Publishing policy for Tallinn University Press

ENDORSED

by Rector´s Directive No.2,

Dated 12 January 2015

 

Publishing Policy for Tallinn University Press

1. The fundamentals of the publishing policy

1.1. The goal of the Tallinn University Press is to become a highly regarded, academically-oriented publisher of intellectual literature. Its foreign language publications have high classification in the ETIS (Estonian Research Information System) and are distributed internationally. The Press also perceives its mission as the promotion of research, and transmission of current scientific thought from Estonia and abroad.

1.2. The Press follows in its publishing activity the internationally recognized general principles of publishing ethics, incl. Elsevier/Scopus.

1.3. The Press primarily produces scientific publications and monographs of academics affiliated with Tallinn University, compendia and monographs from other contributors, educational literature (e.g. original textbooks, translations and translated anthologies), and translations of classical literature and high-quality texts. The Press publishes monolingual original texts (original texts and first translations).  Justified exceptions can be made with the consent of the appropriate series editorial board.

1.4. The publications are generally divided into specific series (Acta, Gigantum Humeris, Bibliotheca, etc.) each of which specifies on a particular content (original academic texts, original academic texts and translations mainly for educational purposes and high-quality texts mainly oriented towards a wider audience). The series share a common, distinctive design.  All texts published in the series are peer reviewed.

1.5. Every series has its own editorial board.  The chief academic board also serves as an editorial board of the Gigantum Humeris series. The compositions of the editorial boards may partly overlap.

1.6. The editorial boards are responsible for the selection of the publications in the series (reviewing publishing proposals, approving or rejecting these or suggesting revisions) and organisation of peer review (including proposing peer reviewers), with the goal of providing quality control over Press publications.  The boards also propose publication of various compendia, monographs, and anthologies.

1.7. The layout of the Press series is systematic. Each series is colour-coded to match the subject areas, following the colour division on the University homepage.  Each series also has a distinctive pattern. Individual, justified exceptions in design can be made by the decision of the chief academic board.

1.8. The Press uses a different layout for other publications. They follow the same colour-coding principle as the series and the layout is recognizable as the Tallinn University visual design.

1.9. The Press also produces and distributes publications edited and compiled in TU that meet the standards of international academic journals.  The University units and research groups can also establish new periodicals under the Press. The chief academic board decides on the establishment of new periodicals.

1.10. By being primarily focused on quality, the Press aims at maintaining the price level of its production accessible to its main target group, students and more broadly to the intellectual readers´ community.  For this, the Press is actively seeking supplementary funding from sources that support the publication of high-quality literature.

1.11. Fees for authors of the publications, translators, editors and authors of forewords will be mutually agreed upon.

1.12. The Press solicits feedback on its publications in academic journals, cooperates with editors of various journals and newspapers, attends fairs, and participates in various events and programmes directed towards an intellectual and academic audience.

2. Publishing process

2.1. Publishing contracts may be initiated on the basis of a proposal for a new book project or on the basis of a submitted manuscript.  If a manuscript is submitted for review, it is necessary that the manuscript follow the Press's formatting guide as closely as possible. In case of original collections in a foreign language, only linguistically edited manuscripts are accepted.

2.2. All authors or clients who are requesting to publish a manuscript must complete an application form. If a press is requesting a manuscript for publishing, then the press completes the application form.  Proposals or manuscripts must be submitted with an application form to the Editor-in-Chief, who will decide  - in consultation with the author - which series is appropriate for the publication.

2.3. The press conducts a preliminary selection procedure.  Preliminary selection criteria are in accordance with the Press's publishing policy, printing plans and capacity, quality standards, and series content. The Press may, under exceptional circumstances, accept proposals for publications, which will not be issued as part of the TU Press series.

2.4. All texts published in the Press series undergo peer-review within the Press. Two members of the editorial board of the appropriate series, or experts recommended by them, act as peer-reviewers. If a member of an editorial board of a series offers his or her own manuscript for publishing, then reviewers are appointed by the rest of the board without his or her participation. Only publications that have passed the peer review process are published in the Press series.

2.5. Where a contract has been initiated on the proposal, the Press retains the right not to publish a manuscript if two reviewers do not approve the text and/or the quality does not meet the Press’s standards.  A peer-reviewed project must be submitted for subsequent review as a manuscript.

2.6. The peer review process is unilaterally anonymous, and the name of the reviewer will not be made public. However, extracts of positive reviews can be used on the cover of the publication, with the permission of the reviewer.

2.7. Reviewers must use the Press's peer review form. A reviewer can recommend accepting or rejecting a proposal. A reviewer can also recommend publishing a manuscript (with the right to recommend revision), reconsider publishing it after major revision, or reject it.

2.8. If both reviewers recommend publishing a manuscript, but one of them asks for major revisions, the manuscript must be revised. If both reviewers recommend rejecting a manuscript, it will be rejected. If one reviewer recommends rejecting a manuscript and the other recommends publishing, or publishing with revisions, then the series editorial board shall make the decision.  If one reviewer recommends publishing a manuscript and the other asks for major revisions, revising the manuscript does not guarantee that it will be published – the revised manuscript must obtain the reviewer’s approval.  The appropriate editorial board gives final approval for all manuscripts.

2.9. Disagreements that occur during the peer review process will be resolved by the appropriate editorial board.

2.10. Texts that have not undergone peer review or which do not meet the Press content and quality requirements, may be published as commissioned work. In this case the expenses are wholly covered by the client, and the text may not be published under the Tallinn University Press trademark, or with the TU Press series design. The Press also does not distribute commissioned work or publications from other publishers.

2.11. The chief academic board approves the publication of new periodicals on the basis of individual proposals.