During 2020, IWA Publishing introduced a number of features to support readers in accessing the latest research that is relevant to their interests, and to support authors in maximising the reach of their work, making it easier than ever to find high quality, impactful research and – importantly – the data behind it.

As the New Year begins, we reflect now on those features and the advantages they bring.

Data Availability Statements

Every author now provides a Data Availability Statement with their manuscript, allowing them to specify whether the data behind their research is included in the manuscript (or its accompanying Supplementary Information), or hosted elsewhere. Allowing authors to share data contributes in a deeper way to the advancement of science (in its theoretical and real-world implementations), whilst strengthening quality control and inspiring confidence in published research. 

Crossmark

All published articles now carry Crossref’s Crossmark button. A click of the button lets readers know whether the article has been updated in any way, from a minor corrigendum to a major retraction (thankfully rare!). The Crossmark button assures the reader that they have access to the most up-to-date research from IWA Publishing.

Graphical Abstracts

Now a standard feature recognized by authors and readers alike, Graphical Abstracts provide readers with a snapshot image, neatly summarising the focus of an article. The addition of Graphical Abstracts allows readers to decide easily which articles are most relevant to them.

Highlights

In the vein of Graphical Abstracts, Highlights are a short list of plain-language points that emphasize the interesting, impactful aspects of an article. This is helpful to readers who want to quickly understand what an article is about. Highlights also enhance the discoverability of articles, and allow authors (and us, as the publisher) to easily promote the work.

All these enhancements have been made with the emphasis on researchers: what will help researchers disseminate their work? What will help researchers find relevant work? As we move in to the New Year we will continue to look for ways to spread the word about our most valuable resource: water.