Every stage of the publishing process, from editorial assessment and peer review to integrity checks, infrastructure, and open access support, is designed with a common goal: helping you communicate your research with maximum clarity, credibility, and impact.
When you submit a manuscript, your focus is naturally on sharing your research with the international scientific community. But between submission and acceptance, a significant amount of work takes place behind the scenes to help strengthen your article, ensure its integrity, and maximize its chances of making a meaningful impact.
More than half of the total investment required to transform an initial submission into a published article is made before a manuscript is accepted. These investments are concentrated in expert editorial support, research integrity processes, and publishing infrastructure that help you navigate the publication journey and present your work with confidence.
This article will look at a few of these activities in greater detail. In conjunction with our 'Profiles in Publishing' series we aim to shed light on some of the lesser-known parts of the article development process that help make ACS Publications journals home to the most trusted, most cited, and most read scientific content.
Expert involvement, every step of the way
Robust peer review is much more than a publication requirement. It provides a valuable opportunity to strengthen your manuscript, with reviewer and editor feedback used to help clarify findings, improve presentation, address potential concerns, and ultimately enhance the quality and credibility of the final published article.
One of the greatest benefits of publishing with ACS Publications is access to a global network of research-active editors who bring deep subject-matter expertise to every stage of the editorial process. From the moment your manuscript is submitted, our team of editors evaluate its scientific contribution, novelty, and suitability for the journal, helping ensure your work receives informed and meaningful consideration.
These editors are supported by dedicated editorial and publishing staff who help manage the journey from submission to acceptance. Together, they guide your manuscript through the review process and work to identify qualified peer reviewers who can provide constructive, timely feedback.
If the journal you initially selected is not the best fit for your research, ACS Publications can also help facilitate transfers within our portfolio. This service can save valuable time by helping your manuscript reach the audience most likely to engage with and build upon your work, without requiring you to restart the submission process elsewhere.
Investment in publishing integrity means greater confidence in your research
As a researcher, your reputation is closely connected to the quality and reliability of the work you publish. That is why research integrity remains a cornerstone of the ACS Publications editorial process.
In rare cases where concerns are raised during the peer review process, manuscripts undergo a range of quality checks conducted by editorial teams and the Publishing Integrity Office (PIO). These reviews can include checks of scientific data, references, plagiarism screening, and other assessments designed to identify potential issues before publication.
For authors, these safeguards provide important benefits. They help ensure that published articles meet high standards of scientific rigor, support trust in the scholarly record, and reinforce confidence in the research being communicated.
Many of these processes necessarily remain confidential to preserve their effectiveness. In conjunction with the newly updated ACS Ethical Guidelines to Publication of Chemical Research, they reflect ACS Publications' ongoing commitment to maintaining the integrity of the scientific literature and supporting researchers in publishing responsibly.
Industry-leading infrastructure to simplify the publishing experience
Publishing a manuscript involves many moving parts, from submission and peer review to revisions and final decisions.
Your next submission to an ACS journal will start with the ACS Publishing Center. This is a new platform which creates a smoother submission experience while bringing multiple publishing workflows together in a single environment. You can more easily submit manuscripts, track their progress through review, and stay informed throughout the editorial process.
Beyond manuscript management, ACS Publications also invests in resources that help researchers build publishing expertise, learn the norms of research publishing, and understand how all the parts of the process fit together.
For early-career or first-time authors, the ACS Author Lab provides free educational content designed to help you select appropriate journals, communicate the significance of your research effectively, and better understand the publishing process. Whether you are preparing your first manuscript or refining your publication strategy, these resources can help you navigate key decisions with greater confidence.
ACS Publications also supports the broader research ecosystem through ACS Reviewer Lab, a free training resource that helps reviewers understand best practices in peer review. Better-trained reviewers contribute higher-quality feedback, creating a stronger and more constructive review experience for authors.
Supporting your research from submission to publication and beyond
The investments made before acceptance are an important part of the support ACS Publications provides to authors. Every submitted manuscript benefits from editorial evaluation and publishing infrastructure, while manuscripts sent for peer review receive the full value of the expert assessment and integrity processes that help strengthen published research.
These investments are supported through ACS Publications' publishing models, including the zero-embargo green open access option. If you choose to publish in a hybrid journal, this option provides a way for you to immediately self-archive your accepted manuscript upon publication, helping satisfy funder and institutional requirements for immediate public access to research outputs.
Immediate self-archiving is also included in all ACS Publications institutional open access agreements, which cover researchers at thousands of institutions around the world. If your institution provides you with this support, you can upload your manuscript directly to your funder’s or institution’s repository immediately upon publication, increasing the accessibility and reach of your research while simplifying compliance with funder and institutional policies.
View the Profiles in Publishing Series
Profiles in Publishing: An Interview Series
The “Profiles in Publishing” series features dedicated staff members from around the globe who work to ensure that ACS Publications delivers on our promise of the most trusted, most cited, and most read journals in the chemical and related sciences.