keeping an eye on the latest 'hot' topics at conferences and commissioning articles on these.
Commissioning
When inviting an author to write for the journal, make sure you provide them with:
- Guidelines on the title or scope of the proposed article, as well as the expected format of the article (we recommend pointing them to the instructions for authors)
- Background information on the journal, so that they can tailor their article to the journal's audience
- A clear deadline of when you would like to receive the article (we recommend three months)
Once received, all articles should be fully peer reviewed, in line with the journal's policies. For any questions regarding commissioning, your main contact at BMC will be more than happy to assist.