Frequently asked questions

How can I find a journal for my manuscript?

Here are a few options to find a suitable journal, such as an alphabetical list and the Journal Suggester. 

How do I submit my article?

Please click “Submit Online” on the journal's homepage and directly access the submission system used by that journal.

Can I include my ORCID iD when submitting a manuscript?

Yes, we are using ORCID iDs in our manuscript submission systems, Editorial Manager and Manuscript Central. When submitting your manuscript, you can fetch and add your ORCID iD. To register a new or existing ORCID number, log in to the editorial system and select 'Edit My Account' or 'Update My Information' from the menu.

The authors’ ORCID iDs will be visible online and in the articles' PDF files.
Read more about the ORCID identifiers and why to use them.

How much does it cost to publish in a Springer journal?

For the majority of Springer journals, publishing an article is free of charge.

  • If a journal requires page charges, you will find them on the journal's springer.com homepage or in its Instructions for Authors.
  • Charges might apply e.g. for color figures or over-length articles. The information on these extra costs will also be available from the journal's homepage or its Instructions for Authors.
  • Charges for open access articles:
    If you choose to publish an open access article (as "Open Choice" or in a SpringerOpen journal), there will be an Article Processing Charge (APC) to be paid by the author or his/her funding institution. As a consequence, the article can be freely read, downloaded or distributed from SpringerOpen.com and SpringerLink by any internet user.

Can I publish my manuscript open access?

Yes, Springer offers Open Choice (open access articles published in subscription-based journals) and fully open access journals. Read more about our open access portfolio here.

Where can I find instructions for a specific journal?

Please go to the homepage of the selected journal and click "Instructions for Authors". 

Does Springer provide templates and style files for preparing a journal article?

For your convenience we have developed macros and templates to help you prepare your manuscript. Information about the preferred format for the individual journals can be found in the specific journal’s Instructions for Authors.

Does Springer provide English language support?

For editors and reviewers to accurately assess the work presented in your manuscript you need to ensure the English language is of sufficient quality to be understood. If you need help with writing in English you should consider:

  • Asking a colleague who is a native English speaker to review your manuscript for clarity
  • Doing the English language tutorial, which covers the common mistakes when writing in English. It is a part of our author and peer reviewer tutorials
  • Using a professional language editing service where editors will improve the English to ensure that your meaning is clear and identify problems that require your review. Two such services are provided by our affiliates Nature Research Editing Service and American Journal Experts.

Please note that the use of a language editing service is not a requirement for publication and does not imply or guarantee that the article will be selected for peer review or accepted.

If your manuscript is accepted it will be checked by our copy editors for spelling and formal style before publication.

Where can I find artwork instructions?

Illustrations – photographs, line drawings, etc – should be submitted in digital form. For detailed information about about file formats, resolution, figure sizing, etc, please check our artwork guidelines.

Can I submit multimedia files to be published online along with my article?

Springer accepts electronic supplementary material (animations, movies, audio, large original data, etc.) which will be published in the online version only. This feature can add dimension to the article, as certain information cannot be printed or is more convenient in electronic form. For detailed information about file formats, file size, etc, please check our ESM guidelines.

What happens if my paper gets rejected? Any other options?

We are committed to your publishing success. Your manuscript may be rejected by a journal for reasons other than your research’s quality. It may be more suitable for another journal! Let us suggest an alternative journal for resubmitting your manuscript and any reviewer comments. Learn more about the Springer Nature Transfer Desk.

What happens after my article has been accepted?

While the manuscript files are handed over to production for data processing and typesetting, you (being the corresponding author) will stay in touch with us through MyPublication. There you will be asked whether you wish to:

  • Publish your article open access with our Open Choice option (if the journal is not a fully open access one).
  • Transfer the copyright of your article (if you don’t publish open access).
  • Order printing of figures in color.
  • Order paid offprints in addition to your free (electronic) offprint.

A short while after completing the MyPublication questionnaire, you will receive the article’s proofs.

Can you give me more information about copyright?

Authors will be asked to agree to the publication terms of their article to the publisher (or grant the publisher exclusive publication and dissemination rights). This will ensure the widest possible protection and dissemination of information under copyright laws.
Open access articles (Open Choice articles or fully open access journals) do not require you to transfer the copyright; the copyright remains with the authors.
By opting for Open Choice, you agree to publish your article under the Creative Commons Attribution License (since January 16, 2012). Articles published before that date are subject to the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License.

What exactly is the "MyPublication" service and how can I benefit from it?

The "MyPublication" service facilitates all administrative tasks after your article has been accepted by the journal. You can sign the terms of publication online, decide whether your article should be published open access, whether your figures should appear in color if available. Most importantly, this new process significantly reduces the production time of your article.

How can I find out about the status of my journal manuscript?

For most of our journals the corresponding author can track the article online. Article Tracking will guide you through the seven stages from the moment your article has been accepted until it is published. Every step is described and will let you know whether action is required. Please log in to your personal springer.com account (MySpringer) to start tracking your articles. When action from your side is required, this will also be announced by e-mail.
Article Stages

  1. Confirmation of receipt
  2. Typesetting
  3. Article proofs sent to author
  4. Corrected proofs returned by author
  5. Online First – Article available online
  6. Journal Issue available online
  7. Article published (in print and/or final electronic version)

What exactly is Online First?

The Online First service lets users access peer reviewed articles well before print publication. These articles are searchable and can be cited by their DOI (Digital Object Identifier). With Online First publication the time it takes for critical discoveries to reach the research community is significantly reduced.

Can I still make corrections to my article after it has been published Online First?

The online publication represents the official publication of research results. As soon as an article is published online, it can be cited and is quotable. If changes are then made, confusion can easily arise with authors citing different versions of the same publication.

Springer has therefore decided not to make systematic use of the technical possibilities that an online publication offers and not to simply replace a published document with an updated one. After online publication, further changes can only be made in the form of an Erratum, which will be hyper-linked to the article.

How can I order offprints?

For the majority of Springer’s journals you will receive a free electronic offprint (PDF-format) for your article for your personal use. 

For some journals you will have the choice between this free eOffprint or a given number of free paper offprints (the options are based on the respective agreement with the editors or society partners). 

You will find your offprint options on the journal’s “MyPublication” order page.

Can I share my electronic offprint with others?

Authors have the right to disseminate their article's eOffprint (as a printout or by email) to their co-authors and research colleagues (for personal use by such colleagues). It is not allowed to distribute the eOffprint via a webpage.

The eOffprint is for personal use only and shall not be self-archived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your article, please use the accepted manuscript version for posting on your own website.

You may further deposit the accepted manuscript version in any repository, provided it is only made publicly available 12 months after official publication or later, provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication, and a link is inserted to the published article on Springer's website. 

The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The final publication is available at http://link.springer.com”.

How can I share my full article, e.g. on social media?

We want researchers to be able to share content easily and legally. Springer Nature SharedIt is how we help you do exactly that. Learn more about SharedIt.

Is Springer NIH compliant?

Yes, Springer is compliant with the NIH regulations. To learn more details, please read on at our Authors' Rights pages:

How can I request permission to re-use material?

To use material printed in publications from Springer, please contact us to get permission.

If my article was published without any keywords, what can be done?

We enriched articles and chapters without any keywords at the end of 2017. Learn more here.