Instructions - Journal of Biological Chemistry · The Journal of Biological Chemistry • 11200 Rockville Pike, Suite 302, Rockville, MD 20852-3110 • Tel. 240-283-6620 • FAX 301-881-2573

The Journal of Biological Chemistry • 9650 Rockville Pike • Bethesda, Maryland 20814 • Tel. 301-634-7150 • FAX 301-634-7126 • [email protected]

• Logging in

• Your Reviewing Editor Profile

• Your Reviewer Area

• Completing Reviews

• Sample Review Form

• Review Form for Papers that Fall outside JBC’s Editorial Guidelines

I n s t r uc t i ons

Online Submission and Review System

submit . jbc.org

LOGGING IN TO THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY MANUSCRIPT PROCESSING SYSTEM: SUBMIT.JBC.ORG

If you have an existing account with another BenchPress journal, use the same email address and password associated with that account. It is important not to create a duplicate account with another email address. If you have two accounts in BenchPress (with two different email addresses), you might not see all of your assigned papers if you inadvertently log into the wrong account. If you have two accounts and want to prevent confusion, you may contact the front office and we can merge your accounts into one.

If you are not registered with any BenchPress journal, including JBC, you will need to click on Create a new account.

When you receive an email notification that you have a manuscript to review, enter your password and the email address that matches the address listed in the email on the submit.jbc.org login page, select the Reviewer Area button, and click the Sign in button (see Figure 1).

NOTES: Bookmarks: When creating a bookmark for submit.jbc.org, make sure that “ctst=y” isn’t at the end of the URL as this term will send you through our cookie checker each time you use it. You can just delete ctst=y from the end of the URL when you create the bookmark.

Back Button: Try not to use your web browser’s Back button (unless the page specifically directs you to use it). Information in BenchPress changes constantly and you might be looking at an outdated page if you use the Back button.

The Journal of Biological Chemistry • 11200 Rockville Pike, Suite 302, Rockville, MD 20852-3110 • Tel. 240-283-6620 • FAX 301-881-2573 • [email protected]

Figure 1. Login page

The Journal of Biological Chemistry • 11200 Rockville Pike, Suite 302, Rockville, MD 20852-3110 • Tel. 240-283-6620 • FAX 301-881-2573 • [email protected] The Journal of Biological Chemistry • 11200 Rockville Pike, Suite 302, Rockville, MD 20852-3110 • Tel. 240-283-6620 • FAX 301-881-2573 • [email protected]

YOUR REVIEWING EDITOR PROFILE

Editing your Expertise Terms

The first time you log in to the JBC review system you will automatically be taken to your Expertise Terms Area to select or change your expertise terms (see Figure 2). These terms will be used to match manuscripts to your areas of expertise. They will also help prospective authors find potential reviewing editors on the JBC Editorial Board page (apps.asbmb.org/jbcboard).

When choosing expertise terms, please select: • 15-25 terms from the “fixed” terms list • 0-10 “free form” terms that are not available

on the fixed term list • 0-5 specific expertise terms that you wish to

exclude • No more than 25 terms total can be selected

(fixed and free form)

Once you have selected your expertise terms, click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the screen. Reviewing editors can update their expertise terms at any time from the Personal Information Area. You may access your Personal Information Area by clicking on your name in the navigation bar (highlighted in Figure 2).

Selecting your Affinity group(s)

Approximately two weeks before your start date, you will be asked to select 1 to 3 affinity groups located at the bottom of the expertise terms area (see Figure 3). Please remember to click Save Changes before closing the window. Choosing affinity groups helps associate editors and prospective authors find board members with appropriate expertise. It also ensures that the associate editors can send you information that is especially relevant for your area.

You may also select your affinity groups from your Personal Information Area (see Figure 4) under My Affinities section on the right hand side (click on the Edit link).

Figure 2. Expertise terms area

Figure 3. Affinity group area

(continued on next page)


Modifying Personal Information, Uploading Photo, and Changing your Password

Please update your personal information the first time you log in. To do this, click on your name in the navigation bar, which will take you to the Personal Information Area (see Figure 4).

You may also upload a new photo to the JBC Editorial Board website, apps.asbmb.org/jbcboard, at any time after your start date. From your Personal Information Area, click on the Upload Profile Photo link in the Profile Data box and follow the instructions.

To modify your password click the Change your password link in the Information box, and follow the instructions.

Updating Leave Information

To indicate times when you are not available to handle new manuscripts, click on the Create an Unavailability or Conflict of Interest Note link highlighted in Figure 4. In the box that appears, select Unavailability from the Note Type pull-down list (see Figure 5). Using the calendar icons, enter the start and end dates you will be unavailable. You may give a reason for your unavailability in the Note Text field if you like, but this is not necessary. When you are finished, click the Save button.

Figure 4. Personal information area

Figure 5. Create an unavailability or conflict of interest note

YOUR REVIEWING EDITOR PROFILE (CONTINUED)


The Journal of Biological Chemistry • 9650 Rockville Pike • Bethesda, Maryland 20814 • Tel. 301-634-7150 • FAX 301-634-7126 • [email protected]

YOUR REVIEWER AREA

You may navigate to your reviewer area by clicking on the Reviewer Area button in the navigation bar.

