Frequently Asked Questions

General

  • What is IEEE Access ?

    IEEE Access is a multidisciplinary, open access (OA), applications-oriented, online-only archival journal that continuously presents the results of original research or development across all IEEE fields of interest.

    IEEE Access will publish articles that are of high interest to readers, original, technically correct, and clearly presented. Supported by article processing charges (APCs), its hallmarks are a rapid peer review, a submission-to-publication time of 4 to 6 weeks, and articles that are freely available to all readers.

    Unlike IEEE's traditional journals, reviews are "binary", in that reviewers will either Accept or Reject an article in the form it is submitted in order to achieve rapid turnaround.

    IEEE Access current Editor-in-Chief is Prof. Derek Abbott.

  • What is the scope of IEEE Access ?
    • Multidisciplinary topics, or applications-oriented articles that do not fit within the scope of IEEE's traditional journals.
    • Applied engineering articles discussing new experiments or measurement techniques, interesting solutions to engineering, including negative results.
    • Development of new or improved fabrication or manufacturing techniques.
    • Traditional novel research articles.
    • Reviews or surveys of new or evolving fields aimed at increasing others’ understanding of these emerging topics.
  • What is the criteria for an article to be accepted for publication in IEEE Access ?
    1. The article must be original writing that enhances the existing body of knowledge in the given subject area. Original review articles and surveys are acceptable even if new data/concepts are not presented.
    2. Results reported must not have been submitted or published elsewhere (although expanded versions of conference publications are eligible for submission).
    3. Experiments, statistics, and other analyses must be performed to a high technical standard and described in sufficient detail.
    4. Conclusions must be presented clearly and supported by the data.
    5. Article must be written in standard English with correct grammar.
    6. Appropriate references to related prior published works must be included.
    7. The article must fall within the scope of IEEE Access. To help you decide, you should consider if the article topic falls within the umbrella of IEEE topics of interest.
  • What kind of authors publish in IEEE Access and why would they not choose another OA journal?

    IEEE Access authors work as academic, industry, and government leaders in R&D. These authors may not have published with IEEE in the past, but would like an outlet for their innovative, applied engineering and research. Also, authors using government research funding or university consortium funding may be required to publish in OA journals. IEEE Access offers these authors a broad-scoped alternative to the more narrowly focused IEEE fully OA topical journals.

  • Will there be a print version of IEEE Access?

    No, IEEE Access is online only.

  • Which template do I use when submitting to IEEE Access?

    Manuscript should be prepared in a double column, single-spaced format using a required IEEE Access template. A Word or LaTex file and a PDF file are both required upon submission. Content on each file must match exactly. You can find these templates by clicking on the following link:

    https://journals.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/create-your-ieee-journal-article/authoring-tools-and-templates/ieee-article-templates/templates-for-ieee-access/.

    For more information related to publishing with IEEE Access, please use the following link:

    https://ieeeaccess.ieee.org/submitting-an-article/

  • Can I submit a multi-part article?
    Since IEEE Access does not have a page limit, we recommend combining all parts into a single article submission. 
    If you would prefer to submit a multi-part article, keep in mind that we cannot guarantee that the same Associate Editor and reviewers will manage the peer review of each part.  Additionally, we cannot guarantee that each part will be accepted.  If all parts are accepted, you will be responsible for paying an article processing charge (APC) on each article.
  • How can I submit an article?
  • What constitutes authorship?
  • If needed, can we make changes to the manuscript after acceptance?

    The IEEE Access EIC allows authors to make minor changes to articles post acceptance based on reviewer feedback, before uploading final files. However, changes to references and author lists are not allowed.

    Per the IEEE PSPB Operations Manual, change in the author list is considered rare and exceptional. Changes to the author list requires a detailed justification letter and all other authors must agree and sign. The decision to allow such changes rests with the Editor. To determine what constitutes authorship, please refer to the following page in the IEEE Author Center:
    https://journals.ieeeauthorcenter.ieee.org/become-an-ieee-journal-author/publishing-ethics/definition-of-authorship/

    Note: Requests to add authors that are prohibited to publish with the IEEE or IEEE Access will result in the article being rejected or retracted.

