David Abergel (Nature Physics) - “Inside Nature Physics”

Rice Center for Quantum Materials

1 Dec 2021100:57

EducationalLearning

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TLDRThe speaker, a senior editor at Nature Physics, shares insights into the editorial process and the role of journals in the scientific community. They discuss the challenges of selecting significant research from numerous submissions, the importance of peer review, and the journal's commitment to editorial independence. The talk also explores new models for open access publishing, including transformative agreements and a pilot program called 'Guided Open Access.' The speaker emphasizes the need for broad audience interest and the potential of topological materials, while acknowledging the difficulty in predicting material behaviors like superconductivity.

Takeaways

📚 The speaker is a senior editor at Nature Physics with a background in 2D materials and has worked on topological materials and strongly correlated systems.
🌐 Nature Physics and other journals by the company aim to filter and reflect the breadth of scientific work to the broader community, highlighting exciting advances and filtering out detailed research.
🔍 The editorial process involves managing peer review, which is seen as fundamental to science, and maintaining an archival role, ensuring content is stored and accessible even if the internet goes down.
🏛 The company operates a pyramid of journals, each catering to a different scientific community, with editorial independence being a strong principle.
📉 The acceptance rate for the journals is quite low, with only around 7-8% of submissions published, reflecting a highly selective process.
💬 The initial editorial decision focuses on whether the paper has broad interest, with new physics being a strong criterion for selection.
📝 Post-review decisions consider technical issues and editorial advice, but the final decision rests with the editor, who can sometimes override referee advice.
💡 The speaker discussed new initiatives in open access publishing, including transformative agreements and a pilot program called Guided Open Access.
🔑 The Guided Open Access model involves an initial editorial assessment report, providing detailed feedback to authors, and a split payment structure for the processing charge.
❓ The speaker acknowledged the challenges in the current peer review system and the need for a better mechanism for community discussion and credibility assessment of papers.
🌟 The importance of journals is emphasized for their role in archiving, curating, and providing a platform for broader dissemination of research findings.

Q & A

What is the main role of the speaker in the transcript?
-The speaker is a senior editor at Nature Physics, and they discuss their background in 2D materials and their current responsibilities in managing the peer review process and editorial decisions for the journal.
What does the speaker suggest is the primary function of Nature Physics and similar journals?
-The speaker suggests that the primary function is to filter and reflect to the broader community the breadth of scientific work, highlighting the most exciting and valuable research.
How does the speaker describe the peer review process managed by their organization?
-The speaker describes the peer review process as fundamental to science, not perfect but necessary. They manage this process and provide a space for scientific discussion.
What is the significance of the plot shown in the transcript related to submissions to the archive?
-The plot signifies the high volume of submissions, with 140,000 students per year being a big number, indicating the journal's role in filtering and reflecting important work to the broader community.
What archival role does the speaker mention for Nature Physics?
-The speaker mentions that there is a printed copy of every Nature Physics issue in the British Library, ensuring that the content is archived even if the internet goes down.
What is the 'front half' content in Nature journals, and why is it important?
-The 'front half' content includes perspectives, review articles, and news and views pieces that provide broader context and interpretation of research for a wider audience, making the research more accessible.
What is the principle of editorial independence within the journals mentioned by the speaker?
-Editorial independence means that editors work for one journal and do not discuss papers with each other across different journals, ensuring that editorial decisions are made independently for each publication.
How does the speaker describe the process of choosing which journal to submit research to?
-The speaker suggests that researchers should choose the journal that best fits the audience for their work, as each journal caters to a different specialist audience.
What is the role of the 'back half' in Nature journals, and what does it contain?
-The 'back half' contains research papers, articles, and letters. It is the main part of the journal that is focused on the core scientific contributions being published.
What are the three ways to publish a paper open access in the Nature journals as mentioned by the speaker?
-The three ways are: traditional gold open access with a high processing fee, transformative agreements between the publisher and institutions that bundle subscription and open access fees, and guided open access which involves an initial editorial assessment fee and a top-up fee upon acceptance.

Outlines

00:00

Introduction and Personal Background

The speaker thanks the organizers and discusses their background in 2D materials research and their role as a senior editor at Nature Physics. They express excitement about being back in a live audience and plan to cover the editorial process, the new foray into open access, and closing thoughts.

05:02

Role of Nature Physics and Submission Trends

The speaker discusses the submission trends to the archive, highlighting the significant volume of 140,000 submissions per year. They explain their role in filtering exciting work from detailed advances, managing peer review, archiving scientific discussion, and contextualizing research for broader audiences.

