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Frequently asked questions

Open Access FAQs


How are APCs calculated and what does the Society do with the income?

The fee reflects the cost involved in publishing a scholarly article, including peer-review management, production, hosting, disseminating and archiving your paper. As a not-for-profit organisation the Microbiology Society invests its publishing surplus in charitable activities which promote and support microbiology. Activities include organising international scientific conferences that offer microbiologists excellent networking opportunities, and providing a range of grants to support the professional development of members. The Society also promotes the understanding of microbiology to a diverse range of stakeholders, including policy-makers, students, teachers, journalists and the wider public, through a comprehensive framework of communication activities and resources.


Are the Society’s journals compliant with Plan S and/or the requirements of my funding body?

The Society is compliant with Plan S via its Green OA policy and through the Publish and Read transformative agreements that it seeks to make with customers worldwide. For more detailed information see:

We continuously monitor developments in open access policy and standards. We are compliant with funding body mandates such as Wellcome Trust, RCUK, NIH and HEFEC. The Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies provides an up to date list of policymakers and their mandates.


How do I pay the APC?

If your University has a Publish & Read agreement with us (see here for a list of participating institutions), the cost of publishing your article immediately OA has already been covered and you will be routed accordingly after acceptance of your paper.

If you opt to pay for your article to be published immediately OA, at submission of your article (in original and/or revised form) on the journal's Editorial Manager system, authors should tick 'Yes' for Open Access to indicate their preference for their article to be published with Open Access if it is accepted. 

In either instance, authors will then access the Rightslink platform to view cost estimates, view applicable waivers and discounts and access the terms and conditions. No order will be made and no payment will be taken at that point. Only when an article receives an 'accept' decision will the author be directly notified via a link in an email allowing them to access the Rightslink platform. At that stage authors would apply a zero or other discount that may apply, place their order and if paying for OA, do so quickly and easily online.


Will the Society deposit my manuscript in PubMed Central?

Yes. The Microbiology Society is a signatory of the NIH Portfolio Agreement; as a result, papers that acknowledge funding from NIH, and all Open Access papers, will be automatically deposited by the Society in PubMed Central (and mirror sites) on publication and will be freely available from PubMed Central.


What support does the Microbiology Society offer to developing countries?

The Microbiology Society provides funds to support microbiologists and develop microbiology, teaching and research in countries defined as low-income or lower-middle-income economies by the World Bank.

The Society supports AWARD (African Women in Agricultural Research & Development), which aims to enhance the professional experience of women microbiologists in Africa. Grant recipients are offered free International Associate Membership for one year.

As HINARI and AGORA partners, the Society’s journals are available at low cost or free of charge to institutions in some of the world’s poorest nations.


Does the Microbiology Society have a policy on 'Double Dipping'?

Yes. The Society recognises that a mixed economy is likely to exist throughout any transition from a subscription model to a full open access environment. We have introduced Publish & Read which is designed to motivate the shift from payment for access to payment for publishing. During this significant transition phase, we will proactively pursue initiatives to avoid double dipping and to seek out offsetting opportunities.


How do I find out more about open access publishing with the Microbiology Society?

If you have any further questions please contact our Editorial Office.


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Platform upgrade FAQs


Why is the Microbiology Society upgrading to a new platform? How will my library and my users benefit?

We want to give all visitors to microbiologyresearch.org the best possible user experience. With this in mind we are upgrading our platform to offer a crisp and uncluttered look and feel using responsive design to deliver a great user experience on all devices.


When is the launch of the new platform?

We have scheduled the release of the upgraded microbiologyresearch.org platform for August 2019, with new functionality coming on stream later in 2019.


How will URLs be affected? Is there anything I need to do to ensure continuity?

The platform URL remains microbologyresearch.org.

While many URLs will change when we migrate, we will put in place a comprehensive set of redirects that will persist for the lifetime of the platform, so there should be no interruption in service. If you currently link out to any of our journal subdomains we recommend that you update links out to microbiologyresearch.org to optimize user experience.


Will there be any changes to DOIs?

All DOIs will remain the same. We will reregister our DOIs with Crossref to point to the URLs on the new platform.


How will access be affected? Is there anything I need to do to ensure continuity?

Find more information in this section: Access and authentication.


Which browsers will be supported?

We support current versions of the following browsers on Windows, Macintosh, Android and iOS platforms:

  • Internet Explorer / Edge
  • Firefox (Mozilla)
  • Safari
  • Google Chrome

All pages function appropriately using any of the browsers referenced above. Please keep in mind that no two browsers (or two versions of the same browser) will display pages the same way.


Will the platform meet global accessibility standards?

We have aimed for WCAG 2.0 AA compliance with the Web Accessibility Initiative recommendations (WAI) and compliance with Section 508 Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.


Can I use the platform on mobile devices?