From your Reviewer Area screen (see Figure 6) you can: • View current assignments and submit reviews

by clicking on the Active Reviews link • View previously reviewed papers and copies

of decision letters sent to authors by clicking on the Review History link

• Access electronic copies of these orientation materials and additional reviewing editor resources by clicking on the Resources for JBC Editorial Board Members link under General Information

Figure 6. Reviewer Area

COMPLETING REVIEWS

• Each assignment under the Active Reviews link includes the date of submission, title, manuscript number, corresponding author, and the name of the associate editor managing the review.

• To open a paper for review, click on the Current PDF Version link. You will need a current version of the free Adobe Acrobat reader or Adobe Acrobat Pro installed on your computer to open the PDF file.

• There are also links to access the abstract, capsule, cover letter, and linked references. • To view supplemental data, click on the Download Supplemental Files link. If this is a revised

paper, detailed responses to the reviewers’ comments should be found here as well. • The best way to prepare your review is to use your favorite word processing application to write

the review off-line. Once the review text has been prepared, click the Edit/Submit Review link, paste your review into the comments box, and complete the review form (see Figure 9).

NOTE: If your comments contain special characters, they will not transfer properly into the comments box. You will need to insert the special symbols codes for them, from the link just above the comments box on the review form.

(continued on next page)

Figure 7. Active Reviews


COMPLETING REVIEWS (CONTINUED)

Requesting input from an external expert

To obtain help from an external expert, click on the “Request External Expert Review” link (see Figure 7). This link will not appear until you have downloaded the PDF file. An email template will appear on the next screen (see Figure 8). Enter the email address of the external expert in the To: field and the name of the external expert in the email template’s salutation line. You can edit the template before completing the action.

If you request input from an external expert:• The link to the paper is included in the email template. This link is the only way for an external expert to access the paper.

• The external expert’s review should be emailed directly to you, and NOT to the Associate Editor.

• BenchPress does not send reminder notices to external experts so you will have to contact them personally to make sure you receive a timely review.

• Remember to incorporate the external expert’s comments into your review. The associate editors will ultimately rely on your editorial judgment after taking the external expert’s views into account.

• On the review form, check the external expert box and insert the expert’s name and contact information (Figure 9).


Figure 8. Request external expert review email template

The Journal of Biological Chemistry • 11200 Rockville Pike, Suite 302, Rockville, MD 20852-3110 • Tel. 240-283-6620 • FAX 301-881-2573 • [email protected] The Journal of Biological Chemistry • 11200 Rockville Pike, Suite 302, Rockville, MD 20852-3110 • Tel. 240-283-6620 • FAX 301-881-2573 • [email protected]

SAMPLE REVIEW FORM

Figure 9. Review form


REVIEW FORM FOR PAPERS THAT FALL OUTSIDE JBC’S EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

If your recommendation is “Decline. Does not satisfy editorial guidelines” click on the Show editorial guidelines link and check the appropriate boxes:

Figure 10. Decline: Does not satisfy editorial guidelines decision checklist

Hide editorial guidelines

Manuscript does not satisfy editorial guidelines for the reasons checked below. (Check all that apply.)

® Descriptive study. No insight into biological processes at cellular or molecular level.

® Largely repetitive of previously published work. Only an incremental advance.

®Reports methodology or assay development without using method or assay to obtain novel insights into a specific biological process.

® Computational study that does not validate biological relevance.

® FACS analyses lack sufficient parameters or time points to establish biological states.

®Purification/characterization of macromolecule or gene described previously in another tissue or organism.

® Lacks adequate statistical analyses or evidence of reproducibility.

®Macromolecular interaction(s) without evidence for functional consequences or evidence that endogenous macromolecules interact.

®Identifies gene regulatory elements and factors that bind them without novel insights into processes of regulation/regulatory protein function or characterizes covalent modification status without novel insights into regulation of modification or how modification affects gene expression.

® Describes covalent modification of protein or nucleic acid by well established process without evidence for functional significance of modification OR insight into the modification process.

® Structure of oligosaccharide does not differ substantially from oligosaccharide described for another glycoconjugate.

® Reports that a mutation alters function without evidence of the underlying molecular basis.

® Whole-organism neurological studies that does not address cellular or molecular basis of biological processes.

®Pharmacological or drug development study that does not provide insight into a biological process.

®Transgenic, knockout study. Reports mutants without demonstrated phenotype or is largely confirmatory of results obtained in model systems. No novel insights into a molecular or cellular process or its regulation.

® Assessment of gene expression using RNA levels without evidence of changes in protein levels.

®Genomic/proteomic study without novel and significant insight into a molecular or cellular process or its regulation.

® RNAi experiments lack adequate controls.

Documents

Instructions - Journal of Biological Chemistry · The Journal of Biological Chemistry • 11200 Rockville Pike, Suite 302, Rockville, MD 20852-3110 • Tel. 240-283-6620 • FAX 301-881-2573