Speeding up research publication with Online First

IntechOpen is changing the way book chapters are published, ensuring research can more quickly contribute to the knowledge base. Online First means chapters are published individually, after review and before the entire book is ready for publication, allowing them to be searchable and citable without delay.

As a leading publisher of open access books, IntechOpen is dedicated to making knowledge available to all without restrictions. This latest development benefits authors and the broader research community because it speeds up the publication and impact of research.

Chapters are given a DOI, can be indexed in repositories, added to an author’s bibliography and reach the widest audience as soon as possible. Once the whole book is ready, chapters are collated into a collection, but in the meantime they are available to the community.

Anke Beck, CEO of IntechOpen says: “IntechOpen continues to invest in technology to meet the needs of our authors. We are really pleased with this development, which we believe benefits our hard working authors and editors.

“Online First means that once they have been reviewed and edited, chapters are immediately distributed, on our own platform, those of our partners and wherever the author wishes their work to be seen. They contribute to the knowledge base and benefit from increased visibility and citations, and we are proud that authors’ research can achieve reach without delay.”

The process of writing and editing a chapter can take months, and editors oversee multiple chapters in a book. Traditionally once they are reviewed and ready, they wait for the rest of the collection to be completed. Online First is a reflection of the desire by research communities to access research as it is available, rather than waiting on production schedules.