Call For Papers: Communications & Technical Notes in OPR&D

Organic Process Research & Development (OPR&D) strives to document and share the science and engineering behind chemical manufacturing. As the field evolves in speed, scope, and complexity, so must our methods of communication. While full papers remain central to the journal, shorter formats offer a faster way to share valuable insights that might otherwise go unpublished.

In industry, commercial pressures often prevent researchers from developing a “complete story,” while in academia, methodological and practical data from graduate and postdoctoral work may be sidelined as “too incremental” for traditional publication.

Our reintroduced Communication and Technical Note formats help bridge this gap—enabling scientists to publish rigorous, self-contained findings that contribute meaningfully to the field. As such, OPR&D is now welcoming submissions of such manuscripts.

Criteria for these short papers:

Manuscripts submitted to this open Call for Short Papers should follow the criteria below, keeping the focus in line with the expectations outlined by Editor-in-Chief Margaret Faul in the editorial announcing this initiative.

• Length: Approximately 2000 words (excluding references, tables, and figures).
• Structure: Concise introduction, focused results/discussion, and a brief conclusion emphasizing implications for practice.
• Data Presentation: Include essential experimental detail sufficient for reproducibility. Supporting Information should be minimal and directed toward clarity.
• Tone: Emphasize insight over narrative. Focus on what was learned, how it was achieved, and why it matters.
• Cover Letter: Include a 2–3 sentence justification of urgency (for Communications) or utility/advantage (for Technical Notes).
• Manuscript Type: For the launch of this open Call for Short Papers in 2026, authors should submit their manuscript as an “Article” while leveraging the title to signify it being a short paper. For manuscripts submitted as Communications, the title of the paper should be preceded by “Communication:”, and Technical Notes preceded by “Technical Note:”.

While both manuscript formats are short papers, each serves a particular purpose:

• Communications will present timely, significant advances that demonstrate urgency, innovation, or cross-disciplinary relevance. As such, Communications will be reviewed on an expedited schedule when justified by such significance or timeliness.
• Technical Notes will instead highlight practical innovations where utility is the basis for publication more than novelty or originality. Technical Notes should answer one key question: What do these techniques / results enable that others do not, and why does that matter for process chemists?

Short-format articles in OPR&D contribute to a growing, searchable archive of practical chemical knowledge—an evolving resource that complements traditional full-length papers. These concise contributions document real-world solutions, from safer startup protocols to efficient scale-ups, forming a living compendium of process wisdom. By lowering the barrier to publication, they connect industry and academia, experienced professionals and early-career scientists, fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas. This approach reflects the journal’s belief that innovation doesn’t need to wait for a “complete story”—each step forward, each lesson learned, is worth sharing. In embracing Communications and Technical Notes, OPR&D invites its community to help write the future of process chemistry, one impactful insight at a time.

Submission Information

We welcome submissions for this open Call for Short Papers in 2026. For more information on submission requirements beyond specifics to this initiative, please visit the journal’s Author Guidelines page.

Submissions accepted for publication for this open Call for Short Papers will be available ASAP (as soon as publishable) online as soon as they are accepted and subsequently published in the next available issue of OPR&D. Manuscripts submitted for consideration will undergo the full rigorous peer review process expected from ACS journals.

Open Access: There are diverse open-access options for publications in American Chemical Society journals. Please visit our Open Science Resource Center for more information.

How to Submit

• Log in to the ACS Publishing Center.
• Select the "Journals" tab.
• Choose Organic Process Research & Development.
• Click "Submit."
• Select the “Article” manuscript type, and note in the title of the manuscript and cover letter that the manuscript is being submitted as a Communication or Technical Note.

If you have any general questions regarding submission to this Special Issue, please contact the journal editorial office (oprd@oprd.acs.org).