How can I get my manuscript reviewed as quickly as possible?
Before you submit your manuscript, you can pay for “Fast-Track Review” via the Spora online store. After receiving the confirmation email that your payment was successful, you would then submit the manuscript including the order number from the Fast-Track Review purchase in your cover letter text.
Is Spora a refereed journal?
Yes. Spora is fully refereed by Ph.D.-holding college faculty who are experts and widely published in their fields.
Is there a fee for submitting a manuscript?
No, not unless you require “Fast Track Review (FTR)”. Manuscripts that undergo FTR are subject to a fee. Please visit the Spora online store for details.
Is there a fee for publishing in Spora?
Yes. Spora is an open-access journal that is published both online and in print. As with all open-access journals, Spora has an article processing charge (APC) to offset the cost of publication. The standard APC is $280, which must be paid upon acceptance of the manuscript. Members of the Intercollegiate Biomathematics Alliance are entitled to a reduced APC: Accepted papers with at least one institutional member co-author are charged an APC of $180 (a discount of $100). If the paper instead has an individual member co-author, the APC is $225 (a discount of $55).
How do I make a payment for my accepted manuscript?
Article processing charges may be paid either at the Spora online store with a credit card or via a personal check or money order. Those needing to pay with institutional funds can request an invoice by emailing the Spora Office.
Is Spora an indexed journal?
Yes. Currently, Spora is indexed by Google Scholar and is in the process of being indexed by other such listings.
Is there a page limit for manuscripts submitted to Spora?
Generally, an article in Spora is expected to be no longer than 15 pages; however, the decision on a page limit is at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.
Are there any formatting guidelines?
Yes. Check out the content in the Spora LaTeX template. It includes restrictions on the abstract, referencing style guidelines, and even a required section to appear at the end.
My paper is accepted. What is next?
Congratulations. This means that your manuscript has successfully gone through a rigorous review process. Your first notification of this should come from the Editor-in-Chief via the same online journal management system where you submitted your manuscript. You will soon be contacted by the Editorial Manager with instructions on how to get your manuscript ready for publication. The Corresponding Author will also receive an invoice for the APC.
What else do I need to provide now that my paper is accepted?
Once a manuscript is accepted, we require the final version of all editable source files (e.g. LaTeX), a pdf version, and all graphics files. These may be uploaded to the journal submission site using the “Manage additional files” button found on the page accessible through a hyperlink sent in the acceptance email. Payment of an APC is also required at this time.
Are there any style guidelines for Spora?
Most of the style requirements are demonstrated in the Spora LaTeX template. When using the LaTeX template, please note that the Spora document class requires the author and title information be coded a certain way. Also, note the following restrictions on citations and figures:
- In-text citation should be numbered citations within square brackets (i.e., the standard/plain style in LaTeX) with the list of references in alphabetical order by surname of the first author.
- Each bibliography item in the list of references should adhere to the APA style.
- Figure captions should appear below the figure, while table captions should appear above the table.
May I make content changes to my manuscript after it is accepted?
No, not really. Any changes made after a manuscript is accepted must be strictly cosmetic in nature; the content of your manuscript is to remain as it appeared when approved. Changes made at this point may include something as simple as re-formatting displayed math environments or as complex as resizing figures/tables that are too big to fit on the given line, which might be necessary when formatting your manuscript to fit the style of Spora. Content-specific edits (e.g. rearranging paragraphs, adding/removing references) at this stage of the process is unacceptable.
How might my manuscript change during the final editorial process?
Once the Editorial Manager has your source files, your document will undergo layout edits and minor copyediting to make it adhere to the style guidelines of Spora. When all such edits are complete, you can expect an email from the Editorial Manager asking for your approval of the final, publishable version. At this time any requests for changes to the manuscript should only be in response to any adjustments made by the Editorial Manager.