For independent STEM journal editors, the initial submission triage—checking for plagiarism and image manipulation—is critical yet time-consuming. Manually processing each manuscript is unsustainable. By integrating AI automation into your submission workflow, you can delegate these initial checks, ensuring consistency and freeing your expertise for deeper editorial evaluation. This post outlines two practical pathways to build this system.
Choosing Your Automation Pathway
First, define your core workflow. A Portal-API integration is ideal if your submission system (like OJS) allows it. Here, the trigger is a new submission finalizing in the portal. The portal automatically sends the manuscript PDF and image files to a designated cloud storage “Landing Zone” folder (e.g., Dropbox, Google Drive). An automation platform like Zapier or Make then watches that folder to initiate checks.
If API access is limited, an Email-centric automation is powerful. Use a dedicated address like [email protected] and mandate a specific subject line format. Leverage tools like the OJS “Publication Alert” Plugin to send structured submission notifications to this address. An email parser can then extract the download link and submission ID to kick off the process.
Building the AI Pipeline
Once your trigger is set, construct the automation step-by-step. The automation platform, watching your “Landing Zone,” performs key actions simultaneously when a new file arrives: it extracts text and sends it to a plagiarism API, and it sends image files to an image manipulation detection AI service.
Start simple. Build a first “Zap” or scenario that sends a team notification to Slack or Microsoft Teams when a file lands—this proves the connection. Then, extend it to connect to just one AI service (e.g., plagiarism first). Only after it works reliably should you add the second AI check. Parallel processing is the ultimate goal for speed.
Delivering Actionable Results
The final step is consolidating the AI reports into your workflow. Design a summary format and decide its destination. The automation should compile a concise report from both services, which is then posted back to the submission’s private log in your portal or appended to a linked spreadsheet. This creates an auditable trail and presents you with a unified, preliminary integrity assessment for your editorial decision framework.
For a comprehensive guide with detailed workflows, templates, and additional strategies, see my e-book: AI for Independent Academic Journal Editors (STEM): How to Automate Initial Manuscript Plagiarism and Image Manipulation Checks.