The selection process for scientific cover is indeed a meticulous one. It typically begins after the editorial team allocates papers to an upcoming issue. A preliminary list of potential cover submissions is then compiled, often featuring artwork related to the research topics within. Here, we discuss the acceptance process of scientific cover. The chosen cover not only highlights key research but also serves as a visual representation of the journal’s scientific rigor and aesthetic appeal.
Best time for scientific journal cover submission
In this part, the authors are usually confused; when is the best time for cover artwork submission, and when they can upload and send artwork to the editor!
The scientific cover artwork submission procedure differs for each journal, but overall, would contain these 4 options:
1- Receiving Invitation (Safe):
2- Request for submission (Almost Safe):
3- Upload after acceptance (Risky):
4- Upload before acceptance (Risky):
1- Receiving Invitation
After acceptance of your article, the editor may select your article as one of the candidates for journal cover and he/she will send the invitation for submission of artwork. This situation could be a great opportunity for providing professional artwork.
2- Request for submission
After acceptance of your article, you may not receive any invitation, but you can send an email to the editor and request the possibility of submission of cover artwork. If the editor confirms, the chance of selection of cover will increase significantly.
3- Upload after acceptance
After acceptance of your article, without any invitation, you may try your chance for cover artwork and upload your cover artwork separately. This work would be risky; even if the editor selects your cover art, it is rarely chosen for the front cover. In this blog, we will discuss about difference between the front cover and other types of a journal cover.
4- Upload before acceptance
Most journals provide an option for the authors to submit cover artwork during the submission of their manuscript. It would be too risky in both the chance of selection of cover by the editor and the confidence of accepting the manuscript. If your manuscript isn’t accepted for the purpose journal, you have to request a scientific illustrator and designer to resize and change the artwork for submission of the next journal.
Cover artwork created by Inmywork team
Effective factors on editor’s decision
For providing and creating a cover, artwork must fit into some standards like size, color, and format and also should follow some criteria. I strongly suggest that you read the “Criteria for selecting scientific cover artwork by editors” in our weblog.
These submissions are evaluated based on the significance of the research they represent and the visual impact of the artwork itself.
1- Scientific issue:
At the first parameter, the editor selects the articles that he/she believes would be more impactful scientifically rather than other papers on a specific issue. This factor is much more important than the aesthetic of the cover.
2- Artistic issue
In the second part, the editor considers the artistic issue. Having an eye-catching academic journal cover would be highly important; When the journal receives several artworks for a specific journal issue, the editor should make a difficult decision to choose some of them. Thus, artistic work definitely will play a key role in the final selection.
3- Network issue:
We shouldn’t overlook the reality of the networks and connections. Based on our experience, having great connections between editors and authors may provide a hidden chance, specifically when the journal receives too much artworks just for one cover.
Process of scientific cover publication
Challenges to accepting the process of scientific cover
1- Cost of cover publishing
Many authors don’t know that publishing a cover in a scientific journal, consists of a pay price, and most of them are not free or low price. Some of them start from 500 USD and may reach 5000 USD (depends on the journal and impact factor). However, some journals like the front cover of ACS journals are free. Thus, considering a budget before ordering artwork for the cover would be important.
2- Copyright issues
Copyright of covers is a sensitive issue. Most journals, don’t accept the figures created by AI or picked up from stock websites. Thus the only way is collaboration with a professional graphic designer or scientific illustrator. In addition, filling out the copyright format and transferring the artwork to the journal is another part, and after publishing, authors need to request publishing permission on university websites and social media.
3- Front cover or back cover
One of the difficulties of publishing covers for scientific journals is having different types of covers like front, back, and inside covers. Some journals like Nature-families or Cell-Press Families, only have a front cover and as a result, competition would be high and challenging.
Front cover, published in Cell-Press (Created by Inmywork Studio)
Other journals have several types of covers, like the front cover, back cover, Inside front cover, Inside back cover, and Frontispiece cover. If you check out ACS, RSC, and Advanced Materials journals, you will face various types of cover and it means the authors will have more chances for publishing.
Several covers in one issue (ACS Journals)
According to our experience, sometimes editors after receiving the cover artwork, because of aesthetic appeal, change their decisions and request to accept artwork as a front cover instead of a back cover.
How to order a professional scientific cover?
Selecting the right cover for a scientific journal is crucial as it reflects the essence of the research. The cover that captures both the depth of research and the beauty of science can elevate the article’s impact and reach.
Since using artistic journal covers is on the rise, If graphic design isn’t your thing and you’d rather focus on your research topic, we can assist you! The Inmywork team has a lot of experience in creating scientific journal covers. Furthermore, you can get in touch with our team for the editing process of scientific cover.
Recent Journal Cover Designs