10:03

Editorial Independence and Journal Structure

The speaker explains the pyramid structure of journals within their organization, emphasizing that the breadth of audience varies by journal. They stress the principle of editorial independence, where editors do not share information between journals. They also describe the different journals under their umbrella and their selective nature.

15:04

Editorial Process Overview

The speaker outlines the editorial process, from initial submission to peer review and publication. They highlight the importance of broad interest and new physics for initial editorial decisions. They also discuss the criteria for post-review decisions and the role of technical and editorial advice from referees.

20:05

Open Access Options

The speaker describes three open access options: traditional gold open access, transformative agreements, and guided open access. They detail the process and fees associated with each option and explain how guided open access allows simultaneous evaluation by multiple journals and offers an editorial assessment report.

25:05

Questions on Open Access and Editorial Standards

During the Q&A session, the speaker addresses questions about the rejection rate under the new open access plan, the separation of editorial costs from publication costs, and the broader question of why journals matter in an era dominated by the archive.

30:06

Peer Review Process and Double-Blind Review

The speaker provides statistics on peer review, noting that 14% of submissions are sent out for review, with about half of those ultimately published. They discuss the option for double-blind review and the challenges of implementing it fully in the editorial process.

35:06

Supplementary Information and Editorial Philosophy

The speaker talks about the growing length of supplementary information and the balance between providing detailed data and overwhelming reviewers. They acknowledge the different philosophies between short main papers and extensive supplementary information, reflecting the nature of the journal's audience.

40:08

Discussion on Topological Materials

The speaker engages in a discussion about the interest in topological materials, emphasizing the need for clear experimental signatures and broad interest. They address the challenge of demonstrating topological phenomena in new materials and the potential for groundbreaking discoveries.

45:10

Future of Scientific Publishing

The speaker speculates on the future of scientific publishing, emphasizing the importance of open discussion and community engagement in assessing the credibility of research. They invite feedback and ideas for improving the editorial and peer review process.

50:11

Reviewer Recognition and Transparency

The speaker discusses the options for reviewer recognition and transparency, such as signing reviews and publishing peer review reports. They highlight the importance of reflecting community preferences and ensuring a fair and transparent review process.

55:11

Final Q&A and Closing Remarks

In the final Q&A, the speaker addresses various questions from the audience, including the role of conferences in shaping editorial decisions, the impact of hot topics on publication trends, and the importance of recognizing innovative research outside mainstream areas.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Open Access

Open Access refers to the practice of providing unrestricted access via the Internet to peer-reviewed scholarly research. It is related to the video's theme as the speaker discusses the new foray of Nature Physics into open access and the options available for authors. The script mentions 'gold open access' where authors pay a processing fee to make their papers freely accessible, and 'transformative agreements' which are deals between publishers and institutions to cover open access fees collectively.

💡Peer Review

Peer review is the process by which scholars in a particular field evaluate the work of their colleagues that has been submitted for publication. It is a fundamental aspect of scientific publishing and is mentioned in the script as a service managed by the speaker's organization. The script also discusses the importance of peer review in maintaining scientific standards and the process of handling technical and editorial advice from referees.

💡Editorial Independence

Editorial independence is the principle that editors make decisions about content without influence from commercial interests or the publisher's other journals. It is highlighted in the script as a strong principle within the journals, ensuring that editors work for one journal and do not discuss papers with each other, maintaining the integrity and objectivity of the publication process.

💡Condensed Matter Physics

Condensed matter physics is a field of physics that deals with the physical properties of condensed phases, namely solids and liquids. The speaker identifies their research background in 2D materials and topological materials, which are subsets of condensed matter physics. The script reflects this keyword through the speaker's comfort in discussing topics relevant to the 'hardcore condensed matter people' community.

💡Theoretical Physicist

A theoretical physicist is a researcher who uses mathematical models and theoretical frameworks to understand the nature of the universe. The speaker mentions being a theorist by training, indicating that their approach to understanding physics is based on theoretical calculations and principles rather than experimental data. This background informs their current role as a senior editor at Nature Physics.

💡

💡Nature Physics

Nature Physics is a monthly journal that publishes research in all areas of physics. The script discusses the operations and editorial processes of Nature Physics, including its role in curating and publishing significant research, its submission and review process, and its recent move towards open access publishing. The journal is part of the Nature Research journals, which are published by Springer Nature.

