A Race Against the (Publishing) Clock: Flexibility, Timelines, and Publisher Collaboration

Researchers are understandably interested in publishing their work quickly to ensure that their research is available in a timely manner. At the rate with which research progresses, and the ease of access that is becoming prevalent in academic communities, publishing research before it becomes outdated is an ever-present challenge for editors and authors as well as publishing companies. One of the major factors that researchers must take into account when considering a new publication project is time. Major reference publications, such as authored and edited books, are significant time commitments, and, often, this commitment discourages researchers from embarking on these projects. There is also a significant amount of stress that researchers can experience due to projects that drag on for long periods of time. With “publish or perish” pressure permeating the academic world, timelines that allow for faster turnaround while maintaining ethical publishing practices and high quality become a significant influence for editors and authors when considering a publisher to work with.

IGI Global hopes to mitigate some of this stress for authors and editors by offering tailored timelines and eliminating downtime without sacrificing the quality of the research that results from these projects. Reasonable timelines that take the value of time into consideration, and how much time that specific project will require from beginning to end are core to the development process, rather than creating schedules that stretch on for overly long periods of time, creating a prolonged source of pressure for those involved.

In addition, various timelines are offered based on the scheduling needs of an editor or author. While deadlines are firm once agreed upon, the timeline can be molded to fit the needs of the editor or author as well as the project itself before they are finalized, cutting out months of unnecessary time. It might make the process seem more daunting, but it is merely streamlined to eliminate gaps and delay. Editors and authors are still given sufficient time to recruit or write high quality content for their publications.

Due to this streamlined process and downtime mitigation, the process of completing a project goes from years to months. This allows research to reach the academic community while it is still new and cutting-edge, rather than dating the research before it makes it to the shelves. By allowing the publisher and the editor or author to collaborate in the initial stages of creating a timeline, IGI Global can offer a personalization and flexibility not common in the academic publishing industry.

If you are interested in taking advantage of IGI Global’s expedited and quality-centric publishing process to ensure your research receives the highest recognition and impact in your field of research, we invite you to check out our Publish With Page to submit a book or journal proposal or locate a suitable book or journal for your manuscript.