How to fast-track (expedite) a paper and what are the benefits?

Authors sometimes have to meet publication deadlines, e.g. for promotion & tenure, thesis defence, grant proposals, spending of research funds before a certain deadline, publication of follow-up papers, or because the findings are deemed important.

To facilitate a speedy turn-around when a rapid decision is required, JMIR offers a fast-track review and publishing track, which aims at reviewing and publishing extra-fast without compromising quality. While some types of papers are sometimes prioritized due to public health need (See also: Are COVID-19 papers automatically fast-tracked or do I have to pay for that?), we offer a paid pathway where a fast-track submission fee is paid to guarantee a short turnaround.

If you opt for fast-track review and premium publishing, you are guaranteed:

• A rapid editorial decision for the 1st review round (and if sent out for peer-review) peer-review comments within 3 weeks (excluding holidays within that period)* after submission and payment of the fast-track fee (FTF), and
• If the final paper is accepted, publication of your paper within 4 weeks** after acceptance and APF payment.

Review timelines after round 1: Although we aim for fast turnaround times in subsequent reviews, the decision time in round 2 and higher depends on various factors, so we cannot guarantee a timeline for those. 

In order to take advantage of this, authors must pay a non-refundable FTF of $450, on top of and in addition to any other submission/publication fees (see Fee Schedule). 

N.B. Due to the cost of handling submissions, we are unable to provide either a refund or a credit for fast-track articles that are withdrawn after they have been paid for.

Fast-track should be requested within 24 hours after submission, but we also allow authors to expedite the submission at any time during the peer-review process.

Some fine print:

• Paying a fast-track fee does not guarantee peer-review. While we rarely reject manuscripts without external peer-review (known at other journals as editorial "desk-review"), we reserve the right to reject the paper promptly and without external review if the paper is out of scope or has obvious flaws, and we will not refund the FTF as long as this decision is made within the promised 3 weeks. 
• The fast-track fee is not refundable under any circumstance, even if we reject the paper (with or without peer-reviews) in the time period stipulated above.
• We reserve the right to refund the fast-track fee and process the manuscript in the regular submission track if we are unable to meet the deadline due to a delay peer-review step or other issues beyond our control.
• Bank holidays (US, Canada, Europe) are added to the 3 weeks. Also, note that the JMIR Office shuts down annually between Dec 23-Jan 2nd and these days do not count towards the 3 weeks.

To fast-track (expedite) a submission, follow the link in the submission acknowledgment email, or go to your author manuscript center and look for the "expedite now" link next to your submitted manuscript title (see screenshot below).

Footnotes:

* Canadian, US and European bank holidays, and excluding the days in the period between Dec 23rd - Jan 1st (of each year).

** Not including the period between Dec 23rd-Jan 2nd. Days where we wait for a response from author(s) to copyediting or proofreading requests are also not counted. 

----------------------------------------------------------------

Tip:

Are you looking for a rapid decision because you wish to cite your work in a grant proposal?

• Consider fast-tracking your paper (How to fast-track (expedite) a paper and what are the benefits?)
• Make your paper available as a Preprint (What are JMIR Preprints?). When you submit a paper to a JMIR journal, select "Open Peer-Review" as an option (What is open peer-review?). Your paper will then get a DOI and is immediately after submission citable as a Preprint, which many grant agencies such as NIH or MRC now encourage. 

Note that formative work, in-progress work, pilot studies, methods, and protocols should preferably be submitted to JMIR Research Protocols (Why should I publish my protocol or grant proposal?).

----------------------------------------------------------------

Related:

• I can't find my submitted manuscript?
• Why is there an invoice for the fast-track/expedite fee? I didn't order this!
• Why do authors love publishing in JMIR journals and are happy with the publishing experience?
• Are COVID-19 papers automatically fast-tracked or do I have to pay for that?