Associate Editor Instructions

							                      Associate Editor Instructions


As you are assigned manuscripts as an Associate Editor, you will receive e-mail
notification of each assignment. The message will include some basic information about
the manuscript and will contain three links:

   1. A link to the manuscript.
   2. A link to accept the assignment to serve as the Associate Editor.
   3. A link to decline the assignment to serve as the Associate Editor. If you are
      unable to serve as the Associate Editor, please suggest the name of an alternate
      Associate Editor whom you believe would be appropriate.

Alternatively, you may access the manuscript by logging in to the system at
(http://can.msubmit.net) and entering your user name and password. When you log into
the system, you will be taken to your homepage, which will contain folders with several
different categories of tasks. If you are required to perform a pending action item, there
will be a red arrow next to a manuscript link. Note that if you did not click the
Accept/Decline assignment link in the e-mail assignment message, you may accept or
decline the assignment from this screen.

If you agree to serve as the Associate Editor, you will have two options:

   1. Recommend rejection of the manuscript without full review by clicking the
      Decision Without Review link under the Manuscript Workflow Tasks section
      of the screen and completing the recommendation form, which will appear when
      the screen redisplays. This will allow you to enter the reasons for rejection which
      will be incorporated into the decision letter sent to the authors.
   2. Assign the paper to reviewers by creating a list of potential reviewers.

Assigning Reviewers:

When you are ready to assign reviewers, click the Assign Potential Reviewers link.
When the screen redisplays, you will see the assignment screen, which is separated into
several tabs as follows:
Search Tab:
The search tab is used to search the database for potential reviewers. You may search for
potential reviewers in several ways as follows:

           •    Searching on personal information, such as first name, last name, e-mail,
               organization, etc.
           •   Searching on free-text keywords by entering terms to the User-Defined
               Keywords field. A pre-defined list of Keywords is available and selecting
               a term or terms from this section will generate a list of potential reviewers
               whose expertise terms at least partially match the search criteria.
           •   Using one of the Quick Search Links which can be used to quickly
               populate search results. By clicking the Suggested Reviewers to Include
               Quick Link, you will be provided with the list of potential reviewers
               provided by the authors (if one has been provided). By clicking the
               Suggested Reviewers Quick Link, you will be provided with a list of
               potential reviewers whose expertise terms at least partially match the
               manuscript keywords provided by author.
           •   Searching Medline, Google, or Highwire Press.

Search Results Tab:
The results from a search are shown on the Search Results tab. This tab presents
workload information about the potential reviewers and will indicate whether there is a
conflict or potential conflict. To assign a potential reviewer, simply click the check box
next to the person's name and click the Assign button located at the bottom of the screen.
Note that you may select multiple reviewers at one time.

Add Reviewer Tab:
If you are unable to find a desired potential reviewer in the database, you can add a new
record using the Add Reviewer tab. Please note that the system will automatically search
the database and suggest any possible matches there may be. You will be allowed to
either select the existing account or create a new one. If you are adding a reviewer to the
database, you will need to enter their first and last names, institutional affiliation, e-mail
address, and phone number.

Current Reviewers Tab:
All potential reviewers who have been assigned to the manuscript will be listed on the
Current Reviewers tab. You may use this tab to re-order or remove potential reviewers
and/or add comments for the staff. You may also change the desired number of reviewers
to secure using the drop down box at the top of the screen. Click the Apply Changes
button at the bottom of the screen after making any changes. Please note that the system
will continue to invite reviewers from your list until the desired number of reviewers has
been secured. If all reviewers on your list have been queried but the desired number of
reviewers has not been secured, the paper will be sent back to your Assign Potential
Reviewers folder for additional suggestions. You will receive e-mail notification of this.

Reviewer Notes:
Any notes that have been made from potential reviewers who have declined to review
this manuscript will be shown on the Reviewer Notes tab. These notes may include
suggestions for other potential reviewers.

After you have assigned the potential reviewers, press the Assign Reviewers button.
Your portion of the reviewer assignment process is now complete. The staff will take
your recommendations (potential reviewers), contact each one by e-mail, and arrange for
them to review the manuscript.

After the reviewers have completed their reviews, you will receive an e-mail asking you
to make a recommendation concerning acceptability via the process explained below.



Associate Editor Recommendation

To begin the process, click the Associate Editor Recommendation link. Clicking this
link will display the Associate Editor Recommendation screen. This screen is broken
into parts as follows:

   1.   Reviewers' Evaluations
   2.   Reviewers' Comments
   3.   Associate Editor Overall Rating
   4.   Remarks for the Editor
   5.   Comments for the Author

You will be able to see the remarks and reviews made by the reviewers and enter your
recommendation and comments. If begin your recommendation but are unable to
complete it, you have the ability to save your work and return to it later. When you have
completed your recommendation, be sure to click the Submit Recommendation icon.

Availability Dates
If you know of specific dates when you will be unavailable to perform your monitoring
editor responsibilities (such as vacations, meetings, etc.) please click on the Modify
Availability link on your homepage. You will be presented with 12 fields/months where
you can specify which days you will not be available. The Senior Editors and staff will
use this information to avoid assigning manuscripts during the specified durations.

Getting Help

If you need additional help, you can click on the help icons   throughout the system. A
help dialog box will pop up with context-sensitive help.



Manuscript Status

You can get the status of your assigned manuscript(s) by doing the following:

   1. Logging into the system with your password.
   2. Clicking on the link represented by the manuscript tracking number and
      abbreviated title.
   3. Clicking on the Check Status link at the bottom of the displayed page.

This procedure will display detailed tracking information about where the manuscript is
in the submission/peer review process.



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