What is Publish Ahead-of-Print?

Publish Ahead-of-Print (also known as Online First) is a process where an article is published online after it has been accepted and completed the editorial process, but before it is officially included in a journal issue. This allows authors to make their research available to the academic community as quickly as possible.

How does Publish Ahead-of-Print work?

  1. Article Submission: Authors submit their article through the standard process via the journal’s system.
  2. Peer Review and Acceptance: The article undergoes the peer review process, and once accepted, it is subjected to all necessary editorial and technical checks.
  3. Online Publication: After the editorial steps are complete, the article is published in the Publish Ahead-of-Print section.
  4. DOI Assignment: The article is assigned a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI), allowing it to be cited immediately after online publication.
  5. Indexing: The article becomes available for indexing in academic databases and search engines.
  6. Inclusion in Issue: Once a full issue of the journal is ready for release, the article is included in that issue with its DOI remaining unchanged.

Benefits for Authors:

  • Faster Access: Your article becomes available to the academic community without waiting for the release of the full journal issue, speeding up knowledge sharing.
  • Citation Potential: Since the article receives a DOI, it can be cited immediately after publication.
  • Indexing: Articles published in the Ahead-of-Print format are indexed in databases such as CrossRef, increasing their visibility.

Important Notes:

  1. Publish Ahead-of-Print does not expedite the peer review process. The peer review process remains standard and requires time to ensure the quality of the publication.
  2. Online publication is not the final version. The article may undergo further editing or updates before it is officially included in the issue, though the DOI remains the same.
  3. Author Rights and Licensing: All copyright and licensing conditions are the same as for articles published in full journal issues.

How to Use the Publish Ahead-of-Print Service?

No additional steps are required from the author to use this service. After your article is accepted and all editorial procedures are complete, the editorial team will offer to publish your article in the Publish Ahead-of-Print section. If you have specific preferences regarding this service, you can mention them in the submission notes.

Contact the Editorial Team

If you have any questions about publishing in the Publish Ahead-of-Print format, please contact the journal’s editorial office at  ca_journal@kisi.kz