This document contains answers to questions that conference organisers and authors often ask about IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (MSE). Please contact us if you have any questions that are not answered here.

• Apart from open access, what are the main advantages of this journal?
• What are the options for publishing my proceedings?
• I would like an estimate of the cost, what information do you need?
• Can authors extend their papers for submission to other journals?
• Peer review, publication times etc.
• Specific questions on online publication and print publication

Apart from open access, what are the main advantages of IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering?

The journal was designed and launched to create a dedicated conference-publishing service which provides a low-cost way to quickly publish the proceedings of a conference, workshop, summer school or symposium. In addition to being part of IOPscience, organisers benefit from:

• excellent service: we use our experience and expertise to provide a high standard of service at every stage of the publication process
• flexible solutions: we offer a range of publishing solutions that can be adapted to your editorial objectives and financial constraints
• comprehensive scope: proceedings of any size, multidisciplinary or highly specialized, can be made freely available to all researchers

What are the options for publishing my proceedings?

• online-only publication
• online publication plus printed copies

Supply of CDs

• CDs are a very economical way to distribute proceedings - particularly for large events. Please contact us with details of how many CDs you need, together with the information requested below.

I would like an estimate of the cost, what information do you need?

Once you have decided whether you require online-only publication or if you would also like to buy some printed copies for distribution to conference participants, please contact us and provide the information requested below so that we can quickly send you a quote.

To provide a quote for online-only publication we need to know:

• the title of the conference
• the number of papers you expect to publish
• the date and location of the conference
• the URL of the conference web site (if available)

To provide a quote for online publication with printed copies (this will include delivery direct to participants) we need to know (in addition to the above):

• the number of pages in the printed proceedings
• the number of printed copies you need
• if you want to print any pages in colour

If a conference web site URL is not available, a list of speakers and topics would be very helpful. Please try to provide enough information so that we can quickly process your enquiry and provide you with a quote.

Can authors extend their papers for submission to other journals?

Yes. Provided such re-use of article material adheres to the IOP Proceedings Licence.

Are papers expected to be peer-reviewed and, if so, how?

Yes. All papers are expected to have been peer-reviewed through processes administered by the conference organising committee.

How long do you take to publish proceedings?

We usually agree to publish online within 4-6 weeks of receiving final files.

Can you publish proceedings in time for the conference?

Yes. Both online proceedings and printed copies can be published and produced in time for a conference but we would need to discuss and carefully plan the schedules.

What about multidisciplinary events?

The open-access nature of MSE provides an ideal way to publish highly multidisciplinary conferences whose proceedings contain papers of interest to researchers across the scientific spectrum.

Where can I and others access the proceedings?

All conference proceedings published in IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering are freely available online through IOPscience. Each published conference makes up one volume of the journal.

Will future researchers be able to reference articles published in IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering easily?

Yes. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering is a journal and takes full advantage of the features and functions of IOPscience.

• full citation instructions are available online
• each article will have its own unique identifier (DOI)
• articles can be linked via the CrossRef system

How do you work out your online publication prices?

Online publication is based on a simple fee per article published.

What does the per-article online publication fee include?

Here's a summary. Some of these points are discussed in more detail below.

• open access, all articles are free after publication
• creation of online versions of the abstracts contained in each paper
• creation of hyperlinked references and tracking of future citations
• unlimited number of pages in each article
• unlimited use of colour online
• extra multimedia items (e.g., simulations)
• online publication within 4-6 weeks of receiving final files

Do we pay more for longer articles?

No. The per-article fee for online publication is fixed and does not depend on the length of the article. However, articles with more pages do, of course, cost more to print.

Do we pay extra for colour in the online proceedings?

No. There is no extra charge for colour in the online proceedings. We strongly encourage authors to make use of colour where it will help to communicate the science.

Can we include 'multimedia' in the online proceedings?

Can authors include downloadable software as 'multimedia'?

Please contact us. Although rare, we do receive the occasional request to include executable software written and compiled by the authors of the corresponding paper. Providing downloadable software has to be handled with great care and caution so please contact us for further advice prior to supplying software. It is also important that you have the right to distribute any executable programs that you intend to make available with your paper.

Will you sell print copies to libraries etc?

No. At the moment our plans do not include selling print copies of IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering to libraries. In our discussions with librarians we have been told that they are generally very comfortable with providing online access to this sort of content.

Do we have to buy printed copies of the proceedings?

No. You can choose to publish your proceedings online-only.

Can we have colour in the printed copies?

Yes. You can select individual pages from any article in the proceedings. If you are interested in colour print please let us know when you ask for a quote.

Can we have our own graphic on the cover of the books?

Yes. Print copies can have a full-colour cover image, of your choice, free of charge.