Taylor & Francis Author Survey

At Taylor & Francis we are constantly striving to improve our service to authors. Since October 2008 we have been conducting an author survey to find out in which areas we are excelling and where there is room for improvement.

From October 2008 to March 2009, over 10,000 authors of articles in Taylor & Francis journals were invited to complete the survey, and it had a response rate of 40%.

Positive feedback from authors

74% of authors were highly satisfied with the overall experience of publishing their article with us.

On average, T&F authors who have also published elsewhere were more satisfied with the publication process at T&F than at our six major competitors...

...Why?

"Very structured process; prompt response to queries, very professional service"

"It worked all very well. I received everything in time and had enough time to respond, mend, or coordinate my work."

"We dealt with many other publishers, but with Taylor & Francis we were more satisfied overall with the editing and CATS systems."

"I am really impressed with the utmost professionalism with which the article was proof read and the queries were answered. The delivery of offprints too was prompt."

Submission

81% of authors found it very easy to submit their manuscript through our electronic submission system.

"It is brilliant....It is easy to submit ms and an extremely efficient process"

72% of authors who used our 'Publish With Us' pages found them useful.

"It is a more proactive, comprehensive site than most."

However, 78% of authors were not aware of the 'Publish With Us' pages - we are now developing a new author resource on the www.tandf.co.uk site. This will contain all the information currently on the 'Publish With Us' pages, and should be easier for authors to find. The 'Publish With Us' pages will still be updated regularly once the author area on the T&F site has gone live.

Refereeing

77% of authors were highly satisfied with the refereeing process for their article. Taylor & Francis has clear ethical guidelines regarding peer review, and a quality stamp for 'Peer Review Integrity' on its articles.

"I received very mind-triggering, totally fruitful and encouraging responses in a very timely manner. I fully made use of them."

"Best referee reports I ever saw. The referees made a series of wonderfully insightful comments, which helped to improve the paper substantially. In fact, I was so enthusiastic about their remarks and suggestions that I decided to thank them in my acknowledgements."

Publication

75% of authors were highly satisfied with the publication process at Taylor & Francis.

"An extremely quick and painless turnaround from acceptance to publication (I think < 4 months, which is remarkable)."

"I think the process was clear and timelines were quite tight and professional"

79% of authors found it very easy to use our article production tracking system (CATS).

"works properly and only essential info (which is a good thing!)"

"The exact date and time were displayed in this system. It is the best system of publishing we saw."

"System used for authors to address amendments was very straightforward and easy to use."

86% of authors were highly satisfied with their proofs.

"Your editors are dedicated, and prompt, especially after acceptance of manuscript. They are equally thorough in detecting errors. The editors were really accommodating dealing with first timers like me."

90% of authors were highly satisfied with their final published article.

74% of authors found it easy to order reprints of their article.

Actions we are taking as a result of the survey

• Improving communication - keeping authors informed at every stage from submission to final publication, and improving the handover from the academic editor to production.
• Making sure our websites are frequently updated and the most up-to-date contact details are available.
• An Authors' Charter has been added to the 'Publish With Us' pages, to make it clear what is expected at each stage from all concerned.
• Previously only corresponding authors were given free access to their published article on informaworld - this is now being extended to all contributing authors who provide their email address.
• We are in the process of developing a new author area on the www.tandf.co.uk website so that authors can find all the information they need.