Frequently Asked Questions
What is mSphere®?
mSphere is a new, open-access (OA), pan-microbial sciences journal published by the American Society for Microbiology, the oldest life sciences membership organization in the United States.
What is mSphereDirect?
mSphereDirect is a new, optional, publishing pathway in mSphere that facilitates a fundamental shift from traditional peer review by putting authors in control and allowing them to secure reviews from recognized experts as quickly as possible. This pathway guarantees a decision within five business days. Authors select their own reviewers and submit scientific reviews simultaneously with the original research. mSphere Senior Editors validate the reviewers' credentials and evaluate the quality of the submitted reviews and research. This pathway puts authors in control, and allows for rapid decisions, speed to publication, and transparency in review. Find out more about mSphereDirect.
Why was mSphere developed?
The ASM realized that a gap existed in its collection of excellent journals. More authors want to publish in an OA setting, and the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of research meant that a growing number of papers were falling outside the scopes of the traditional ASM specialty journals.
What areas of research does mSphere publish?
mSphere considers quality scientific studies in any area of the microbial sciences, including papers by scientists who work with microbes but may not consider themselves "microbiologists."
What distinguishes mSphere from other OA journals that cover the broad discipline of microbiology?
One of the major frustrations for authors is the inordinate length of time that it can take to get manuscripts published. mSphere provides a rapid review process and avoids multiple rounds of revisions. This is accomplished through an editorial structure that empowers editors to make decisions in a streamlined manner. In addition, accepted manuscripts are published continuously, as soon as they are ready; they are not held for publication in monthly issues.
The ASM already publishes mBio®. How is mSphere different?
mBio has a very high standard for acceptance, and many important and significant studies cannot be accommodated by mBio. Such studies may have a home in mSphere.
If my manuscript is rejected by mBio, will it automatically be published by mSphere?
No. However, if a paper is rejected by mBio on the basis of scope or importance, the mSphere Editor in Chief may be asked by the mBio Editor in Chief whether mSphere would like to consider the manuscript. If mSphere deems the work to be scientifically sound and of significance, it may allow a transfer, provided that the authors approve.
What about manuscripts that have been rejected by the ASM specialty journals?
As is the case for mBio, papers rejected by the other ASM journals may be considered by mSphere on a case-by-case basis. Authors should not assume that rejection by another journal means automatic consideration by mSphere. Authors of approved transfers or resubmissions from a specialty journal to mSphere may be asked to revise their papers and papers may be sent for additional review.
Does mSphere charge a submission fee?
No.
Does mSphere consider submissions of manuscripts that have previously appeared on preprint servers?
Yes. For more information, please review the ASM journals preprint policy.
What will it cost to publish in mSphere?
ASM has adopted an "author pays" open-access model to cover publishing costs. Authors (or their funding agencies or institutions) pay a flat publication fee for each article published. This fee includes immediate open access and unlimited color figures. For a corresponding author who is an active member of ASM at any level except the Supporting member level, the mSphere® APCs (subject to change without notice) are $2,300 for Research Articles and Resource Reports and $1,200 for the shorter Observation and Opinion/Hypothesis formats. For a nonmember or Supporting member corresponding author, the mSphere APCs (subject to change without notice) are $3,150 for Research Articles and Resource Reports and $1,800 for the shorter Observation and Opinion/Hypothesis formats. Nonmember corresponding authors may join ASM to obtain discounts on APCs. Former members who wish to renew their membership at the same level may do so online. However, to change your membership level, please contact customer service at Service@asmusa.org.
Will authors retain copyright of research published in mSphere?
Yes, authors retain copyright. To allow for maximum dissemination of research, articles in mSphere are published under the Creative Commons CC BY license, which allows unrestricted reuse of the material with proper attribution. Users have the right to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles.
I recently submitted my manuscript to mSphere; when should I expect to receive a decision?
The average time to first decision of an mSphere manuscript is 21 calendar days.
When will the final version of my article be published?
Unfortunately, sometimes it's difficult to provide a definitive date until the article is near the end of the production process. For an update on your article's status contact the production editor.
Are mSphere citations available in PubMed?
Yes. mSphere has been accepted for indexing and inclusion in the MEDLINE database.
What will happen to the Clinical and Vaccine Immunology® (CVI) and Eukaryotic Cell® (EC) websites, and access to articles after these titles merge with mSphere? How will permission requests for CVI and EC articles be handled?
The Clinical and Vaccine Immunology and Eukaryotic Cell websites will remain on HighWire, and all articles are now freely available; full texts of articles will continue to be available through PubMed Central. Permissions will continue to be obtained from CCC's RightsLink service via a link on the CVI and EC article pages. mSphere searches will include CVI and EC content by default.