Configure Use of Sections/Categories

The Section/Category list is defined by the publication and can be used to group submissions. Submissions can be designated as belonging in a particular Section of the publication or belonging to a particular Category (e.g., Life Sciences or Letter to the Editor).

Section/Category information may be used in several ways:

To identify the section of a publication in which a submission should be included;
To identify a submission with a category to facilitate searching submissions;
To identify a section or category of submissions for which a particular Editor holds responsibility.

Section/Category information becomes part of the submission metadata and is displayed on the submission's Manuscript Details page (if configured to appear), as well as in all Editorial and Proposal folders. In addition, the Search Submissions tool includes Section/Category Name as a search criterion. Custom Metadata IDs may also be associated with sections and categories.

The Section/Category field may be configured to display on the Notify Author page. Display on the Notify Author page is configured by Decision Family. When an Editor submits a decision in one of the configured families, the Section/Category field will be displayed on the Notify Author page.

Section/Category Name is available as a search criterion in the submission search tool and the Editor search tool.

Section/Category use with Direct-to-Editor feature

Individual Editors can be associated with one or more Section/Category terms. This setting is used by the Direct-to-Editor functionality that allows Authors to choose a section or category during the submission process. When an Author chooses a section or category for a submission, the system directs it to the associated Editor.

Each Section/Category term can be assigned to only one Editor. This means that a direct-to-editor submission cannot be redirected to another Editor.

A submission will default to the New Submissions Requiring Assignments folder if an a Direct-to-Editor association is not available (e.g., the publication has not made the Select Section/Category option mandatory and the Author does not select a Section/Category during the submission step, or the publication has not assigned all Section/Category terms to Editors and the Author selects one of the non-assigned Section/Category terms).

To Configure:

Go to PolicyManager > Submission Policies > Edit Sections/Categories.

The Edit Sections/Categories page displays the publication's master list of defined Sections/Categories. The order here is reflected in the drop-down list presented to users.

The list may be reordered. Individual Section/Category names may be hidden (deactivated and no longer available for new or revised manuscripts) or removed. Hidden and removed names remain available as submission search values.The list may be reordered. Individual Section/Category names may be hidden (deactivated and no longer available for new or revised manuscripts) or removed. Hidden and removed names remain available as submission search values.

To reorder the list, use the arrow tools.

To hide a section/category:

Click the Edit link to open the Edit Section/Category Name page.
Check the box next to Hide.
Click the Update button.

Hidden items appear in italics at the bottom of the list on the Edit Sections/Categories page.

To remove a section/category:

Click the Remove link.
Click the OK button in the confirmation pop-up window.

To create a new section/category:

New Section/Category: Enter a name for the section/category in the text box.
Responsible Editor: Select from the drop-down list or leave set at “None.” (Editor selection is required only if Editor assignment functionality is configured for "Submissions where Author has selected an Editor" in PolicyManager > Set Editor Assignment Options.)
Optional: Associate a custom metadata ID with the section/category.
1. Enter a custom metadata ID in the text box or use the Select Custom Metadata ID link to choose from available IDs. (For details, see Define Custom Metadata IDs.)
2. Click the Add button.
Optional: Make the Section/Category field available on the Notify Author page.
1. Check the box to enable display.
2. Use the multi-selector box to choose one or more Decision Families.
When finished, click Save Changes and Return to PolicyManager.

To present the Select Section/Category submission step, go to PolicyManager > Submission Policies > Edit Article Types.

Select the Article Type to configure and click the Edit link.
On the Edit Article Type page to the Article Type Parameters section.
Set "Select Section/Category" Preferences: Select settings from the drop-down list for both new and revised submissions:
1. Optional (the Author may request an Editor)
2. Required (the Author must request an Editor to complete submission). Select this option if using the Direct-to-Editor feature.
3. Hidden (the step is not displayed in the interface).
When finished, click Submit.

For details on Article Type configuration, see Configure Article Types.

The merge field %SECTION_CATEGORY% identifies the submission's Section/Category chosen by the Author. This merge field can be added to any letter associated with a submission (excluding Batch email).

To display the Section/Category field on Details pages, see Configure Details Page.

For related information, see:

Direct-to-Editor Feature