What this category's data looks like
The materials for preliminary review of academic journal submissions consist mainly of submitted manuscripts, author information forms, and plagiarism check reports, sourced from the editorial system and email attachments, with an update cadence that follows preliminary review rounds and revision receipts. Manuscripts contain the title, author bylines, affiliations, funding projects, and receipt date; author information forms contain author order, contribution statements, correspondence address, and signatures; plagiarism check reports contain the detection institution, detection date, similarity rate range, and receipt. The three play different roles when entering the workflow: the manuscript is the version mainline, the author information form is the basis for bylines and signatures, and the plagiarism check report is a compliance attachment. The names, quantities, and dates of the same record often differ between the two materials, and unsynchronized versions, missing signatures, or missing receipts are also common, so a version ledger and change records are needed to enforce a unique current version, traceability of old versions, and synchronized citations.
Configuration and implementation checks
This step is executed by workflow nodes (user selection and branching), outputting branch directions and interaction state records. The "version ledger and change records" are continued and completed by subsequent nodes according to the branch. When a node is triggered, the conversation enters an interactive state and the workflow state is recorded; after the user completes the selection, execution continues along the branch corresponding to the chosen option.
| Object | Check | Verification action |
|---|---|---|
| Submitted manuscript | Whether fields, dates, and signatures are consistent with the ledger | Check the options and branch connections one by one in the node, compare the manuscript title, author order, and receipt date, and reference variables and nodeId to run a trial once |
| Author information form | Whether the names, quantities, and dates of the same record match between the two materials | Trigger once, view the node status in the run record, and check the byline order, contribution statements, and signature receipt |
| Plagiarism check report | Whether the version is synchronized and the receipt is complete | Reference the selection result variable in a subsequent node and run a trial once, checking the detection date, similarity rate range, and receipt number |
| Version ledger | Unique current version, traceable old versions, synchronized citations | After changing one piece of content, rerun and check whether the version number and citations are updated synchronously, and record the branch direction |
Three common errors
- Symptom: The names, quantities, and dates of the same record do not match between the manuscript and the author information form. Cause: The two materials are maintained separately, without a ledger to unify fields and date conventions.
- Symptom: The version is not synchronized, and the old version is still referenced. Cause: After a change, the branch was not rerun, and citations were not updated with the version number.
- Symptom: Signatures or receipts are missing, and the preliminary review cannot be closed. Cause: After the interaction is completed, the receipt fields were not verified, and the node status was not fully recorded.
How to verify the setup
Feature acceptance: Run a trial for each option, check the branch direction and interaction state in the run record, confirm that the selection result variable has been passed to subsequent nodes, and check the references to variables and nodeId.
Business test: Change one piece of content and see whether the version number and citations are updated synchronously.
- Check the options and branch connections one by one in the node, and confirm that each option corresponds to one branch.
- Trigger the user selection node once, and view the node status and branch direction in the run record.