Post-Acceptance Support
Support for authors between journal acceptance and publication of the version of record. Pubrica’s production editors support researchers and their co-authors after acceptance. Proofs arrive with a 48-hour window and a list of author queries, a licence must be chosen, usually irreversibly, and a funder deposit deadline starts on the acceptance date. We handle proof correction, author queries, licence guidance, funder deposit, metadata and post-publication corrections.
- Proofs corrected properly: every author query answered and every change checked against the accepted manuscript
- The licence decision made deliberately, because it is usually irreversible and it determines what you and everybody else may later do with the paper
- Funder deposit handled on time: since 1 July 2025, the NIH accepted manuscript must be deposited in PubMed Central on acceptance, with no twelve-month embargo
- Metadata that makes the paper findable: ORCID, affiliations, funder identifiers and CRediT contributor roles
- Corrections handled to COPE where something must be fixed after publication, following a formal process
Proof correction and author queriesIncluded
Licence and rights guidanceIncluded
Funder and repository depositIncluded
Metadata, ORCID, CRediT and fundersIncluded
Paying article processing chargesPaid by the author
Acceptance → proofs → licensed → deposited → published
- Every author query answered
- Changes checked against the accepted manuscript
- Licence chosen deliberately
- Deposit deadline dated from acceptance
- Metadata complete before publication
Deliverables
Four Components of Post-Acceptance Support
Each service covers one accepted manuscript and works to the publisher’s deadline. The proof window is short and fixed.
From the proof passProof approved with no changes.Fourteen author queries answered; two figure panels transposed in typesetting, caught and corrected; a units error introduced in Table 3; one reference silently dropped. All four would have reached the version of record.
From the licence reviewThe licence is usually irreversible and governs whether the paper can be reposted, translated, text-mined or included in a thesis. The decision takes about ten minutes but is often made without review.
From the deposit checkThe deposit obligation starts on the day the acceptance email arrives, when it is easy to overlook. Recording the deadline at that point is the main step in compliance.
From the metadata checkInstitutional and funder reporting relies on affiliation and funder metadata. Errors can leave the paper missing from the reports that count it.
The samples shown are illustrative and anonymised. Hover over a sample to replay it.
Compliance and Standards
ICMJE, COPE, Funder Access Policies and Persistent Identifier Standards
Where the publisher or funder sets a rule, that rule applies, and publisher and funder deadlines run independently.
ICMJE Recommendations (authorship and declarations)
Authorship criteria, contributor roles, conflict of interest and the declarations the version of record carries.
Funder access policies (NIH from 1 July 2025, Horizon Europe, and others)
Deposit route, timing and licence conditions. The NIH revision removed the twelve-month embargo and moved deposit to acceptance.
Persistent identifiers and contributor roles (ORCID, ROR, Crossref funder data, CRediT)
These standards make a paper findable and correctly attributed in institutional, funder and indexing systems.
COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)
Corrections, errata and retractions follow COPE flowcharts, and a derived format may not claim more than the paper supports.
Responsible Use of AI
Our Approach to AI Use and Disclosure
Journals now ask authors to declare any AI tools used in preparing a manuscript. Pubrica therefore treats the declaration as a deliverable: we tell you exactly which tools were used on your manuscript so that you can complete the declaration accurately.
Why We Do Not Publish AI Accuracy Figures
Accuracy figures for AI tools are usually reported by the companies that sell them.
Pubrica therefore does not quote its own accuracy figures, as they would carry the same conflict of interest. Instead, we tell you which tool was used on your project, at which stage, and what a specialist changed afterwards.
How It Works
How Our Post-Acceptance Support Process Works
Deadlines begin at acceptance rather than at the proof stage, and several are already running when the proofs arrive.
Acceptance review
We record the obligations dated from the acceptance email: funder deposit, the licence decision and any embargo or press timing.
Proofs and queries
We read the proofs against the accepted manuscript, answer author queries and correct typesetting errors within the publisher’s window.
