Carbon Trends, a new multidisciplinary journal covering research into carbon structures and nanostructures, offers rapid manuscript processing and low publication fees. Here, we talk to Editor-in-Chief Dr Vincent Meunier of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Congratulations on your new journal. Can you tell us a bit more about Carbon Trends and the role you hope it will play?
Thank you. As a fully open access journal, Carbon Trends aims to provide a fast medium to share new results related to carbon structures and nanostructures. Carbon Trends is a multidisciplinary journal that will publish reports cutting across many disciplines including physics, chemistry and material engineering.
What scope of topics do you plan to cover in this journal, and are there any particular topics you are keen to see published?
The scope of Carbon Trends comprises new developments associated with all forms of carbon, from traditional bulk carbons to low-dimensional carbon-based structures. New and significant results related to the properties of material systems where carbon plays the central role are the core of the journal. However, articles on composites and on materials closely related to carbon (for example, similar composition or morphologies) will also be considered.
We're also keen to become a premier place to publish theoretical and computational studies of carbon materials, including both analysis and methods developed specifically for carbon research.
Carbon Trends is a gold open access journal. What are the benefits of this for your authors and audience?
The main benefit of open access is that the audience can freely and quickly access new results and research reports. In turn, the authors benefit from the broadest accessibility and, therefore, visibility of their research.
What would you say sets Carbon Trends apart from other journals in this area, and what are the particular strengths and characteristics of the journal?
Carbon Trends is the sister journal of Carbon, a high-impact journal Elsevier has published for more than 50 years. We'll employ the same rigorous and fair editorial practice that authors are used to with Carbon. As the current Senior Editor of Carbon (a position I'll leave in December 2020 to focus on Carbon Trends), I'll strive to transpose the culture and best practices associated with the success of Carbon in the community. Of course, our objectives are complementary to those of Carbon.
Contrary to Carbon, however, the perceived immediate impact of a research report will not be a strong deciding factor when making a publication decision on a specific manuscript. In addition, being open access, Carbon Trends will become the premier place authors will choose to disseminate their carbon-related research as broadly as possible.
The main benefits for authors publishing in Carbon Trends are a rigorous editorial practice, a low publication fee (fully waived initially) and the broadest dissemination of carbon research.
Can you tell me a bit more about the submission, review and publication process?
We'll consider all papers that fit the Aims and Scope description provided on the Elsevier website. The Editor-in-Chief will first screen all submissions to make sure they fit and will then send the manuscripts for external review. A minimum of two external peer reviews will be necessary before an editorial decision is made. The authors will have the opportunity to address changes suggested by the reviewers. Our goal is to provide fast processing for each submission. We cannot fully control the workflow of the review process since reviewers are in high demand, but the editorial process and the time from submission to review will be optimised.