Production

Manuscripts that are accepted for publication will usually be checked by a copyeditor for spelling and formal style. All journals follow certain standards with regard to the presentation of the content and copyeditors make sure that manuscripts conform to these styles. For example, they will check the references against the reference style and correct them if necessary. Any discrepancies between the list and the citation in the text will be pointed out to the author later in the proofs.

If English is not your native language you may want to have your manuscript edited by a native speaker or use a professional language editing service, where editors will improve the English to ensure that your meaning is clear and identify problems that require your review. Two such services are provided by our affiliates Nature Research Editing Service and American Journal Experts. They provide for scientific articles in medicine, biomedical and life sciences, chemistry, physics, engineering, business/economics, and humanities. Please contact:

• Nature Research Editing Service
• American Journal Experts

Using an editing service is neither a requirement nor a guarantee of acceptance for publication. Nature Research Editing Service and American Journal Experts will charge authors directly for these language polishing services.

Each article undergoes a number of processing steps before a typeset proof can be sent to the author. This includes conversion into a neutral format such as XML, technical markup, image processing and typesetting.

Conversion and XML creation

Content is prepared so that it can easily be found on Springer Nature Link, Google, etc. and can be used for various outputs (e.g., conversion to HTML for Internet publication or into a typesetting system for printing). This means that the manuscript data is enriched with additional information (tags) that go beyond the pure contents of the text. For example, the tagging of the metadata such as author name(s) and affiliations ensures that all relevant data is available as required. The tagging of the reference list entries enables us to crosslink the cited references with the original publication.

Image processing

The technical quality of the figures will be checked. You will be requested to provide better quality figures if the original figures are unsuitable for reproduction. The figures will then be sized according to the layout requirements. They will be placed near their citation in the text, depending on availability of space. Please note that Springer will not redraw or re-letter any images. Part figure labels will not be changed according to the legend.

Typesetting

The copyedited text and the figures are now imported into the typesetting system and formatted according to the journal’s layout specifications.

You will receive your page proofs approximately two weeks after finishing the MyPublication process.

• The proofs are sent to you via e-mail including a hyperlink. The purpose of the proof is to check for typesetting or conversion errors and the completeness and accuracy of the text, tables and figures.
• The typesetter will insert queries in the proofs wherever clarifications are required from the author. You will be asked to return the proofs with your comments and/or corrections to the typesetter by e.Proofing, email or fax.
• You will also receive a metadata sheet showing the header information that will later appear on Springer Nature Link and other online platforms. This should also be checked, especially the author(s) names and affiliations.

Author’s corrections: limitations

• After the manuscript is accepted for production, alterations beyond minor corrections (especially corrections for typographical errors arising during the typesetting processes) are not permitted.
• Changes that involve only matters of style will not be carried out by the typesetter, as we have generally introduced forms that follow the journal’s style.
• Substantial changes in content, e.g., new results, corrected values, and changes of title and authorship are not allowed without the approval of the responsible editor.
• Usually, revised proofs will not be sent to the author. Authors may, however, ask for a revised proof in case of multiple errors and extensive corrections.

e.Proofing offers Springer authors an easy way of making corrections to their article, book chapter or entire book proofs –  online. It speeds up the proofing process and minimizes correction-related errors.

How the online proofing process works

e.Proofing provides you with an interactive XML* proof of your article, book chapter or book which allows you to enter corrections directly into the text, tables, equations or figure captions and send them back to our production department with a single click.

In addition to the XML*, a PDF version including your corrections is provided for your records.

You can save your session and finalize your proof revisions later.

For a better overview, all corrections are highlighted, also listed separately and hyperlinked, so you can jump from one correction to the next easily.

After the proof's submission, our production managers will review your corrections to make sure they are in accordance with Springer's style guides and have not changed the content of the work.

e.Proofing is supported by all major browsers and mobile devices (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera).

If you need help, check out the short videos and the FAQ page for assistance.

The benefits

• e.Proofing allows a more accurate integration of corrections since there is no need to re-key them.

• The time it takes to correct the proofs and publish your work is reduced.

*) XML means Extensible Markup Language. It defines rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable and is the basic format for publishing your article in any electronic or print version.

Please contact our author support for questions about article production:

• Author Support