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What's New for JBO 3.9
Scheduled Release Date: (8/6/07)

Archive: JBO Changes by Release

The scope of changes in v.3.9 encompasses the areas of system display, new tools and functionality, reviewer-related items, coordinator-related items, issue assembly, and "behind-the-scenes" improvements. You can see the changes by logging into the JBO testing area.

Display:

1. Homepage display/menus
The homepage's turquoise background has been replaced with an alternating "grey"~"white" background. The menus also display in a different color (navy), but their functionality is the same.

2. Formatting improvements to action and thank-you letters
System changes to formatting in the action and thank-you letters will reduce the number of unwanted line breaks in the letters. The improved letters will present at all stages after the initial letter submission (approval by ME, sending by MC, and receipt by reviewer/author).

3. Action Letter Draft page (AE/ED screen)
Reviewer comments display is slightly altered to better distinguish text from each reviewer while drafting letters.

4. Issue Assembly screens (ED screens)
These screens have been revised to better match the homepage layout.

Additional item: Added manuscript number to subject line of "Review Returned" email alerts to AEs.
For email alerts, the email subject line is now "Review Returned - 2007-0001" (or whatever ms number).
this change was left off the original release note, sent out 7/17/07.

New Tools and Functionality:

5. New Formatted Text (WYSIWYG or "What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) Editor
This new tool allows formatted text to be copied or typed into fields that currently allow only plain text. With this release, the new editor will be tested for one journal's reviewer submission screen. After a few weeks of user testing, and assurance that no problems are encountered, we will extend the function to the reviewer submission form for all journals.

A note will be sent to all offices in early August with an update on the planned deployment to all journals. At that time offices will receive a more complete explanation of changes as a result of this new tool. With this release, the editor will be used on only the Reviewer Submission pages. But barring any problems, it will be added to other screens throughout the application.

6. Auto-population of latest Publication Rights Form
A link is provided in acceptance action letters that leads authors to a page at which they can confirm and modify the information imported from the JBO. Submission of this form auto-populates the PDF. This change updates to PDF to the most recent Pub Rights Form.

7. Added shortened Journal Name ("Nickname") to subject line of JBO emails
This option offers email recipients some clarification about the correspondence being sent to them from the editorial office. The change will inform authors and reviewers at a glance which journal is contacting them, and may help to prevent email being lost in spam filters.

This is a journal-level option set by the editor. On the "Journal-Level Preferences" screen, the editor will see their journal's nickname as approved by the APA Journals Dept, and can select whether or not to display this in the office's correspondence.

8. Expanded document-type list to match options on PBO Transmittal form
Allows coordinators to set document types with much more specificity, with the list of options expanding from 10 to over 30. If you need a document type that is not on this list, please contact your APA Journals Account Manager; s/he will add it to the list for you.

NOTE: "Masked From Editor" is still valid for use as a document type in JBO - because manuscripts must be assigned to this type to be processed outside the viewing of the editor. However, when the manuscript is accepted for publication, the document type should be changed to a true document type prior to PBO transmittal.

Reviewer-Related Items:

9. Two new (optional) reviewer questions at review submission
These questions are optional both to offices (whether to ask or not), and to reviewers (whether to answer). The questions will only display if selected as journal-level options by the main editor.

For Disability status, reviewers can give a simple yes/no answer to the question:

"Do you have a disability or Deafness (e.g., as defined by the ADA, or that requires accommodations in work, home or recreation, or that impairs your functioning)?"

For Gender status, Editorial offices choose whether reviewers have either 2 or 3 options:

Male or Female

Male, Female, or Other (3rd option, e.g., for self-identification of transgendered individuals)

10. Second email field added to reviewer profile
Addresses JBO system need for the primary email field to contain ONLY ONE email address, while allowing offices to store numerous alternate addresses for a single reviewer. Alternate email addresses (as many as you like) should now be stored in this new secondary email field.

11. Validation for properly formatted email address in primary email field
Added checks for to ensure a properly formatted, single email address is saved to this field in the reviewer's profile (e.g., no spaces, containing "@", etc). This will help prevent system errors in JBO email correspondence.

12. Added Boolean operator capability to reviewer expertise searches
When searching for reviewers by expertise, there are now "and" / "or" / "not" Boolean options to expand or narrow the search.

Coordinator-Related Items:

13. Moved "Create Office" and "Edit Office" menu options
The coordinator-specific functions "Create Office" and "Edit Office" menu options have been moved from the "OFFICE" menu header to the "OTHER" menu header on the homepage.

