Questions
- What are the benefits of publishing in TSACO?
- Is TSACO indexed??
- How do I submit?
- What is Open Access and an Article Publishing Charge (APC)?
- What is TSACO's APC?
- How do I pay?
- Does TSACO offer discounts and waivers on the APC?
- Which funding agencies allow direct use of grants to cover the APC?
- How do I subscribe?
- Does TSACO impose any copyright restrictions and who retains copyright of the Open Access articles?
- How is the article cited?
- What is the time to publication?
- How do I sign up to email alerts about articles published in TSACO?
- Who do I contact if I would like more information about TSACO?
Answers
- What are the benefits of publishing in TSACO?
- Open Access – articles published in TSACO are freely available to a global audience, with the copyright retained by the author under the Creative Commons License.
- Compliance with funder Open Access mandates – publishing in TSACO enables you to fulfill the Open Access requirements of funders such as the NIH, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Wellcome Trust and Research Councils UK, including using the CC-BY license
- Rapid publication – all articles are subject to stringent peer review and fast turnaround times, ensuring prompt publication through our continuous publication policy
- Trusted international brands – TSACO maintains the scientific and international reputation of The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and BMJ
- High readership visibility – BMJ online platform ensures papers are discoverable; exceptional articles are press released
- Is TSACO indexed?
As a new journal TSACO is not yet indexed. It is our aim to apply for indexing as soon as it is appropriate.
- How do I submit?
Manuscripts should be submitted via the TSACO online manuscript submission site.
Your article will not automatically be transferred to TSACO if rejected from Journal of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery; however you can submit your paper to TSACO via the journal submission site and include your previous Journal of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery manuscript ID. This will enable us to obtain your previous peer review records and expedite your manuscript.
Your article will not automatically be transferred to TSACO if rejected from another BMJ Journal; however, you can choose TSACO as an alternate journal when submitting your article.
Please email the editorial office at info.tsaco@bmj.com for help or more information on submissions. - What is Open Access and an Article Publishing Charge (APC)?
Open Access equates to unrestricted access. Open Access publishing strives to facilitate the dissemination of research efficiently, effectively and equitably. All articles published in TSACO are Open Access and are therefore available online in a permanent, universally accessible repository.
The Article Publishing Charge (APC) covers the costs of the publication process (which would traditionally be covered via subscription fees), including:
- Rigorous peer review through a maintained online submission system
- Production costs such as copyediting, typesetting, and preparation for online publication
- Continuous hosting and discoverability of your article
- Marketing efforts to increase the article’s exposure
- What is TSACO's APC?
TSACO levies an APC that reflects the true cost of the services provided. The standard APC for an article is $2,100 USD (excluding VAT for UK and EU authors). The APC for Challenges in Acute Care Surgery is $500 USD (excluding VAT for UK and EU authors). Payment of the APC may be made online by credit card, or by bank transfer following receipt of an invoice.
Members of The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) and sister societies; the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST), Pediatric Trauma Society (PTS) and Western Trauma Association (WTA) are eligible to receive a discounted APC as part of their member benefits. Discounted rates consist of USD $1,750 USD (excluding VAT for UK and EU authors). Members must ensure to enter their Membership ID Number on submission to receive this discount.
Check with your institution before paying the APC. Your publishing costs might be covered through BMJ’s Open Access Programme, or you may be eligible for a discount. General information about BMJ’s Open Access Programme, including copyright policies and institutional memberships, is available via our author website.
Articles publish online after the APC is received. TSACO does not refund APCs.
- How do I pay the APC?
The submitting author must confirm at the time of submission that they will organize payment should the article be accepted for publication. Prompt payment is advised as the article will not publish until payment is received.
Payment can be made through any of the following methods:
- Immediate payment online via credit card using a secure payment form as soon as the manuscript has been accepted.
- An invoice can be generated. Following receipt of an invoice, payment must be made within 30 days.
- Does TSACO offer discounts and waivers on the APC?
We appreciate that some authors do not have access to funding to cover publication costs. No payment information is requested before an article is accepted, so the ability to pay does not affect editorial decisions.
TSACO offers a 100% waiver to corresponding authors from institutions based in Hinari Group A countries, and a 50% waiver to authors from institutions based in Hinari Group B countries.
Members of The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) and sister societies (the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST), Pediatric Trauma Society (PTS) and Western Trauma Association (WTA) are eligible to receive a discounted APC as part of their member benefits. Discounted rates consist of USD $1,750 USD; £1,200 GBP; and €1,600 EUR (excluding VAT for UK and EU authors). Members must ensure to enter their Membership ID Number on submission to receive this discount.
Check with your institution before paying the APC. Your publishing costs might be covered through BMJ’s Open Access Programme, or you may be eligible for a discount. General information about BMJ’s Open Access Programme, including copyright policies and institutional memberships, is available via our author website.
Please note that only one discount code will be honored per article.
- Which funding agencies allow direct use of grants to cover the APC?
If you received a grant to conduct your research, your first enquiry should be to whoever disburses the research funds. Much research funding is now granted on the condition that any resulting articles are published Open Access and are deposited in PubMed Central – publishing in TSACO means that you meet both of these criteria. To help authors complete these requirements, many funders will permit payment of APCs from grants or have separate funds available.
The Open Access Directory contains a list of universities that have funds for researchers to pay APCs. The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) has something similar – both mainly cover US institutions and are not comprehensive. The Compact for Open Access Publishing Equity is a collection of universities that have pledged support to establishing durable mechanisms for underwriting the APC model. Alternatively, contact your librarian to find out what support your institution offers.
General information about BMJ's Open Access Programme, including copyright policies and institutional memberships, is available via our author website.
- How do I subscribe?
TSACO is an Open Access journal and is therefore free to access for anyone with an internet connection. There is no print edition. Register for email alerts to be notified when new content is available.
- Does TSACO impose any copyright restrictions and who retains copyright of the Open Access articles?
Publishing in TSACO enables you to fulfil the Open Access requirements of various funders. Articles are published under a Creative Commons license to facilitate reuse of the content. The standard license is CC-BY-NC, unless the funder (such as the Wellcome Trust and Research Councils UK and Austrian Science Fund, FWF) mandates that it should be their preferred CC-BY license which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Authors retain copyright.
- What is the time to publication?
TSACO aims to provide authors with a rapid peer review service. Continuous online publication ensures papers are published as soon as they are ready. All phases of the option can be tracked via our online systems.
For time sensitive articles, we offer a fast track process available upon request.
- How is the article cited?
As an online-only journal, articles are cited by their unique article number (Digital Object Identifier or DOI) instead of by volume, issue and page number.
- How do I register for email alerts about TSACO articles?
Visit the TSACO email alert registration page to sign up for notification when new articles have published.
- Who do I contact if I would like more information about TSACO?
For all queries please contact the editorial office at info.tsaco@bmj.com.