  • Can I make a correction on my published article?
    Published articles can not be edited or withdrawn. However, if you notice a mistake on your published article you can either:

    1) Add a comment to the article on IEEE Xplore acknowledging the correction

    2) Submit a correction article to IEEE Access , which should point out the mistakes in the published article, and the corrections to those mistakes. The original article should be referenced as [1], and the title of the correction should be "Correction to 'Title of published article title'". You should use a required IEEE Access template submitted as a Word document in double column, single-spaced format. The correction will need to be peer reviewed if new research or results are presented, and if accepted, will receive a DOI, be published on IEEE Xplore at no cost, and will be sent to all indexing services. The correction will also be linked to the original published article on IEEE Xplore . You can find an example of a published correction article at
    https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8931067/

    Please make sure to have all authors of the published article listed as authors on the correction article. You can submit a correction article via email to ieeeaccessEIC@ieee.org. IEEE Access requires that all authors be cc’ed on the submission email to confirm their approval of the correction

  • I have a comment to make on another author's published article in IEEE Access, what can I do?
    There are two ways you can get your feedback to the engineering community:

    1) You may enter your comment at the bottom of the article on IEEE Xplore under "Comments"

    2) You may submit a short comment article (about 2-3 pages), which should address your comment(s) on the published article. The original article should be referenced as [1], and the title of the comment should be "Comment on 'title of published article'”. The Comment article should be prepared in a double column, single-spaced format using a required IEEE Access template. A Word or LaTex file and a PDF file are both required upon submission. Content on each file must match exactly.  The comment article will need to be peer reviewed, and if accepted, will receive a DOI, be published on IEEE Xplore at no cost, and will be sent to all indexing services. You can find some examples of a published comment article below:

    https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8391390/

    https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8340785/

    https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8576993/

    You can submit a comment article through our submission portal at
    https://ieee.atyponrex.com/journal/ieee-access

    During submission you will be prompted to "Select a Manuscript Type" during the "Additional Information" section, please make sure you select "Comment".

    Please note that IEEE Access does not accept comment articles on articles published in other journals.

Peer Review

  • How long does the peer review process take for IEEE Access?

    On average, the IEEE Access peer review process takes 4 weeks from submission to an accept/reject decision notification. Submission to publication time typically takes 4 to 6 weeks, depending on how long it takes the authors to submit final files after they receive the acceptance notification.

  • Does the rapid peer review process compromise on quality?

    Although IEEE Access has an expedited peer review process, all article submissions still undergo a thorough and rigorous peer review process.  IEEE Access has an average acceptance rate of 30%, which is comparable to traditional IEEE journals. IEEE Access strives to uphold a high-quality, rigorous peer review process above all else. 

Bibliometrics

  • Does IEEE Access have an impact factor? Is it indexed?

    IEEE Access is included in the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science, which includes Science Citations Index Expanded, Journal Citation Report/Science Edition, and Current Contents Engineering, Computing and Technology Edition. IEEE Access has an impact factor of 3.9, an Eigenfactor of 0.32872, a five-year impact factor of 4.1, and an article influence score of 0.685 (per 2022 JCR).

    IEEE Access is indexed by Inspec, Ei Compendex, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar. It is also listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

Article Processing Charges (APC)

  • The journal follows an OA publication article processing charge model. What will the OA article processing charge be?
    The article processing charge (APC) is $1,995 per article (plus applicable local taxes).
  • Can my APC be discounted or waived?
    Corresponding authors who are IEEE members receive a 5% discount; IEEE members who are also IEEE Society members receive a 20% discount (the 5% IEEE member discount plus an additional 15% discount for Society membership). Please note that this discount does not apply to Student or Graduate Student Members.

    Authors from low-income countries (as classified by the World Bank) are eligible for discounts on article processing charges. Discounts are based on the country of origin and are only applied if all authors are from a country eligible for a discount. For more information, please click here

    The IEEE APC waiver for low-income countries (as classified by the World Bank) is in place to assist authors from geographical locations whose economic situation creates a genuine hardship that would otherwise prohibit them from publishing. However, we expect that all sources of funding are considered; for example, if all co-authors are not from low-income countries, our expectation is that they will help cover the required APC.  Please click here to learn more about why IEEE and other publishers charge APCs for open access: https://ieeeaccess.ieee.org/guide-for-authors/post-acceptance-guide/

    In addition, your institution’s library may have established a deposit account with IEEE to pay APCs on your behalf. Please check with your institution’s library to see if a deposit account is available.  To view all the current IEEE Open Access Institutional Partners please click here.

    Please note that discounts cannot be combined.

  • Is there a page limit or over-length article charge for IEEE Access articles?
    No. There is no page limit for articles and therefore no over-length article charge.
  • How will the APC be used?

    The APC will be used to cover the cost of publishing the article and archiving it in IEEE Xplore.

  • Why would an author pay to publish?
    An author would pay to publish if they are in search of a reputable global outlet for innovative and applied research with a rapid peer review and publication process that is free to all readers. Also, authors may be required by funding agencies to publish in an OA journal.

Topical Sections

  • What is a Special Section in IEEE Access?

    IEEE Access hosts Special Sections.