Licence, metadata and deposit
We set out the consequences of each licence option, complete the metadata and deposit the accepted manuscript where a funder requires it.
After publication
We check that the version of record matches what was approved and handle corrections or errata through the COPE process where something must be fixed.
Our Experts
Our Post-Acceptance Support Team
A named team of subject specialists stays with your project from scoping to delivery. Your project coordinator introduces each team member by name before work begins.
Reviews the scientific content for accuracy and confirms that each conclusion is supported by the evidence. Each expert is matched to your field of research.
Edits for clarity, grammar, structure and consistency while preserving the author voice and scientific meaning.
Checks the finished work independently against the agreed scope and the applicable checklist. Findings are logged and resolved before delivery.
Manages the timeline, keeps you informed at each stage and coordinates the team so that questions are answered and deadlines are met.
Pricing
Post-Acceptance Support Packages
The cost depends on proof length, the number of author queries and whether funder deposit is included.
Post-acceptance support
Authors with a paper accepted and proofs due
Quoted per projectOn proof length and deposit requirements
Delivery To the publisher’s window
- ✓Obligations dated from acceptance
- ✓Proofs read against the accepted manuscript
- ✓All author queries answered
- ✓Licence decision set out with consequences
- ✓Metadata, ORCID, CRediT and funder identifiers
- ✓Funder deposit prepared
Send us the acceptance email rather than waiting for the proofs, because several deadlines start before the proofs arrive.
Deliverables Request a quoteCorrection and erratum
Papers where something has to be fixed after publication
Quoted per projectBased on the nature of the change
Delivery By scope
- ✓The error characterised and its effect assessed
- ✓Correction, erratum or expression of concern advised
- ✓Correspondence with the journal drafted
- ✓Handled to COPE process
- ✓Metadata and repository copies updated
Corrections follow a formal process. Choosing the correct category at the outset avoids a second notice.
Deliverables Request a quoteSend the acceptance email and we will record your deadlines free of charge, including funder deposit, the licence decision and any embargo. Most of these deadlines start before the proofs arrive.
FAQs
Post-Acceptance Support FAQs
If your question is not answered here, please ask an expert. No quote is required.
Typesetting can introduce errors, and the version of record is the version everyone cites. Transposed figure panels, changed units in a table and dropped references are common.
The proof stage is also the last point at which errors can be corrected easily. After publication, a correction notice is permanently attached to the paper.
The licence is usually irreversible. It governs whether the paper can be reposted, translated, text-mined, included in a thesis or reused in teaching, and whether your funder’s conditions are met.
A proper licence decision takes about ten minutes, but it is often overlooked because it arrives in the same email as the proofs.
For NIH-funded work, since 1 July 2025 the accepted manuscript must be deposited in PubMed Central on acceptance. The twelve-month embargo no longer applies.
Other funders’ requirements vary, but the deadline generally starts at acceptance rather than at publication.
It is handled as a correction, an erratum or, depending on severity, a more serious notice. COPE sets out the flowcharts, and choosing the wrong category leads to a second notice.
We characterise the error, assess whether it affects the conclusions, advise the category and draft the correspondence with the journal.
Related Services
Related Publication Support Services
Acceptance starts several obligations at once, each with its own deadline.
1BEFORE ACCEPTANCEpreparing for acceptance
Journal submissionPortal, files and declarations. Response to reviewersPoint-by-point responses to reviewer comments.2TRIGGERED BY ACCEPTANCEdeadlines that start at acceptance
Research data serviceDeposit, statement and metadata. Scientific news reportTimed to the embargo, from $149.3AFTER PUBLICATIONreach and corrections
Graphical abstract$150 for 2D and $250 for 3D. Simplified abstractFrom $200, structured to the journal.Request a Free Review of Your Post-Acceptance Deadlines
We will record your deadlines free of charge, including funder deposit, the licence decision and any embargo. Most of them start before the proofs arrive.