Instructions for Department Editors

Using ScholarOne Manuscripts

Click the "System Requirements" link on the login page (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ms) to make sure that you are using a recommended browser. Click “Get Help Now” (in the upper right corner of each page) to access Frequently Asked Questions. Please contact the managing editor, Kathleen Luckey (kathleen.luckey@informs.org), if you encounter any problems with the system that cannot be resolved using the Frequently Asked Questions link.

Enter Your Department Editor Center

To access newly assigned (or revised) manuscripts, check the status of manuscripts in your charge, assign manuscripts to associate editors, or post decisions, choose DE Center.

Inside Your DE Center

The primary tasks in your DE Center are (a) assigning AEs to new submissions and (b) posting decisions on papers for authors to see.

Note: Before you make a decision on a paper or assign it to an AE, make sure you do not have a conflict of interest with any of the authors. If you do, you should request that the paper be transferred to another DE or to the EIC.

Assigning Associate Editors

To assign an AE:

Use the “Assign AE” option to bring up a list of all manuscripts awaiting AE assignment.
Click on “Take Action” to view manuscript files and assign an AE. Clicking on “View Manuscript” in the DE dashboard brings up a concatenated version of all files submitted by the author. To access them separately, click on the “Manuscript Files” tab on the left. In addition to giving you the individual files, this tab also gives you a history of the document and allows you to unsubmit or withdraw the manuscript. “Unsubmit” returns the manuscript to the Author Center.
Return to the Assign function at any time by clicking on the “Assign AE” tab on the top of the page. Click the “Select an AE” drop-down menu and choose the AE you wish to assign. When you click on the “Assign” button next to the AE’s name, an automatic message will be sent to the AE informing him or her of the assignment. NOTE: If you do not click “Assign” the AE will not be notified of the assignment.
Note that an AE should not have a conflict of interest with any of the authors of the paper.

If the AE declines, you can assign a new AE by clicking "assign a different person" in the Associate Editor List on the Manuscript Details tab.

Granting Extensions

You are authorized to grant an extension to an AE.

Scroll to the Associate Editor List in the “Manuscript Information Tab” and click the magnifying glass next to the AE’s name. A Person Details window will pop up; click on the Account Information tab.
Scroll down to “Grant an Extension"; you can change the dates for the different AE tasks here. NOTE: You must click the “Go” button in the lower right of the “Grant an Extension” box for the extension to be recorded.
A gold box with a red border will appear to confirm the extension.

Immediate Rejection

To reject or request a revision without seeking further review of the paper, click the “Manuscript Information” tab on the left side. Click the “Reject” radio button and click on “Commit Decision” to post. Choosing the Reject option brings up a form letter to the author. You will need to edit the e-mail text. Click on Send and Commit Decision.

Making a Decision

You will be notified via e-mail when the AE has posted a report. Click “Make Decision” and choose “Take Action.” Choose the decision radio button and click Commit Decision. This brings up an e-mail message that you can edit as you see fit.

Click “Send and Commit.” Once you hit the button your decision cannot be changed without administrative assistance, so contact the managing editor (kathleen.luckey@informs.org) if an error occurs.

Revisions

It is Management Science policy for papers to be reviewed in detail by referees at most twice under normal circumstances. In the first review, referees should indicate what needs to be done to make the paper publishable; in the second they should check the changes made by the authors to see if they meet the desired standard. Beyond this input from the referees, the AE and DE should decide whether the paper should be accepted (possibly with additional minor revisions) or rejected. Of course, DEs may seek additional review when exceptional circumstances warrant, but it should not be the rule. We want to avoid having papers cycle through four or five revisions, which delays publication and wastes valuable refereeing resources.