PNAS Updates

May 26, 2020

PNAS provides free access to Kudos to all authors of PNAS research articles. With Kudos, authors can create and share plain-language summaries of their published PNAS articles and use their personalized dashboard to track the results of their efforts. As of May 2020, more than 300,000 authors worldwide are using Kudos to promote more than 800,000 publications. Many authors report increased visibility and downloads of their published articles as a result of using Kudos.

Why should I use Kudos?

Many researchers have difficulty finding the time to promote their research once it has been published, but increasing the visibility of your work is key to growing your article’s readership and influence. Kudos takes some of the guesswork out of determining which platforms or channels are most effective at reaching your core audience and helps you better target your efforts.

How do I use it?

As part of this free service, authors of PNAS research articles will receive an invitation from Kudos when their article is published in PNAS.

If your article was published in PNAS and you have not received a Kudos link, you can register for a free account at https://www.growkudos.com/register.

When you register with Kudos, you will be invited to set up a publication page for your PNAS article. This is a page that includes a plain-language summary of your article, an image (to ensure that a visual shows up in social media shares), and a link to the full text of your article on the PNAS website.

If your article is a standard research article (a Direct Submission or Contributed submission), Kudos will automatically import your Significance Statement to use as your plain-language summary, though you are welcome to adjust it or use different text altogether. Brief Reports authors will be able to write plain-language summaries for sharing as well.

If you like, you can rephrase the title, include your personal perspective on your work, and invite your coauthors to share theirs. Adding more information can help make your work more discoverable and intelligible to readers outside your field.

The graphic below shows the Kudos workflow:

Image credit: Kudos.

Once you have created your publication page, you can share the link on a wide range of social media and academic platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Academia.edu, Mendeley, and ResearchGate. You can also generate links to share on web pages and private or semiprivate channels like listservs and email. The Kudos dashboard will help you evaluate the success of your efforts by tracking clicks from your social platform posts. It incorporates Altmetric, CrossRef, Google Scholar, and PNAS usage data, so you can see the growth in your downloads, Altmetric scores, and citations over time.

How to integrate Kudos into your article promotion strategy

The following case studies can help you think through using Kudos to promote your work:

T. Green, “Publication is not enough, to generate impact you need to campaign,” LSE Impact Blog (2019).

M. Erdt, et al. “Analysing researchers’ outreach efforts and the association with publication metrics: A case study of Kudos.” PLoS ONE 12, e0183217.

Questions

If you are having difficulty with your Kudos account or would like to learn more about Kudos, please contact Kudos at support@growkudos.com. Visit our Author Center to learn more about how Kudos intersects with the PNAS embargo policy. For other questions, please contact PNAS at pnas@nas.edu.

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PNAS Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak

April 24, 2020

As one of the world’s largest multidisciplinary science journals and the official journal of the National Academy of Sciences, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) supports the scientific research community in our collective fight against the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) News and Resources

PNAS joins more than 100 scientific journals, publishers, and preprint servers as signatories to the Wellcome Statement on sharing research data and findings relevant to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

We commit to working together to ensure that

1. all peer-reviewed research publications relevant to the outbreak are made immediately open access, or freely available at least for the duration of the outbreak
2. research findings relevant to the outbreak are shared immediately with the World Health Organization (WHO) upon journal submission, by the journal and with author knowledge
3. research findings are made available via preprint servers before journal publication, or via platforms that make papers openly accessible before peer review, with clear statements regarding the availability of underlying data
4. researchers share interim and final research data relating to the outbreak, together with protocols and standards used to collect the data, as rapidly and widely as possible—including with public health and research communities and the WHO
5. authors are clear that data or preprints shared ahead of submission will not preempt its publication in these journals

All COVID-19 and coronavirus-related news, commentary, research, and data are freely available to the public on the PNAS Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) News and Resources page.

Author and Reviewer Support

In accordance with the recommendations from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, PNAS staff members are currently working remotely to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Some of the vendors we work with to publish articles are at reduced capacity. All PNAS operations will continue, and we apologize in advance for any editorial or production delays you might experience.

We are aware that many labs have shut down temporarily in an effort to limit the spread of the virus. PNAS recognizes that some reviewers might need additional time to assess manuscripts, and we are happy to accommodate them. We are also extending the resubmission deadline for invited revisions, as needed. At the same time, we are asking editors and reviewers of COVID-19–related papers to expedite their review, in the interest of public health. We thank everyone for their patience and cooperation during this time.

Please contact us with any questions or concerns at pnas@nas.edu. We are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM ET and will continue to monitor email as usual.

Accessing PNAS Content during the COVID-19 Outbreak

All PNAS articles are free within 6 months of publication. Authors who choose the open access option can have their articles made available without cost to the reader immediately upon publication. In addition, PNAS is making content relevant to the outbreak immediately open access. Learn more about open access at PNAS.

VPN Access

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is software provided to users by their institution that allows them to securely access the institution’s network remotely. Users access the VPN connection on their computer, tablet, or mobile device, and the VPN encrypts communications between the user and the network. The VPN also gives the user’s device an institutional IP address, allowing them to access resources normally restricted to on-campus users, including PNAS and other scientific journals. Please contact your institution’s library or technology support for any issues with your VPN connection.

Universal CASA

Users at subscribing institutions may also access PNAS content remotely via Universal Campus-Activated Subscriber Access (CASA), a service provided by Google Scholar. Universal CASA is activated when a user searches for PNAS content on campus, then searches for the same PNAS content while off campus. Google Scholar will record the institution’s site license with the user’s device and/or Google account, thus starting 30 days of seamless access to all PNAS content while off campus. After 30 days, access can be renewed by returning to campus. Due to widespread campus closures, the Universal CASA access period has been temporarily extended from 30 to 120 days. Please visit Universal CASA and Google Scholar for more information.

Free Access in Developing Countries

PNAS provides free and immediate online access to PNAS content in the developing world. PNAS is committed to providing broad access to current scientific research across many fields and to fostering globalization of research tools and advances. PNAS content is available through Hinari, Research4Life, Agora, OARE, ARDI, EIFL, and eJDS, as well as by countrywide IP in more than 120 developing countries.

PNAS Subscriber Support

The PNAS offices in Washington, DC, are temporarily closed to help slow the spread of COVID-19. PNAS staff are working remotely and can be reached via email.

If you have questions or are having difficulty accessing your subscribed content online through your institution, please contact your institution’s library or technology support. If you would like to speak with PNAS about your subscription, please contact us at PNASsubsdept@nas.edu.

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PNAS announces 2020 Subscription Rates

August 12, 2019

Washington, DC – The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is pleased to announce no price increase to either institutional or individual subscription rates for 2020 (all subscriptions are online only). Please visit our subscription rates page for 2020 pricing information.

In 2020, PNAS will publish more than 26,000 pages of high-impact, original research that broadly spans the Biological, Physical, and Social sciences. A PNAS subscription includes access to special article collections and subject portals, as well as Commentaries, Inaugural Articles, Letters to the Editor, Perspectives, Profiles, and QnAs. The PNAS website, features searchable legacy content dating back to 1915, which guarantees that subscribers have access to the entire PNAS archive. Article-level metrics data and article downloads can be found via the “Info & Metrics” tab near the top of each PNAS article.

An institutional site license to PNAS provides a discount on our open access fees. Corresponding authors from institutions with a site license save 24% on the open access surcharge. By renewing your site license promptly, you provide researchers at your institution wider distribution of their work, and you support an important open access initiative.

You can easily renew for 2020 by contacting our customer service team:

PNAS Subscriber Services
PO Box 465
Hanover, PA 17331 USA
Phone: 717-632-3535
Fax: 717-633-8920
Email: pnas.subs@sheridan.com

Thank you for your continued interest in PNAS.

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Introducing PNAS flexible article lengths.

July 11, 2019

Beginning July 1, 2019, PNAS authors are no longer bound by strict 6- and 10-page limits. With our new flexible article lengths, PNAS articles may range up to 12 pages in length, and authors only pay for the pages they use. While our preferred article length remains 6 pages, we hope that shifting to a single, flexible article type will allow authors in all disciplines to communicate their findings effectively to a broad scientific audience.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned as a multidisciplinary journal, it’s that one size does not fit all.

We decided to shift to flexible article lengths largely because you, our authors, asked for more flexibility in publishing your research. Since 2011, PNAS authors have had two options for article length: the standard 6-page article and the 10-page Plus article. While most of our authors opt for the 6-page article, a growing number are choosing the Plus option; Plus articles have grown from just 6% of published pages in 2011 to nearly half of our published pages in 2018. Many Plus authors tell us they appreciate being able to discuss their findings in depth while still reaching a broad audience. As scientific research becomes more collaborative and interdisciplinary, we expect this trend toward longer articles to continue.

We also know that different disciplines and different projects require different article lengths, and that not every project will be exactly 6 or 10 pages long. Many of our authors have told us that trimming a manuscript down to 6 pages is particularly onerous. While we are still invested in PNAS’s mission to publish brief first announcements of important contributions to research, relaxing our length requirements will allow authors, not arbitrary page limits, to determine the appropriate article length for their work.

How will flexible article lengths change the PNAS submission process?

You may still submit a single, combined PDF at first submission. PNAS is format-neutral, so this PDF may be in any format or reference style. With flexible article lengths, when you submit an article to PNAS, you no longer need to choose between Direct Submission or Plus. With the exception of Brief Reports, all research reports will fall under a single article type. Learn more about our submissions process for flexible articles.

In addition, you are no longer required to use the length estimator tool at any point in the submission process, including for revised submissions. Instead, you may input basic information about your manuscript, including word, reference, figure, and table counts to get an estimated length of your submission. Learn more about how we estimate article lengths.

How much do flexible articles cost?

Flexible article length means you only pay for the space you use. You no longer need to pay the Plus flat rate for 10 pages if you only need 8, and authors of more technical or in-depth papers may expand up to 12 pages. Learn more about our updated publication fees.

Will a longer paper have a better chance of being accepted?

No. We evaluate all submitted manuscripts, regardless of length, by the standards outlined in our Information for Authors. Learn more about our review process and acceptance criteria.

Whom should I contact with questions about flexible articles?

Contact us at pnas@nas.edu or 202-334-2679. We are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM ET. If you contact us outside of business hours, we will respond as soon as possible.

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