    Special Sections are collections of articles that focus on unique topics. They are topics of research that belong within the IEEE but would be considered out of scope for most of the IEEE journals (e.g. multidisciplinary or boundary-pushing topics). Special Sections are created by Associate Editors and Guest Editors, once their proposal is accepted by an IEEE Access Editorial Committee. Each Special Section will include an editorial that introduces the collection of (four or more) articles on the topic. Completed Special Sections are grouped together on the IEEE Xplore® digital library. More information can be found at:
    https://ieeeaccess.ieee.org/special-sections/open-special-sections/

  • Who can submit to a Special Section in IEEE Access?

    Any researcher who is specialized in the Special Section field can submit an article to IEEE Access . All current Special Sections are listed on the IEEE Access website
    (https://ieeeaccess.ieee.org/special-sections/open-special-sections/)
    with a Call for Papers.

  • What is a Society/Council Section in IEEE Access?

    IEEE Access hosts Society/Council (S/C) Sections.

    S/C Sections are collections of articles that focus on an IEEE S/C’s fields of interest. Authors may submit their article to a S/C Section and have their article processed by a Topical Editor from that IEEE S/C. These sections follow the IEEE Access Special Section manuscript workflow. S/C Sections are a permanent feature of IEEE Access and will be open for submissions continuously. More information can be found at:
    https://ieeeaccess.ieee.org/ieee-society-council-sections/

  • Who can submit to a Society/Council Section in IEEE Access?

    Any researcher who is specialized in the Society/Council Section field can submit an article to IEEE Access . All current Society/Council Sections are listed on the IEEE Access website, with a list of Topical Editors.

  • If an article is submitted to a Special Section or Society/Council Section, how long does it take for it to complete peer review?

    The review time for an article submitted to a Special Section or Society/Council Section is the same as for any regular submission. On average, the IEEE Access peer review process takes 4 weeks from submission to accept/reject decision notification. Authors may submit their article to an "open" Special Section before the submission deadline or to a Society/Council Section at any time.

Additional Supplemental Material

  • What kind of supplemental material can I publish with my article?

    You may submit supplemental material (code, data, video, etc.) with your article submission, which will be posted on IEEE Xplore under the tab “media” with your published article. IEEE Access has also adopted Code Ocean and IEEE Dataport services.

  • What is Code Ocean?

    IEEE Access supports Code Ocean, which is a cloud-based computational reproducibility platform, integrated with IEEE Xplore that enables IEEE authors to publish their executable code associated with research articles. Code may be uploaded at submission, revision or after acceptance of the article.

  • What is IEEE DataPort?

    IEEE Access supports IEEE DataPort, which is a repository of datasets and data analysis tools. The repository is designed to accept all types of datasets, including Big Data datasets up to 2TB, and it provides both downloading capabilities and access to Cloud services to enable data analysis in the Cloud.

    For standard dataset uploads, there is no cost to the author. 

Video Integration

  • Why should I submit a video with an article? What can I include with it?

    IEEE Access encourages submission of video as it can be a great tool to enhance and promote your article. We highlight a video/article every two weeks on the IEEE Access main page based on the quality of the content. Typically, the most downloaded articles in IEEE Access have video.

    Video may be simulations, experimental demonstrations, or interviews with the authors or other experts, for example. We also request authors to submit a graphical abstract to overlay the video on the abstract page.

  • What file size can my video be?

    The file size should not exceed 100 MB for optimal viewing on IEEE Xplore,

    For additional information on creating videos, please see the
    IEEE Author Center
    .

  • What kind of video formats do you accept?
    Videos may be .mp4 (MPEG-4), .mov (Apple Quicktime), or .avi (Microsoft audio-video interleaved) formats. Please note that Power Point presentations must be converted into a video file before submission.
  • What type of content may be included in a video?
    Videos may be simulations, demonstrations, interviews with experts, or a presentation of the technology. Videos should provide a brief synopsis of the article's content. Videos should be in English and appropriate for journal publication.
  • How can I submit a video?
    During the article submission process, you can upload your video as “Multimedia” in the IEEE Author Portal during the file upload step.

    If you have already submitted your article, please contact your article’s administrator within 7 days of submitting your article.

Copyright

  • Are IEEE Access authors expected to transfer copyright to the publisher?

    Since IEEE Access is a fully open access journal, all articles will be published under either the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) or the Creative Commons Attribution, NonCommercial, No Derivatives License (CCBY-NC-ND).

    CC BY and CCBY-NC-ND allow authors to retain copyright of their article and permit a very broad range of reuse. Under CC BY, reuse for commercial purposes or to create derivative works is permitted, whereas under CCBY-NC-ND, reuse cannot be for commercial purposes or change the work in any way. Under the CC BY licenses, authors are responsible for protecting their content from possible abuses such as infringement and plagiarism.

    Authors will be asked to select CC BY or CCBY-NC-ND prior to publication.

    Note that publishing open access requires payment of an open access article processing charge (APC). The APC for IEEE Access is $1,995 plus applicable local taxes.

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