Frequently Asked Questions

How quickly will my accepted manuscript appear on the MCB website?
Accepted manuscripts are typically posted on the site, before copyediting and without supplemental material files, within two weeks of acceptance.

When will the final version of my article be published?
The easiest way to find out when your article will appear online is to contact the production editor.

How often are issues published?
MCB issues are published twice monthly, 24 issues per year, online only.

I recently submitted my manuscript to MCB; when should I expect to receive a decision?
The average time to first decision of an MCB manuscript is 29 calendar days.

Can I make my article open access?
Yes. You can select open access when you submit your manuscript. Please review the Instructions to Authors for more information (i.e., which license we use for open access articles, author warranty requirement, etc.).

Once my manuscript has been accepted, can I decide to make it open access?
We understand that on occasion authors need to make their article open access retroactively. If you find yourself in this position, please contact the production editor. Note that you will need to sign an author warranty form and pay the applicable article processing charge.

I have submitted the corrected proofs of my article; may I make additional changes (revising the text, adding a coauthor, etc.) to the paper?
If you would like to make additional changes to the article after the proofs have been returned, send an email outlining the changes with an explanation to the production editor. The production editor will contact you to determine the next steps.

My institution wants to issue a press release; whom do I contact at ASM about it?
Please contact the production editor for information about coordinating a press release for your article.

Does MCB consider submissions of manuscripts that have previously appeared on preprint servers?
Yes. For more information, please review the ASM journals preprint policy.

What is the cost to publish in MCB?
Authors Who Choose Open Access. Authors who choose open access will be assessed an article processing charge (APC) based on their ASM membership status.

If the corresponding author is an active member of ASM at any level other than Supporting level, the APC is $2,300.

If the corresponding author is not an ASM member or is a member at the Supporting level, the APC is $3,150.

Authors Who Do Not Choose Open Access. Authors who do not choose open access will pay page charges based on their ASM membership status.

For a corresponding author who is an active member of ASM at any level other than Supporting level, page charges are $80 per published page. If the corresponding author is not an ASM member or is a member at the Supporting level, page charges are $160 per published page.

Authors are charged a flat fee for posting supplemental material. If the corresponding author is an active member of ASM at any level other than the Supporting level, the supplemental material fee is $210.

If the corresponding author is not an ASM member or is a member at the Supporting level, the supplemental material fee is $320.

Nonmember corresponding authors may join ASM to obtain discounts on publication fees.

We encourage you to review the Instructions to Authors for more information about publication fees (please note that fees are subject to change without notice).

What does the APC cover?
The APC covers page charges and the open access fee. It does not cover the supplemental material fee.

When will my article become freely available if I opt not to pay the APC?
Your article will become freely available six months after the final version of the article is posted online.

Are publication fee waivers available?
If the research was not supported by any grants, special funds (including departmental and institutional), or contracts (including governmental), or if the research was not done as part of the authors' official duties (government or corporate, etc.), a request to waive the charges may be sent to the production editor. To ensure that we can evaluate and respond to your waiver request quickly, we ask that authors submit the request at the time of acceptance and include the manuscript id number (e.g., MCB00023-17) as well as an overview of how the work was supported. Please note that waivers apply only to page charges; responsibility for supplemental material fees remains with the author.

Can the invoice be sent to a co-author or another party who is not an author?
Special arrangements for payment may be made with Author Services after the proof of the article has been generated.

Are MCB articles deposited in PubMed Central (PMC)?
Yes. ASM makes the final, typeset articles from its primary-research journals available on the ASM Journals and PMC websites 6 months after final publication. This approach ensures that authors are in compliance with NIH policy (http://publicaccess.nih.gov/FAQ.htm#780). If you have any questions please send an email to journals@asmusa.org.

There is an error in the PubMed citation of my article; how can this be corrected?
Please send an email explaining the error to journals@asmusa.org.

Still have questions?

For questions relating to your accepted manuscripts, proofs, or published articles, please contact the production editor.

For questions relating to submission and peer review of your manuscript, please contact the editorial coordinator.