STEP 6: PUBLICIZING YOUR ARTICLE
PUBLICATION DATE AND PATENT DATES
Accepted manuscripts will be published on the ACS Publications Web site as soon as page proofs
are corrected and all author concerns are resolved. The first date on which the document is
published on the Web is recorded on the Web article and in a separate line at the bottom of the
first page of the document in the printed issue.
Publication of manuscripts on the Web may occur weeks in advance of the cover date of the issue
of publication. Authors should take this into account when planning their patent and intellectual
property activities related to a document and should ensure that all patent information is available
at the time of first publication, whether Just Accepted, Articles ASAP, or issue publication.
All articles published ahead of print receive a unique Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number,
which is used to cite the manuscript before the print publication.
JUST ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPTS
Just Accepted manuscripts are peer-reviewed, accepted
manuscripts that are posted on the ACS Publications Web
site prior to technical editing, formatting for publication,
and author proofing—usually within 30 minutes to 24
hours of acceptance by the editorial office. During the
manuscript submission process, Authors can choose to have their manuscripts posted online as
Just Accepted manuscripts. To ensure rapid delivery of the accepted manuscript to the Web,
Authors must adhere carefully to all requirements in the journal’s Author Guidelines. If an author
chooses to have a manuscript published online as a Just Accepted manuscript, it is considered
published when the Just Accepted version appears on the Web. All activities pertaining to patents
and intellectual property must be completed before this time. Note that publishing a manuscript as
Just Accepted is not a means by which to comply with the NIH Public Access Mandate.
ASAP PUBLICATION
Publication on the Web as an ASAP Article
could occur almost immediately or within just a
few working days of receipt of the page proof
corrections. Authors should take this schedule
into account when planning intellectual and
patent activities related to a manuscript.
The actual date on which an accepted paper is
published on the Web is recorded on the Web version of the manuscript and on the first page of
the PDF version. An article may remain an ASAP article until it is assigned to an issue. In some
cases, articles will bypass publication as ASAP and instead become part of a published issue
immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
about Just Accepted Manuscripts