💡Article Processing Charge (APC)

An Article Processing Charge (APC) is a fee charged to authors to make their research open access. The script refers to the high cost of APCs as a barrier to open access publishing. It also discusses how transformative agreements can help to spread the cost of APCs across institutions, reducing the financial burden on individual authors.

💡Research Pyramid

The research pyramid mentioned in the script refers to a metaphorical structure representing the hierarchy of journals within a publishing organization. At the top of the pyramid are broad-audience journals like Nature, followed by more specialized journals like Nature Physics. The pyramid illustrates the selectivity and focus of each journal, with the breadth of audience being a key factor in deciding where to publish.

💡Editorial Decision

An editorial decision is the choice made by an editor about whether to publish a submitted manuscript. The script discusses the criteria used for making these decisions, such as broad interest, new physics, and the importance of peer review. It also explains the process of handling manuscripts that have technical issues or do not meet the editorial criteria.

💡Guided Open Access

Guided open access is a pilot program mentioned in the script that allows simultaneous evaluation of a manuscript for publication in multiple journals. It aims to decouple the costs of assessing papers from the costs of publishing. The script explains that this model involves an initial editorial assessment fee and a top-up fee upon acceptance, providing authors with more control over the publication process.

💡Supplementary Information (SI)

Supplementary Information (SI) is additional material submitted along with a research paper that supports the study's findings but is not included in the main text. The script discusses the growing length of SI files and the challenges they present to reviewers, who may not read them in as much detail as the main paper. SI is meant to provide a more comprehensive view of the research but can also lead to information overload.

💡Topological Materials

Topological materials are a class of materials that exhibit unique electronic properties due to their topological nature. The script touches on the topic of topological materials, particularly in the context of condensed matter physics. The speaker's research background includes work on topological materials, which are of interest due to their potential applications in quantum computing and other advanced technologies.

💡Preprint Servers

A preprint server is a repository where researchers can self-archive their manuscripts prior to peer review. The script mentions the use of preprint servers like the arXiv, where researchers can share their findings quickly and openly. The speaker suggests that using preprint servers might be a more suitable approach for sharing research than running a pre-print service through a company like Nature.

💡Incentive Structure

The incentive structure in academic research refers to the system of rewards and motivations that drive researchers' behavior, such as publishing in prestigious journals or securing funding. The script implies a discussion about the incentive structure in relation to publishing open access, where authors may be motivated by mandates from funders or institutions to make their work freely accessible.

💡Transformative Agreements

Transformative agreements are deals between publishers and institutions or consortia that aim to transition the publishing landscape towards open access. The script explains that these agreements bundle subscription content with open access publishing fees, potentially reducing the financial burden on individual authors and spreading the cost across institutions.

💡Editorial Assessment Report

An editorial assessment report is a detailed response provided to authors as part of the guided open access process. The script describes this report as containing more information than a standard peer review, offering editorial feedback on how to improve the manuscript for publication in different journals. It is meant to streamline the publication process by providing clear guidance to authors.

💡Broad Interest

Broad interest, in the context of academic publishing, refers to the potential appeal of a research paper to a wide audience beyond a specific subfield. The script discusses how editors at Nature Physics consider broad interest when making editorial decisions, looking for research that is not only novel but also has the potential to engage a diverse readership.

Highlights

Introduction of the speaker's background in 2D materials and their role as a senior editor at Nature Physics.

Explanation of Nature Physics' process and the importance of peer review in scientific research.

Discussion on the role of journals in filtering and reflecting the breadth of scientific work.

Submission statistics showing a high volume of papers and the journal's role in filtering quality research.

Overview of the different types of journals within the Nature organization and their focus areas.

Emphasis on editorial independence among journals to ensure unbiased review processes.

Introduction to the concept of transformative agreements for open access publishing.

Details on the guided open access model, which includes an editorial assessment report.

The benefits of publishing in Nature Physics, including broad audience reach and high selectivity.

The editorial decision-making process, focusing on broad interest and new physics.

The division of tasks among editors at Nature Physics based on their expertise.

The importance of post-review decisions and how technical and editorial advice is considered.

The speaker's personal invitation for questions and discussions about editorial roles and processes.

Addressing questions about the impact of open access on publication decisions and costs.

Exploring the future of scientific publishing and the need for community engagement post-publication.

Reflection on the role of supplementary information in papers and its impact on the peer review process.

Discussion on the potential for double-blind review processes in peer review and editorial decisions.

Transcripts

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Academic Publishing Nature Physics Peer Review Research Journals Editorial Process Open Access Scientific Community Journal Standards Publishing Ethics Author Guidelines