Jump to: 

• Introduction
• Why Partner with EDS
• Models for Conference Partnerships
• How to Propose
• Publishing Costs

Environmental Data Science (EDS) is a peer-reviewed, open access journal published by Cambridge University Press dedicated to the use of data-driven approaches to understand environmental processes, including climate change, and aid sustainable decision-making. 

From launch, EDS has formed close relationships with workshops and conferences that seek a formal publication venue for their outputs. So far these relationships include those with Climate Informatics (see CI proceedings on EDS), ClimateChangeAI (which runs workshops at NeurIPS and other events) and the Fragile Earth workshop at KDD. 

We encourage other conferences and workshops to contact us via eds@cambridge.org if they are interested in similar arrangements. 

Five reasons for partnering with EDS:

1. EDS is a dedicated venue for the use of data-driven methods for the environment. EDS was launched because researchers using data science and AI to solve environmental problems have few outlets in which to publish: our feedback showed that this work is seen as too technical and applied for domain journals in the environmental sciences, whilst journals in the computer and data sciences may not see work inspired by environmental problems as technical enough. EDS is the new open access home for this growing interface.

2. EDS gives you quality feedback from methods and domain experts: Our editorial board is composed of people who have been working on the use of AI and data science for specific environmental topics. Our peer review process obtains a mixture of input from reviewers with data and/or methods expertise and those with domain knowledge.

3. EDS is Open Access (OA): EDS articles are published under Creative Commons licensing, making them freely available to reproduce and re-use with accreditation. We do not expect conferences to contribute to publishing costs. Authors without access to funding can still publish with us on an OA basis. See below for the routes through which Publication Costs are funded. 

4. Beyond Open Access, EDS is committed to Open Research: as of 2024, we will adopt an open peer review model; we also award Open Practice Badges when authors make data and code underlying their articles openly available. 

5. EDS can enhance the impact of your conference: we will curate your conference outputs on a dedicated special collection page. Articles and the collection as a whole will be widely disseminated thanks to EDS and Cambridge social media. We also use Altmetric on articles to track forms of impact, such social media mentions, blog and news coverage, and coverage in grey and policy literature.

   

We operate two models for partnering with conferences and workshops, but some situations fall between the two:

1. Conference to Journal Integrated Model:

This model is an arrangement for conferences that are a good fit for the EDS scope, and which run a high quality review process that is deemed by the EDS Editor-in-Chief to be at least as thorough as that run by the journal. Subject to authors choosing to opt-in, EDS considers publishing the full papers from the conference on the strength of the reviews gathered by the conference. EDS reserves the right to seek additional reviews if the EDS Editor-in-Chief deems it necessary. Publication is subject to a final editorial decision from EDS and our standard administrative and ethics checks. 

Process: 

• Conference representative (Guest Editor) approaches EDS (see 'How to Propose') and EDS Editor-in-Chief and Publisher make a decision-in-principle about partnering.
• Conference and EDS publicise the Call for Papers and partnership.
• Submission and peer review may be run through the Conference's system, but EDS ScholarOne system is the preferred option for review of full papers (note that EDS runs a transparent peer review process in which review reports are published alongside the article and the reviewers have the option of anonymity or being named in the reports; this is more easily facilitated in our system). 
• If the Conference system is being used for review, the Conference provides EDS with access to full papers and reviews performed by the Conference. 
• If the Conference system is being used for review, EDS contacts authors about the option to submit to EDS and how to upload articles into the EDS system. EDS publishing staff perform administrative and ethics checks on submitted articles, including whether the paper has changed since the conference, and upload the conference reviews to the EDS system for our audit trail.
• The EDS Editor-in-Chief determines whether the paper can be accepted on the strength of the conference reviews or whether further reviews are necessary. (Note that if articles are substantially revised from the Conference, EDS reserves the right to re-review). 
• The EDS Editor-in-Chief makes final decision.
• A Provenance statement is added to each accepted article that notes the article derives from the Conference and was accepted on the basis of the Conference's review process. 
• Articles are published on an open-access basis on a special collection page dedicated to the Conference (with options for introduction/editorial, and inclusion of Conference branding). 
• Articles and special collection are disseminated through EDS social media channels. 

2. Special Collection (Issue) Model: 

These are situations in which a conference or workshop does not run an intensive peer review process, and partners with EDS on the basis that the journal will run peer review through the EDS ScholarOne system. This leads to special collection (a virtual special 'issue') in EDS. In some situations the Guest Editors make a selection of articles to invite for inclusion in the special collection, in others we encourage submission from all authors who took part in the conference. We can also remain open to authors who were not involved with the event. 

Process

• Conference representative (Guest Editor/s) approaches EDS (see 'How to Propose') and EDS Editor and Publisher make a decision-in-principle.
• Conference and EDS publicise the Call for Papers and special collection opportunity with EDS. 
• (Optional) invitations are sent to authors through the EDS ScholarOne system
• Authors submit to EDS ScholarOne system by the given deadline and Guest Editor/s takes them through the EDS peer review process, which involves a minimum of two reviews per article, supported by EDS publishing staff.
• After reviews have been returned, Guest Editor makes a recommendation (accept, minor revision, major revision, reject)
• EDS Editor-in-Chief makes final decision, after looking at reviews and recommendation. 
• Articles are published on an open-access basis on a special collection page dedicated to the Conference (with options for introduction/editorial, and inclusion of Conference branding). A Provenance statement is published in each article that notes the article derives from the Conference and was accepted on the basis of the EDS review process. 
• Articles and special collection are disseminated through EDS social media channels. 

   

We welcome proposals from Conferences to partner with EDS on the basis of the above models or other arrangements. Please contact eds@cambridge.org with the following details: 

• Scope of Conference or proposed special collection or issue and timetable (any key dates: Call for Papers, the event);
• Names of the proposed Guest Editors (conference organisers liaising with or assisting EDS with peer review);
• Anticipated number of articles;
• Extent of Conference review process;
• Any existing publishing arrangements and examples of past proceedings or publications (if available).

  

Cambridge University Press is committed to an open-access (OA) model that does not bar authors from publishing on financial grounds. As explained on the Open Access options page, many authors have costs covered through Transformative Agreements: the large-scale agreements Cambridge has formed with consortia and institutions worldwide that cover OA publishing costs for corresponding authors affiliated with those institutions. Authors who do not have access to these agreements but do have access to grant funding that budgets for OA publication are expected to pay an article processing charge (APC; see the fees and pricing page). Authors without access to agreements or funding can obtain discretionary waivers, as explained on the Open Access options page (which also details the automatic waivers we grant to authors in the developing world). 

We do not expect conferences to contribute to publishing costs. The default assumption is that articles will be processed as per normal submissions, with authors either covered by a Transformative Agreement when relevant, paying an APC if funded, or obtaining a waiver if neither of those apply. As part of the discussion about a partnership it can be useful for us to assess the overlap of authors with our Transformative Agreements, so we may ask you for any details you have about the author affiliations for the current or past iteration of the conference.