Configure Discussion Forums

Publications can enable the Discussion Forum feature to provide a means for Editors to solicit informal opinions or feedback regarding a submission from other Editors. Editors (with proper permission) can invite other Editors to participate in a discussion (e.g., second opinion, editorial consultation). Discussion is tangential to the editorial workflow of Editor assignment, peer review, and Editor decision.

A discussion can be initiated at any point in the workflow. Multiple discussion topics can be created for a submission, allowing Editors (with proper permission) to have different discussions with different sets of Editors.

For Editor directions on how to use discussion forums, see Discussion Forums.

The discussion forum allows Editors to pose questions and post comments without delaying the editorial or production process in any way. However, if a publication wants to effectively freeze the editorial process on a submission while an informal discussion takes place, this can be done by not assigning Editors or inviting Reviewers until the discussion topic is closed.

When the initiating Editor invites other Editors to participate in a discussion, the invitation letter can be configured to include a deep link that provides direct access to the Discussion page.

Editors who initiate or accept an invitation to participate in a discussion see a Submissions with Active Discussions folder on their Main Menu page. The folder only displays discussions with which the Editor is associated. A Discussions link also appears for the submission in various Editor folders.

An indicator showing the number of unread posts may be configured to display. The indicator is a blue circle with the number shown in white. On the Editor's Main Menu, next to the Submissions with Active Discussions folder, the indicator shows the number of unread posts for all discussions.

Within the Submissions with Active Discussions folder, an indicator shows the number of unread posts for each discussion topic.

Note: If an Editor has been blocked for a submission, that Editor will not be available for inclusion in a discussion of the submission and will not have visibility to the discussion. For details, see Configure Option to Hide Submission from Other Editor.

Once a discussion is underway, participants may access the discussion page to engage in the discussion. A Comments box enables them to enter feedback. Comments already made are listed with the name of the Editor who made them and the date posted. Unread comments appear at the top of the list marked with a blue dot. A complete list of participants also appears on the page. Links allow users to view the submission, reviews and comments, and manuscript details (if corresponding permissions are enabled).

The Discussion page for the facilitator also displays a Conclude Discussion button. Concluding a discussion makes it inaccessible for further comment. An Editor (with Initiate and Manage permission) may reopen a discussion by clicking the Discussions link on the submission's Details page and opening the Discussion page. The page for a concluded discussion displays a Reopen Discussion button. The Editor may click the button to reopen the discussion and then invite participants.

Topic templates may be configured for Editors to use as a starting point when creating a new discussion topic. Templates simplify the discussion initiation process, providing a set of topics and initial comments to "standardize" discussions and reduce the need to re-type information that is used for frequent discussions.

For information on using discussion forums, see Discussion Forums.

To configure:

Configurations are required in RoleManager and PolicyManager.

To grant permissions, go to RoleManager > Editor Role. Grant permissions to the applicable Editor roles:

1. View All Discussions: Enables Editors to view all discussions, both active and closed, to which they have access (are not blocked).
2. Initiate and Manage Discussions: Enables Editors to initiate a new discussion topic and post a comment within a discussion they opened or one to which they have been invited. Two sub-permissions define limitations on discussion management:
   1. My Discussions Only: Editor roles with this option may initiate a discussion on any submission to which they have access, but they may only add participants, change participant permissions, post a comment, close a discussion topic or reopen a discussion topic for discussion topics they have initiated.
   2. All Discussions: Editor roles with this permission may initiate a discussion, post a comment in any discussion, add participants to any discussion, change participant permissions in any discussion, close any discussion, or reopen any discussion.

Several letters must be available for use with discussion forums. Letters should be created in the Discussion Forum letter family. Go to PolicyManager > Email and Letters Policies > Edit Letters.

• An invitation letter may be sent to any Editor selected to participate in a discussion.
• A notification letter should be configured to go to the initiating Editor (or to all active participants) any time a comment is posted to the discussion.
• Another letter should be configured for use with the Send Email link from the Discussions page. (This is similar to an ad hoc letter, but only letters in the Discussion Forum family can be sent from this page.)

Five merge fields are available for sending information on discussion forums:

• %DISCUSSION_DEEP_LINK% inserts a hyperlink to the discussion page. May be used in the invitation letter or in a letter sent via the Send Email link on the Discussions page.
• %INITIAL_DISCUSSION_POST% inserts the comments posted in the Initial Comments box for the discussion topic for which the letter is sent.
• %DISCUSSION_POST% inserts the most recent comments posted in the discussion topic for which the letter is sent.
• %ALL_DISCUSSION_POSTS% inserts all posts associated with the current discussion thread.
• %DISCUSSION_PARTICPANTS% inserts a list of all participants associated with the current discussion thread.

For details on letter configuration, see Create Letters.

A link to discussion forums may be included on custom Details pages. See Configure Details Page.

To set parameters for discussion forums, go to PolicyManager > Discussion Forums > Configure Discussion Forum Settings.

1. In the top text box, enter any custom instructions that should be displayed for Editors on the Discussion page.
2. Set the rule for the deep link expiration. The link (used in invitations and reminders) can be set to expire after a designated number of clicks or days, or it may be set to expire when the discussion is closed. Check the box next to the chosen setting and (if needed) enter the number of clicks/days.
3. Check the box to display the indicators of unread discussion posts (if desired).
4. When finished, click Submit.

