Merge fields are placeholders used to represent variables in the body of an email letter. The information that populates the merge field is pulled from the database. Merge fields can be used in letters created in the EM/PM system.
For additional information, see the video on using merge fields.
Some merge fields in EM pull in information related to People records, while others pull in information related to submissions. Merge fields associated with people information—such as names, contact information, and affiliations—can be used in all letters. However, care must be taken to identify which user's people information will be populated in a letter (e.g., some merge fields pull in information related to the recipient of the email, while others pull in information related to the sender).
Merge fields that pull in submission information—such as titles, due dates, review comments—can be used only in letters related to the specific submission. These submission-related merge fields include fields that populate information on Authors, Reviewers, and Handling and Corresponding Editors. These fields do insert people information related to those users, but the people are specific to the submission.
Some merge fields are restricted in their use, such as for a specific event or in a particular workflow. These include discussion forums, conference submissions, transfers, production, and reports. These merge fields may not be available for other uses.
When additional recipients are designated on a letter, either copied (cc) or blind-copied (bcc), EM creates a separate copy of the letter for each recipient. In the letter to the primary recipient, all the merge fields populate with information related to that primary recipient. In the copies (cc or bcc) to additional recipients, merge fields still pull information related to the primary recipient, but some fields are anonymized for additional recipients and do not populate.
For any merge field, if there is no corresponding information in the record, the merge field is not populated in the sent email. Depending on how the email is formatted, the recipient will see some amount of blank space.
Take care when formatting emails with merge fields. Be sure the % character marks the start and end of the merge field name (this formatting is part of the name). Do not insert spaces between any of the characters in the merge field name. Do use a space before and after the merge field name (e.g., do not type a punctuation mark immediately after). Incorrectly formatted merge fields will not function (see examples in red below).
Please contact: %PUBLICATION_EMAIL_EM% (Correctly formatted)
Please contact: %PUBLICATION _EMAIL_EM% (Extra space in the name)
Please contact:%PUBLICATION_EMAIL_EM% (No space between introductory text and merge field name)
For convenience, an Insert System Merge Fields link appears on all Edit Letter template pages in PolicyManager. The link opens a full list of merge fields and their descriptions as well as a search tool. Clicking on a merge field name on the main list or in search results inserts the field into the letter body.
Some merge fields insert a deep link (clickable text or a URL, depending on letter format) into an email letter, which directs the recipient to a particular page in the EM/PM system. These merge fields are for use in specific emails to specific roles, such as when inviting or assigning a user to a submission or task. Deep-linking merge fields populate only in emails to the primary recipient (not in the copied emails sent cc or bcc, and not in emails to a recipient with a preferred method of contact designated as something other than email). Some deep links log the user fully in to EM, while others deliver the user to a page to perform a single action and do not log into the system completely. The expiration rules for these deep links are set in PolicyManager.
Some email security systems (i.e., spam filters) click links in emails to check for malicious activity. This may result in the recipient finding a non-working deep link, if the link is set to expire after one click. Some filters click only the first link in the email, so it may be helpful to put the publication’s Editorial Manager home page link before any actionable deep links (such as Accept or Decline an invitation). Publications may also enable the CAPTCHA feature to shield deep links from email security systems. See Shield Deep Links from Email Security Systems.
Note: Two points about deep-link behavior that users should note. One: Because deep links appear in emails, the expected condition is that the user is not logged into the site when the link is clicked; the link will not work if the user is already logged in (or if another user is already logged into the site on the same computer). Two: Because most deep links are configured to expire, it is recommended that users not bookmark a page reached via a deep link. (The bookmark will capture the expiration information.)
Most merge fields related to people pull in information from the user record of the recipient. The sets of merge fields related to Corresponding Editor pull in the information from the record or the user assigned as Corresponding Editor for a particular submission in letters related to that submission. The Corresponding Production Editor merge fields work the same way, pulling in the identifying details of the user assigned as Corresponding Production Editor for a submission in production.
For publications running double-anonymized peer review, merge fields that pull Author-identifying information can be anonymized for use in Decision letters. These are stored as unmerged fields rather than pulling information into the Decision letter, so that the identifying information about the user is not revealed. The merge fields populate only when the letter is previewed by the Editor and sent to the Author. Reviewers may access the Decision letter through their Completed Assignments folder; the letter displays the merge fields as asterisks (*****). Anonymizing the merge fields requires a PolicyManager setting.
For the complete list of these merge fields, see Anonymized merge fields for Notify Author (Decision) letters.
Go to PolicyManager >Email and Letter Policies > Set Decision Letter Anonymizing Policy.
For more on merge fields, see:
Merge Field Quick Reference Guide
Custom Merge Fields for Letters
Additional Manuscript Detail Merge Fields for Letters
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