Benefits for publishers

The Research Cooperative has begun a project of approaching publishers, journals and magazines to explain the benefits of linking to the Cooperative.

Establishing reciprocal links has long been a favoured method of mutual support for organisations that offer complementary services through their websites.

The effectiveness of such links depends to a large extent on how meaningful the links appear to visitors at each site.

To maximise the benefits for publishers and journals, and for members of the Research Cooperative, we have been using the following two-step approach:

1. A publisher or journal support group is made within the Groups area of the Research Cooperative (see main menu above). The logo of the publisher or journal is displayed in order to maximise the visibility of group, and benefit to the publisher or journal.

2. A request is made to the publisher or journal to include a link to our website in its main menu, under the title of "Author guidance" or "Author help".

3. We also point out to the publisher or journal that their organisation, or representative staff, can join the Cooperative, as an organisation or as staff with formal roles in the organisation. This gives them further opportunities to display the organisational logo, and to describe their organisation (in the member profile page).

4. After joining the Cooperative, the publisher or journal can also benefit by using our website to seek out editors and translators for their contributors (authors), or for direct employment by the publisher or journal. The publisher or journal can also use our website forums to seek out writers, reviewers (referees) for specific tasks, or as members of a support network to be called upon as needed -- as volunteers or as paid professionals, depending on the aims and circumstances of each publisher or journal.

5. Members of the Research Cooperative can freely join the support groups featured for each publisher (or journal, or magazine), in order to learn from the experiences of other members who have been involved with the publisher, and in order to offer advice or encouragement. If the publisher wishes, and has registered as a member of the Cooperative, the support group can be placed under the direct adminstration of the publisher.

In all of these ways, the benefits of cross-linking and mutual support can be made more effective and meaningful for members of the Research Cooperative, and for the publishers and journals.

Telephones are still useful for making personal connections, but let's use the internet as well!