To create topic templates, go to PolicyManager > Discussion Forums > Configure Discussion Topic Templates.

The configure Discussion Topic Templates main page displays a list of all configured templates. Templates may be edited or removed (using the links). (The Master Topic Template may not be removed.) Templates that have been hidden (made unavailable) appear below the main list in italics.

Templates may be reordered by entering numbers in the Order column and clicking the Update Order button. The order here is reflected in the order displayed to Editors in the drop-down list when initiating a discussion. At the top of the page, check the box next to Require if Editors must choose a template. (If not required, Editors may manually enter a topic and initial comment or select a template.)

Click the Add button to create a new template or click the Edit link to edit an existing one.

On the Add/Edit Discussion Topic Template page complete the following:

Discussion Topic Template Type: Editor Consultation.

Discussion Topic Template Name: Enter a name (this appears in the Choose Topic Template drop-down list displayed to the initiating Editor).

Initiate Discussion Page Custom Instructions: Enter any instructions. These custom instructions appear on the Initiate Discussion page when the initiating Editor selects this particular template.

Topic: Enter a topic name. This appears to the participants (as the link to the Discussion page). Check the box to allow the Editor to edit the topic name when initiating the discussion. This field may be left blank if the publication does not wish to use topic names. Note: If the publication plans to use multiple discussion topic capabilities on a regular basis, creating multiple templates with different topic names makes it easier to differentiate between the different discussion threads.

Initial Comments: Enter default initial comments. (Initial comments are required to begin a discussion.) Check the box to allow the Editor to edit the initial comments when initiating the discussion.

Default Editor Participant Permissions: These permissions enable links to appear on the Discussion page. Check the box next to the applicable permission(s).

• View Reviews and Comments
• Download Files (source and companion)
• View Draft Decision Letter

Editor Access to "Details" Link: Check the box to display the Details link for each submission in the Submissions with Active Discussions folder and on the Discussion page. Use the drop-down list to select the Details page layout users should see (if they are not in the Editor Chain and do not have applicable RoleManager permissions).

Editor Discussion Letters:

1. Use the drop-down list to select the invitation letter (as configured above).
2. Use the drop-down list to select the notification letter when new comments are posted (as configured above).
3. Use the radio button to select who receives the notification:
   • Notify discussion initiator only
   • Notify all active Editor participants
4. When finished, click Submit.

Hide: Check this box to make the template unavailable for use.

Automatically initiate discussions

Publications can configure discussions to be initiated automatically when an invited Editor accepts an invitation, or when the first Editor is assigned to handle a submission.

For a discussion to be initiated automatically:

• The Editor who sends the invitation or makes the assignment must have the RoleManager permission Initiate and Manage Discussions. This Editor becomes the discussion initiator.
• The Editor who accepts the invitation or is assigned must have a role identified in the automatic initiation settings. This Editor becomes a discussion participant.
• The submission must be of an Article Type identified in the automatic initiation settings

When a discussion is initiated automatically, a letter (if configured for the associate template) is sent to alert the Editor participant of the discussion. (No letter is sent to an initiator.)

Once the discussion topic is started, the initiating Editor may manage the topic as usual (add participants, conclude the discussion, initiate another discussion, etc.). Editor participants may read and post comments. Participants may be removed after a discussion concludes.

The discussion launched is based on a configured topic template.

Two triggers are available to initiate Editor discussions automatically:

1. Editor Assigned: Use this trigger when the first Editor is directly assigned to the submission. For use with:
   1. Individual Editor assignment when first Editor has the RoleManager permission, Receive Assignments without Invitation.
   2. Editor chain assignment (first Editor is automatically assigned).
   3. Direct-to-Editor feature is enabled and is configured for automatic assignment (first Editor is automatically assigned).
2. Editor Agrees to Assignment: Use this trigger when the first Editor is invited and must accept the submission assignment. For use with:
   1. Individual Editor assignment when first Editor has the RoleManager permission, Receive Invitations for Assignments.
   2. Direct-to-Editor feature is enabled, and first Editor must self-assign the submission.
   3. Suggest Editor feature is enabled (first Editor must accept invitation).

To Configure:

Go to RoleManager > Editor Roles. Grant permissions to the applicable Editor roles:

1. Receive Assignments in 'New Assignments' Folder
   1. Receive Assignments without Invitation: Use roles with this sub-permission when Editor Assigned event will trigger the discussion.
   2. Receive Invitations for Assignments: Use roles with this sub-permission when Editor Agrees to Assignment event will trigger the discussion.

Go to PolicyManager > Discussion Forums > Configure Automatic Discussion Initiation.

This page displays a grid of all configured Article Types (left column) and settings for the discussion triggers, Editor Assigned or Editor Agrees to Assignment. (The trigger in the right column applies to Reviewer discussion.)

Make configurations in the applicable discussion trigger column. For each Article Type to have automatic discussion initiation:

1. Check the box next to the setting, Initiate Editor Consultation Discussion Automatically.
2. Use the selector list, to identify/highlight one or more Editor role(s). The invitation acceptance or assignment of a first Editor with this role will automatically launch the discussion.
3. Use the drop-down menu to select a topic template.
4. When finished, click Submit.

An Article Type can be configured for automatic initiation of both an Editor discussion and a Reviewer discussion.

For information on Reviewer discussion forums, see:

Configure Reviewer Consultation (Discussion Forum for Reviewers)

 

 

 

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