Information for authors
Sage Journals policies
Information for authors
During peer review & production
What happens during peer review?
Response to reviewers template
Authors are encouraged to use this template to respond to peer review comments and detail the changes made to their manuscript. Authors should read the instructions carefully and include the completed form with their revised submission.
- Consider reviewer and editor comments carefully - don’t rush!
- Submit your revision on time
- Be positive and constructive
- Keep your comments clear and concise
- Comprehensive updates and responses to reviewer and editor comments will minimize the need for future revisions
What happens during production & post-publication?
- Communication: We are conscious of, and understand, how keen authors are to see their work published. Sage production staff maintain regular communication with journal editors and authors throughout the production process. In addition, email messages are automatically sent out to the corresponding author at key points along the workflow to confirm that their article has been received in production and to inform them of their article’s progress.
- Planning promotion of your article: It’s never too early to start thinking about how you will promote your article. Reach out to the journal editor to learn how they will be promoting your article. Take advantage of Sage’s platforms, like the Sage Perspectives blog and social media channels. For support and information about article promotions, check out our resources on Promoting your article & building your network
- Proofs: We will send the corresponding author instructions for reviewing and correcting article proofs. Please review the proofs and return any corrections as soon as possible, or by the deadline requested, so as not to delay the publication process. The corresponding author is responsible for sending the production team one set of proof corrections. When the corresponding author sends in their corrections, we will assume this is the definitive version and that if any of the co-authors needed to see the first proof, that the corresponding author would have arranged this and obtained their edits.
- Sage Production: We place a strong emphasis on the highest possible production standards, upholding quality service levels in production and publication. We also seek to uphold excellent author relations throughout the publication process. Your feedback is valuable, helping us continue to improve our author service levels. Upon publication all corresponding authors will receive a brief survey on your experience of publishing with Sage. Please take the time to complete this as we are responsive to your comments, and they are valued highly by our journal editors
- Open access continuous publication: Many open access journals operate on a continuous publication model where articles are posted online as soon as they have completed the production process in a fully citable form. At this time articles are free to view and download for all. With no issues to fill and no page count constraints, the time to publication is often quick.
- OnlineFirst publication: Many Sage journals benefit from OnlineFirst, a feature offered through the Sage Journals platform. It allows completed articles in queue for assignment to an upcoming issue to be published online prior to their inclusion in a final print and online journal issue. This significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. The article is fully readable and citable at this stage. For more information, please see What is OnlineFirst publication?
For general author queries, please visit Sage Journals Support.
If your article is accepted you will need to sign a Contributor license. If you are publishing in a subscription-based journal, Sage’s Contributor license is an exclusive license agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants Sage the sole and exclusive right and license to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than Sage. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society.
If you are publishing on an open access basis you will need to sign a Creative Commons license.
For more information, see Contributor license and Sage Journals: Licensing & Payment.
If you are publishing on an open access basis you will need to sign a Creative Commons license.
For more information, see Contributor license and Sage Journals: Licensing & Payment.
Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be made available to the corresponding author via our editing portal, Sage Edit, or by email, and should be returned promptly to avoid delaying publication. Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence, and contact details are correct, and that funding and that declaration of conflicting interest statements, if any, are accurate. This is the final opportunity to make changes to your manuscript. Further corrections will not be possible after publication. Changes to the author list are not permitted at this stage.
Access to your published article
We provide you with online access to your published article. The online access link is provided to the corresponding author for sharing with their co-authors.
Promoting your article
Publication is not the end of the process! Between us, we can ensure that your article is found, read, downloaded and cited as widely as possible. Many of the most effective tactics are those you can do quickly and easily to your network of contacts and peers. For numerous resources to help you promote your work, see Promoting your article & building your network.
Sage Journals: Licensing & Payment
Part of the post-acceptance journey to help OA journal authors pay/assign APC's and sign Creative Commons licenses, and help hybrid/subscription journal authors sign Contributor Licenses.
Sage Path
Sage Path is an article transfer service that connects previously overlooked manuscripts with journals from both STEM and HSS Disciplines. If your research is deemed out of scope for a particular title, it can be reviewed, and matched with a more appropriate publication from our database.