The platform is designed to be used on all devices: desktop, tablet and mobile phones.


Can I use the platform with cookies or JavaScript disabled?

We recommend leaving cookies in place for the best possible user experience. Access to the site is possible with either cookies or JavaScript disabled, though some functions and content may not be available.


Who can I contact if I have a question about the impact to my library?

Please contact our team via email at [email protected].


How do I stay up-to-date about what and when changes will occur?

This page will be updated during the year and we will send communications to libraries and to the microbiology community whenever relevant.


What training material will be available for librarians and administrators?

The platform will have a dedicated Help and FAQ section for end users of the platform.


Which changes, if any, will be experienced during the migration period? Will there be any interruption of service?

Our aim is to deliver a seamless transition to the upgraded platform, for you and your users. No disruption in service is expected.


What is the migration timeline? What are the plans for a parallel run?

We will be migrating during August 2019 following extensive testing by the Microbiology Society team and a period of secure, private parallel running. As this is an upgrade, not a new platform, we do not plan to offer a public parallel run. As we move closer to the upgrade date we will be communicating with each subscribing library to provide more detailed timeline information.


How will knowledge bases and discoverability services be affected? Do I need to do anything about this?

Although all current URLs will be redirected to the new platform, it will be useful to make updates to URLs used in library catalogues, discovery tools, and hyperlinks to enhance user experience. Please rest assured that we are working closely with our discovery partners to ensure they are prepared for any changes because of our new platform and will ensure that any implications of these are communicated to you. Discovery partners will be aware of what our institutional customers have been told about the new platform and when, and so will have a complete picture of how the implementation of the new platform may affect them.


Will Table of Contents alerts and RSS feeds still be available?

Both Table of Contents alerts and RSS feeds will still be available. We are migrating the subscriber lists for Table of Contents alerts, but users of RSS feeds will need to re-establish their feeds after the upgrade.


What do I need to do to ensure seamless access for my users?

We will prepare a concise migration checklist before we upgrade, and all your current subscriptions including trial access will be migrated to the new platform.


What authentication methods do you support for end users?

The platform will continue to support login with IP authentication and Shibboleth. 


Is there anything I need to do about my institutions IP ranges?

Your current IP ranges will be migrated to the new platform. You will be able to see your IP ranges in the Admin portal. If you need to update your IP ranges, please do so through the IPRegistry.


Will the new platform be secure via HTTPS?

Yes, we are using HTTPS. This means all communications between your browser and the website are encrypted.


If I have an admin account already, will there be any changes to how I access or manage my admin account?

All library admin accounts will be migrated. Your admin account will change slightly. The e-mail address associated with the current library admin account will function as the username for your library admin account on the new platform. You will be able to activate your account by performing a 'password forgotten' routine. Be assured that we will communicate this directly to you when this becomes relevant.


If I don't have an admin account yet, how can I create one?

If your institution subscribes to our journals and your institution has no admin account, please contact our team at [email protected].


Can my institution have more than one administrator registered?

The admin portal of the new platform requires one institutional administrator. This institutional administrator will be able to add a variety of admin roles to the institutional account.


What can library administrators do with their account?

The account will give you access to the admin portal. The admin portal will allow users to see all holdings and download COUNTER reports, add colleagues to admin roles. All settings with regard to access (IP ranges, usernames, Shibboleth settings) as well as link resolvers settings can be seen here.


How do I see which resources my institution has access to?

Once you are logged as an institutional administrator you will have access to the new admin portal. The portal will show you all holdings your institution has access to.


Will there be any changes to usage reports on the new platform?

Libraries will retain access to their existing reports, including COUNTER reports, in the Admin portal.


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Subscription FAQs


How can I purchase an institutional subscription?

Institutional subscribers can either purchase a subscription directly from the Society or via your preferred subscription agent. To receive a quotation or request an invoice, please email [email protected].


How do I know which tier my institution is in?

Use the Tier Descriptions to determine which tier your institution is in. If you are still unsure which tier your institution is in, please email [email protected] with the following information:

  • Name of institution
  • Full postal address
  • Number of sites
  • IP addresses
  • Total FTEs at the institution
  • Journals you wish to subscribe to

We will provide you with details of the tier your institution is in based on this information. The Microbiology Society retains the final say in tier allocation decisions.


What do you mean by FTE?

FTE stands for Full-Time Equivalent. It is a way of measuring the size of your organisation, not an indicator of usage. If you are a university, the FTE refers to the number of full-time students, plus the total number of faculty and teaching staff across all subject areas (including non-life science faculties), and all types of students (postgraduate, undergraduate, etc) across the sites that have online access. If you are a commercial organisation, your FTE is your total number of staff across the entire organisation.


My institution has multiple sites, but only one requires access to the Society’s journals. Can we subscribe as one independent campus?

