RE: Load balancing

["Hamaker, Chuck" <cahamake@email.uncc.edu>]

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Chuck Hamaker asked:  Do some publishers practice load balancing--where
content submitted to one journal is passed to editors of a different
journal who are running short on submissions? The incentive to keep
publishing schedules especially since we all prepay subscriptions could be
very strong. I don't know that this happens, but then how would we know
unless publisher's state their policies clearly and provide auditable
tracks?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Evan Owens wrote:

There are legitimate reasons for passing articles from journal to journal.  
Sibling journals with different focus within the same discipline (e.g.,
clinical versus research) might refer authors to the more appropriate
publication venue. A society that publishes short, medium, and long
articles in the same subject area in three different bindings might
redirect submissions to the appropriate editorial office based on the
length of the submission.  In neither case would this have anything to do
with lack of submissions or publishing schedules.

Chuck:  I can understand referring author's to other journals, not so sure
about referring specific papers to other journals. I guess I'd be
concerned if the internal or in-house editor recommended or referred
articles to the journal editors. I think what I was trying to get at, is
editorial independence. Anything impinging on that.

Evan Owens: How would you tell the difference between referral based on
editorial direction or suitability of the submission from "load
balancing?" And why is load balancing a bad thing, assuming that the
articles meet the peer review standards of the journal in which they are
published?

Chuck: CopyFlow determines bottom line viability of a journal doesn't it?  
At least that's what I've always been told by publishers. They say if
authors want to publish, sales will follow. The issue would be if copyflow
were being artificially propped up by a publisher redirecting submissions.
If there aren't submissions, then the journal probably needs to die. But
if you can artificially keep it going by redirecting articles sent to
other journals what little competition that exists in journals is reduced.

Evan Owens:  I don't quite understand the concern here.  The comments on
the list seem to agree that publishing an article twice without proper
notice is a bad thing.  Why is publishing an article _once_ problematic,
as long as it is with the full consent of the author and the peer review
standards of the publication are upheld?

Chuck:  In publisher owned journals is a recommendation from an internal
or in-house editor likely to over-ride the editor's decision making? I
think editorial independence is ultimately the issue. Without it, we have
significant potential for abuse imo.

Evan Owens:  In in interests of full disclosure, my comments are based on
many years of writing software to support editorial offices and the peer
review process and not first-hand experience as a journal editor.

Evan:  Thanks for responding, I was hoping someone would react to this,
and perhaps we would have a bit more insight into how copyflow control
systems actually work. Thanks for commenting.  Chuck Hamaker

____