14. Display two post-acceptance status options as part of coordinator working file
Manuscripts at status options "Tentatively Accepted, Pending Forms" and "Accepted, Forms Received, Needs Sent to PBO" require coordinator action to (a) keep track of forms received, and (b) send the manuscript file and metadata to APA Journals (PBO).

These two manuscript categories have now been included in the coordinator's working file. With this change, coordinators will not need to do a homepage "sort by status" to find manuscripts in these categories.

15. Added "User Preferences" menu option (OTHER→User-Level Preferences) to coordinator homepage menu
This is to allow for individual preferences for coordinators. While there will likely be additional preferences added in the future, at this time the only option allows coordinators to override the system default and choose NOT to have manuscripts at status "Tentatively Accepted, Pending Forms" display on their working file.

This is made a preference because coordinator action on these mss are to a great extent dependent on author return of forms. Some coordinators may wish to have the display as a reminder of forms pending, while others may not want this listing to appear.

NOTE: Because they require coordinator action, manuscripts at the next status "Accepted, Forms Received" will now display as a required part of the working file for all coordinators.

16. "One-click" manuscript status change to facilitate PBO Transmittal
To save coordinators the step of having to manually change the status via the "Add History" option, the manuscript detail screen for manuscripts at status "Tentatively Accepted, Pending Forms" now display a link to change the status in one click.

Once this status change is complete, another link on the manuscript detail page will appear, allowing coordinators to access the transmittal by clicking the link (one less step than accessing the form via the existing menu option).

Clarifying language has also been added for manuscripts pending send to PBO, to help new coordinators understand the steps needed prior to transmittal.

17. Ability to view full acceptance letter from MC
Coordinators can now view the full content of the action letters...even the system-added information (confirmation links, reviews and info about sending pub forms).

18. Links to view "Thank You" letter to each reviewer - prior to AL send
On the manuscript detail page for manuscripts at status "Action Letter Edited, Needs Sent to Author", coordinators should now see a "View Letter" link on the row for each assigned reviewer who submitted a review. This link will display the text of the thank-you letter about to go out - at the time the coordinator sends the action letter.

NOTE: This link will go away after the letters are sent, but the thank-you letters will then be available via the "Correspondence" section of the manuscript detail page.

Issue Assembly:

19. New display of TOC pages
The issue-assembly screens have been revised to more closely resemble the new display one the homepage. Some system changes have also been added so the page will load more quickly.

20. Document type now displays on TOC pages
If assigned, the item's document type will display on the intial page (and on the "Add Manuscript" screen of the TOC function). In addition, the display of manuscripts now sorts first by document type, and then by manuscript number, to facilitate the display of similar material for assignment to an issue.

21. New clarifying text on Editor's display of "X manuscripts Available for Issue Assembly"
The previous display gave only a count of manuscripts at status "PBO Technical Edit Complete", but not a count of manuscripts at status "Sent to PBO For Technical Edit" that are also available for issue assignment. Because this has been misleading for some, the message is clarified.

Old display:

5 manuscripts are ready for Issue Assembly.

New display:

ISSUE ASSEMBLY
10 manuscripts have been sent to APA Journals (PBO) that do not yet have an issue assignment.
Of these, 5 manuscripts are at the point in post-production where they require Issue Assembly.

22. Added new status categories to accommodate manuscripts assigned to a DRAFT lineup
Manuscripts assigned to a saved (but not yet finalized) draft had no proper category to clarify their status. Two new status categories are used for this interim step so that it is clear which PBO-related category the manuscript was in prior to assignment to the draft line-up:

Tentatively Assigned to Draft TOC, Pending Issue Assembly Completion (PBO Technical Edit Still In Process)

Tentatively Assigned to Draft TOC, Pending Issue Assembly Completion (PBO Technical Edit Complete)

"Behind-the-Scenes" Improvements:

23. Performance Tuning
To speed up JBO performance, developers have spent a lot of time on system optimization efforts, focusing specifically on the following areas:

Homepage (working file and other displays)

Reviewer Search

Issue Line-Up

Initial testing has found page response times to have been improved by an average of 42%, with some page response times running over 90% faster.

24. Refresh of "Current Status" on Manuscript Detail Page
This nagging problem for coordinators - of the manuscript's current status not refreshing when updated manually by the coordinator - is fixed.

Archive of JBO Changes by Release: