RESEARCH EXCHANGE
Research Exchange is an evolving platform, continuously updated to meet the needs of the scholarly publishing community. This roadmap showcases recent feature releases and upcoming developments aimed at improving the experience of authors, reviewers, editors, and journal administrators across the workflow. For full details on individual updates, visit our release notes.
Features marked in the Editor Feedback column reflect direct responses to input from our editorial community, because building the right tools means listening to the people who use them. We are committed to our agile development model, and feature delivery timelines may shift as we incorporate ongoing feedback into our prioritization.
| Editor Feedback Feature | Feature | User | Description | Delivery Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Additional dashboard filter and search enhancements | Editors | Enables editors to toggle between journal roles without leaving their dashboard and enables search by author email. | Jan-26 |
| Taxonomies for Wiley Online Library topic collections | Authors, editors | Will enable journals to use portfolio-level or journal-specific custom subject taxonomies to classify accepted manuscripts at publication, which will be validated by the author at submission. | Dec-25 | |
| Recording editor availability | Editors, admins | Editors can record their availability to ensure manuscripts are not assigned to them. | Dec-25 | |
| Yes | Choice of Academic Editor assignment or invitation | Admins, editors | Support for journal workflows where Academic Editors are assigned, rather than invited, to handle a submission (initially available for journals migrating from now; can be configured for already-migrated journals from December onwards). | Nov-25 |
| Manual Triage Editor assignment | Admins, editors | Supports journal workflows where admins manually assign Triage Editor (initially available for journals migrating from now; can be configured for already-migrated journals from December onwards). | Nov-25 | |
| Integrate Research Exchange with Support Chat Function | Editors | Adds an AI Chatbot to provide in-system, immediate, and efficient Editor support. | Nov-25 | |
| Dashboard search by Editor | Editors | Enables editors with oversight permissions to search for manuscripts within their dashboards by editor name or email address. | Nov-25 | |
| Flexibility for editors to adjust required number of reviews | Editors | Enables editors to amend their desired number of reviews required to make decisions on an article-by-article level (while ensuring a minimum number has been met for acceptance decisions). | Oct-25 | |
| Yes | Improvements to editor dashboard filters | Editors | Enhance editor dashboards and manuscript filters, e.g., ordering filters by chronological manuscript status and enabling filter by different manuscript properties (Commissioned, Special Issues, Transferred, Transparent Peer Review, Article Type). | Oct-25 |
| Gold OA: Multiple discount codes | Authors | Supports journals with discounts from multiple societies | Sep-25 | |
| Yes | Total publication history keywords for reviewers | Editors | Previously, editors could only view keywords from a reviewer's publications directly related to the manuscript under review. The system now displays keywords from the reviewer's complete publication history, giving editors a fuller picture of reviewer qualifications and subject matter expertise | Sep-25 |
| Attach file in escalation steps | Editors, admins | Will allow the ability to attach a file when a manuscript is escalated to a specialist, and for the specialist to attach a file when returning their report. | Sep-25 | |
| Enhanced deadline management in Research Exchange Commission | Editors, Authors | Updates include the ability for editors to easily grant extensions to author invitation deadlines, automatically informing authors, as well as a more strategic approach to deadline reminders. | Sep-25 | |
| Commission search enhancements | Editors | New search functionality within Research Exchange Commission allows users to more quickly locate commissions by searching for commission name or ID. | Sep-25 | |
| Linking another paper to manuscripts in Review | Admins, Editors | Within the same journal, a user can search and link other submissions to an in-progress manuscript. Journal staff can view papers that were linked to the in-progress manuscript in Submission and Review. | Sep-25 | |
| Ability to attach files to "Return to Draft" | Admins | Checkers and lead screeners can now attach a supporting file at “Return to Draft” decision, making it easier to provide examples, reference materials, and documentation to help authors understand requested changes. | Sep-25 | |
| Conversation tool | Editors | Enables editors assigned to a manuscript to discuss submission: posting comments and responses in a new conversation panel. | Sep-25 | |
| Sending manuscript to reviewer at invitation | Editors | Will allow the ability to share a secure link to the manuscript with the reviewer at the invitation step. | Sep-25 | |
| Yes | Identify and invite specialist reviewers | Editors, reviewers | Allows journals to set up categories of specialist reviewers, e.g. Statistical Reviewer, Early Career Researcher, Editorial Advisory Board, and identify these easily when searching for reviewers. | Aug-25 |
| Transparent Peer Review (TPR) | Reviewers, authors | Authors can opt in to a peer review process whereby the entire review history of the manuscript is published alongside the published article. | Aug-25 | |
| Improved management of authorship changes | Authors, admins | Ensures integrity of authorship by alerting journal admins to any changes in the author list when a manuscript is revised. | Aug-25 | |
| Yes | Re-invite a declined reviewer | Editors | Enables editors to re-invite a reviewer who has previously declined to review. | Aug-25 |
| Additional submission questions | Authors | Additional submission questions to be configured and reportable upon request, such as confirmation of authors' status as Early Career Researchers to determine eligibility for journal awards, and providing social media details | Jul-25 | |
| Improvements to reviewer suggestion tool | Editors | When searching for reviewers, editors can add custom keywords of their choice to refine and improve the accuracy of results. | Jul-25 | |
| Yes | Include files in decision emails | Editors | Enables editors to upload files when making their decision on a manuscript, which will be made available to the author as part of their decision letter. | Jul-25 |
Suppress email to author at Request Files stage | Admins | Ability to suppress email at Materials Check/Request Files stage, enabling admin to replace manuscript files if there is no need to consult with the author. | Jun-25 | |
Selection of TOC category at decision stage | Editors, admins | For journals that organize their issues on Wiley Online Library by Table of Contents (TOC) sections, editors can indicate TOC category when making a decision to accept an article for publication. | Jun-25 | |
| Filter reviewer suggestions by active journal pool | Editors, reviewers | To assist editors further in the reviewer invitation process, allows the option to filter reviewer suggestions by those actively reviewing for the journal. | May-25 | |
| Yes | Post-acceptance update to Main Document file | Authors | Allows update of the main manuscript file following acceptance, when minor edits have been made (e.g., copyediting). | May-25 |
| Support for Continuing Medical Education (CME) reviewer credit | Reviewers | Opt-in for reviewers to receive Continuing Medical Education credit when completing a review, for journals offering this service. | May-25 | |
| Link submissions to published articles | Authors, editors | Author linking of a submission to a published article, e.g., a Letter to the Editor about a published article or a Registered Report. | May-25 | |
| Send bulk invitations in Research Exchange Commission | Editors | Enables editors to send multiple invitations at once for a special issue. | May-25 | |
| Invite-only article types | Admins, authors | Enables admins to configure invite-only article types, to support with commissioning content. | Apr-25 | |
| Adjusted frequency of decision required notifications | Editors | Ensure decision/recommendation required reminders are sent to editors less frequently, and only when the required number of reviews are received, with no reviews or invitations pending. | Apr-25 | |
| Commission: improved flexibility and visibility of due dates | Authors, editors | Due dates for manuscripts invited via Research Exchange Commission can be customized without affecting due dates for other papers within the same group. | Apr-25 | |
| Yes | Further updated text in email templates | Editors, reviewers | Additional content and tone updates to email templates for reviewers and editors, reflecting feedback. | Apr-25 |
| Yes | Editor-authored manuscripts hidden from view | Editors, admins | