AZojomo / OARS - FAQ's
What is AZojomo?
What is the "OARS (Open Access Rewards System) publishing model?
Why are the operators of www.azom.com providing this facility?
How do the "OARS" publishing model & the revenue sharing arrangements operate?
How much will authors and peer reviewers receive?
Where will the content reside?
Will a separate "Journal" website be set up?
Where do authors stand on copyright?
How will I be able to reference papers?
Can I also use the published work on my own website?
Who are the founding editors?
Will you add other founding editors?
What is the role of the founding editors?
The revenue distribution model may favour "populist" general articles, isn't this a negative?
When was the journal launched?
How do I submit a paper or article?
What Subject does the journal cover?
Will the payment of authors "taint" the scientific purity of the publication?
Will site visitors have to subscribe or log-in to view the articles in the journal?
Is there any protection on the intellectual property relating to this model?
Who are the site operators?
What is AZojomo?
The AZo Journal of Materials Online
What is the "OARS" (Open Access Rewards System) publishing model?
- Authors contribute a paper.
- The paper is peer reviewed by a qualified editorial panel.
- The paper is published on-line
- The publication is 100% free to access on a global basis.
- The authors and peer reviewers then receive a percentage of the revenue attributable to the publication.
How can I use OARS related content?
The general principle of the copyright terms relating to papers provided under the OARS protocol is that they are freely available for personal study both academic and corporate. The OARS protocol is a fair and equitable system that supports the authors, peer reviewers and site operators and in turn provides free access to quality science. You could say we are all "rowing" together for the common good of Materials Science.
Consequently, we take the view that it is not fair for any third parties to profit from these works by any form of sale, distribution or display either on-line or offline. Of course if you would like to use the OARS designated content for commercial benefit and you are willing to financially support the AZojomo OARS initiative we are always willing to explore such opportunities - please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions regarding the use of OARS designated content.
Any papers that are subject to the OARS terms of use may be downloaded, distributed, stored and abstracted, provided, they are used for personal study and the original source and reference is quoted in any derivative works. You may not sell, distribute in print form or online, display or attempt to display OARS designated content for financial benefit without the written permission of AZoM.com Pty. Ltd.
You may link to OARS related content using the URL address or DOI.
Why are the operators of www.azom.com providing this facility?
There are several reasons:
- We think it's the right thing to do to encourage true open access to materials science.
- We believe an open access publishing model with financial rewards for authors without any author publishing costs is a significant improvement on existing scientific publishing models.
- We believe this model will encourage the rapid publication and dissemination of the latest scientific ideas.
- It will make access to new scientific research much wider, much easier and more inclusive.
- It will hugely broaden the readership of materials science and technology articles; and lead to faster technology transfer.
- The success of AZoM.com means that we have already captured a large global audience interested in materials.
- It will enable bright scientists to be rewarded for their efforts, and may be highly motivational to young researchers especially.
How do the "OARS" publishing model & the revenue sharing arrangements operate?
Author and peer reviewers receive financial rewards based on the following assumptions:
The published paper benefits from "indirect" general advertising as a consequence of publication on www.azom.com e.g. site sponsorships, conference & exhibition promotions and features.
- The published paper is also anticipated to attract "direct" advertising e.g. a paper or article on microscopy techniques would be of interest to microscope manufacturers who may wish to list their services alongside the related paper or article.
- The revenue received from this journal related direct and indirect advertising is then distributed according to the following general criteria:
- The popularity of the paper in relation to the other publications in the journal. The more popular the paper the more pro-rata revenue share it receives.
Authors receive a revenue share of 50% of the direct revenue and the relevant indirect revenue.
- Peer reviewers receive a revenue share of 20% of the direct revenue and relevant indirect revenue.
- The site administrators receive 30% of the direct revenue and relevant indirect revenue.
- This revenue share applies for a period of 3 years from the initial date of publication
- Author and peer reviewer payments are scheduled for 12 monthly intervals.
As can be seen from the mechanism described above, authors, peer reviewers and the site administrator all receive what we believe is a fair and equitable distribution of the revenues received, whilst at the same time allowing global open access to quality materials science.
Please note these rewards relate to content submissions provided directly by originating authors to AZojomo. Where existing print media content is provided to AZojomo by third party publishers other commercial arrangements apply.
How much will authors and peer reviewers receive?
Although we have set out above the mechanisms relating to the distribution of revenues, the ultimate amounts payable obviously depend on the amount of revenue the journal papers attract (both indirect and direct advertising revenue).
The revenue received depends on popularity of the journal and the site.
The worst case scenario is that we, as operators of AZoM.com, will subsidise the journal, whilst the authors and peer reviewers receive only minimal rewards. However, the published works will still be freely available to a very large audience, which is a big improvement on existing publishing options.
Where will the content reside?
The content will reside in a digital format on the AZoM.com servers.
Will a separate "Journal" website be set up?
No. We see no need to do this. Hosting the "journal" papers as an integral part of the existing AZoM.com portal makes a lot of sense as it will expose the publications to a large audience from day one. There is however an additional "journal" search field on the home page so that researchers can search only "journal" articles as opposed to general or news articles. Authors who wish to publish in print form can submit their manuscripts to the print publication "Advance in Technology of Materials and Materials Processing Journal". This publication is operated by International Foundation for the Advancement of Technology Limited (AD-TECH), Sydney, Australia a not for profit organisation and a collaborator in AZojomo.
Where do authors stand on copyright?
The authors retain the copyright but grant the legal owners and operators of the AZoM.com website and print journal (Advance in Technology of Materials and Materials Processing Journal) a royalty-free, perpetual license to display their work, plus exclusive publication rights for 12 months from the date of publication. The authors must also accept that their content may be distributed and copied by third parties provided it is for legitimate study and not for re-sale.
How will I be able to reference papers?
All journal papers will contain a unique Digital Object Identifier, both within the paper and the related URL. This will ensure the longevity of the identification system.
Can I also use the published work on my own website?
Yes, authors may post copies on their personal or institution/company web sites.
Who are the founding editors?
Please visit the founding editors page.
Will you add other founding editors?
Additional editors will be added when the workload demands such an action. The recruitment of new editors will be subject to the approval of the site operators.
What is the role of the founding editors?
Primarily, to ensure the highest standards of scientific publishing; and also edit, validate, and propose keywords for the papers received for publication.
The revenue distribution model may favour "populist" general articles, isn't this a negative?
It may be the case that "review" or "generalist" articles and papers are attractive to authors who wish to maximise their earning potential. However, although the subject areas may be broad, it is the responsibility of the editors to ensure the scientific quality of all the papers and articles approved for publication and to ensure there is not substantial duplication in the journal content.
When was the journal launched?
The AZojomo - Journal of Materials Online was launched in September 2005.
How do I submit a paper or article?
Send your paper in word.doc format with both included and separate individual images/diagrams to [email protected]. We are not restrictive in terms of guidelines for authors as we encourage both long and short communications, review articles and multimedia offerings. Our primary principle is that the article or paper should be of high quality and of benefit to the body of knowledge on Materials Science and related technologies.
If you would like to submit a paper or article, please use this word document template.
What Subject areas does the journal cover?
It is anticipated that the journal will cover all areas of Materials Science and Technology, from social and ethical issues through to the applications of Materials and in-depth Materials Science. Unlike printed publications we do not have to be restrictive with regards to the subject areas the journal will cover.
Will the payment of authors "taint" the scientific purity of the publication?
We don't believe this to be the case. Authors can request that their earnings are paid to their Institutions if they wish.
Will site visitors have to subscribe or log-in to view the articles in the journal?
No, access to all content on AZoM will be free, consistent with true open access publishing.
Is there any protection on the intellectual property relating to this model?
Yes. The OARS protocol and publishing system is owned and operated by AZoM.com Pty. Ltd. T/A AZoNetwork in accordance with granted Australian Patent 2004101054. International patents are pending.
Who are the site operators?
The AZojomo is operated by AZoM.com Pty. Ltd. Initial AZojomo papers have been provided by International Foundation for the Advanvcement of Technology Limited (AD-TECH) a not for profit organisation and AZoM.com Pty. Ltd. Contact details are provided below.
Dr. Ian Birkby
CEO
AZoNetwork.
[email protected]
Tel: +61 2 9918 7375