If your institution only wishes to subscribe from one site and are able to restrict your IP registration to that site only, then you may be allocated a tier that is relevant to the site rather than the institution as a whole. If you are unable to restrict IP access from the rest of the institution, then you must be allocated to the tier that is relevant to the institution as a whole.


What are the online terms and conditions of use for a subscription?

Subscribers at set-rate tiers (Academic 1 or 2, Corporate & Government) are not required to sign a licence agreement for online access to the Microbiology Society publishing platform however the Online Terms and Conditions of Use apply. Subscribers in Special Price category are required to sign a licence agreement which will be provided with a quotation.


How do I change the mailing address for my print journal subscription?

Please email [email protected] with your customer reference number, institution name and the journals you subscribe to along with instructions on the new mailing address you wish to send print issues to.


What do I do if I have forgotten my customer reference number?

Please email [email protected] with your institution name and address and the journals you subscribe to. We will provide you with your customer reference number.


How do I change the administrator username and/or password?

Please visit our manage your subscription section for further information.


What do I do if I have forgotten the administrator username and/or password?

Please visit our manage your subscription section for further information.


How do I download usage statistics?

Please visit our manage your subscription section for further information


What methods of authentication does the site support?

microbiologyresearch.org supports username/password access, IP recognition, EZProxy and Shibboleth, and during the latter part of the year, Open Athens.

Please note: with EZ Proxy the university/institution must have a subscription and IP recognition setup.


Is the site COUNTER compliant?

Yes, the site is COUNTER as well as SUSHI compliant.

microbiologyresearch.org is also OpenURL compliant and supports SFX link resolvers.


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Using this site


How do I search for content?

  • Quick search (available from the navigation bar at the top of each page), allows the user to enter keywords which will search article titles, keywords, abstracts, full texts, authors, ISSNs and DOIs. You can also use the adjacent dropdown to choose whether you want to search all journal content or just a specific journal.
  • The 'Advanced Search’, which is also accessed from the top navigation bar, providers the user individual fields for searching for an author, for keywords that exist in the title of an article, its abstract, or for a publication title, ISSN, ISBN or DOI. The keyword field allows you to search choose whether to search for all of the keywords, some of them or for an exact phrase. You can then limit the search by subject, content type or date and control how the results are sorted – the default is by relevance but you can also sort them by recency or alphabetically. Once the search results are displayed, you can filter the search by a range of criteria, such as publication date, content type or subject category. If you select any of these filters, then the listing will change to show the items you’ve selected. You can choose how many results are displayed and how they are sorted (e.g. by relevance or by date). There are also options to either change your search terms or to apply additional terms through the 'Advanced Search' page.

Refining a search can be done using a mixture of Boolean operators, quotation marks, as asterisks. For example:

  • Search for exact phrases, 'antimicrobial resistance' would give you results will give you results where these words appear together.
  • Applying Boolean operators with two or more phrases will restrict the search.
  • Use asterisks to create wildcard searches. So infect* will return results containing infects, infecting, infections, infected.


Can I save searches?

Yes. Whenever you conduct a search, when you are logged in you will see an option to ‘Save this search’ (in the right hand column under Tools). Clicking on this link will take you to the searches part of your ‘My Account’. Under the tab ‘Search history’, select the checkbox next to your recent search, choose from the dropdown where you want to save the search (as an individual item or a new folder) and click ‘Go’. This will save the search into the Saved Searches tab.

All searches that are conducted within a particular session are also stored in the Search history, which you can find under 'My Account'. You can permanently save any searches from the history as well as creating alerts from them.

You can also create an email alert to be notified when new content relevant to your search becomes available.


What does ‘share’ mean and how do I use it?

At journal level, are links to a range of social networking websites. These sites allow you to share pages that you find interesting with your colleagues and contacts. All of these sites are free to use but do require you to register. Once you have registered you can begin sharing links. When you hover on the logo for a social network, a pop-up will appear that enables you to sign in to the third-party site (if you're not already signed in), and then share the link.


What are my favourites and how do I use them?

Favourites are a personalised list of all the things you have found interesting and would like to come back to for future reference, or would like to consider purchasing at a later point. A favourites list will be created for you at the point where you register on the site. To add items, browse the site and when you find something you'd like to add, click the "Add to favourites" button, which you'll find under the 'Add to Cart' button on the right-hand side of each product information page.


What type of email alerts are available?

You can create alerts to be notified when new content is added to the site and when new content is added to a title e.g. a new article alert. You can also create alerts around particular searches for when new content is later added that is relevant to your search query.


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Technical problem?


Who do I contact if I am having technical problems with my access

If you experience any technical problems using this website, please email [email protected].


Which browsers do you support?

The online platform generally supports Chrome, IE and Firefox browsers that are two versions older than the latest version.


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