Unavailable Dates

EM allows users (Author, Reviewer, Editor, and Publisher roles) to share dates for which they will be unavailable to undertake assignments.

Enter unavailable dates

Users can enter unavailable dates for themselves in the Unavailable Dates pop-up window. The Author Main Menu page may include a direct link to the Unavailable Dates window.

To enter unavailable dates:

Open the Unavailable Dates pop-up window: Click the Unavailable Dates link on the Author Main Menu, if available, OR
1. Click your name in the top right corner of the page to open the user drop-down menu.
2. Click the Update My Information link to open the Update My Information page.
3. At the bottom of the page, click the Unavailable Dates button.
In the pop-up window, click the Add New Unavailable Date link.
Enter start and end dates, a reason for the unavailability, and up to three substitutes that the publication may contact for any requested work.
When the form is complete, click Submit.

Previously entered information can be updated with the Edit or Remove links.

Alternately, the Editorial Office may enter information on behalf of a user by accessing the user's record via the Search People – Update Information page and clicking the Unavailable Dates button, which opens the same pop-up window described above.

View unavailable dates

Unavailable Date information appears on multiple Editor pages, including:

Assign Editor (single Editor selection)
Assign Editor Chain
Reassign Editors
Editor Selection Summary (Assign Editor Using Suggested Editor Queue)
Search for Editors to Invite (Assign Editor Using Suggested Editor Queue)
Initiate Discussion/Add Participants

The column header includes a timeframe (e.g., available during next 30 days), and if a person is going to be unavailable during that time, the date range and an Unavailable link appears in the column.

An Editor can click the Unavailable link to open a pop-up window, which shows the reason the Editor is unavailable and substitute contact information (if provided). An Editor can also use the search function on the above pages to filter search results by Unavailable Dates.

Note: Being "unavailable" does not preclude a person from being invited or assigned, but Editors can take this information into consideration when evaluating the appropriate person to handle an assignment.