Academic Publishing | Author User Journey Analysis:
The Academic Publishing User Journey ends with research either being published, or not published (phase 4 as illustrated in the figure above) - a very binary outcome. Reaching this outcome, however, can take very long and may only occur after many iterations.
Typically, a researcher submits their research for scholarly review (phase 1) and may then jump between phases 2 and 3 numerous times before reaching phase 4. Despite the time spent iterating between phases 2 and 3, the research may finally still be rejected in phase 4 resulting in no publication and having to restart the process at phase 1 by submitting to a different journal, conference etc.
By minimising the time between phases 1 - 4, however, more research submissions can be received, processed and feedback given to authors in a shorter time. This may result in the publication of not only more, but also higher quality research output for the journal.
Core Usability Aspects to Consider:
Create professional, modern interface fitting to theme; provide expedited and clear submission instructions to improve article submission rates from authors, thereby reducing overall turnaround time from submission to publication time.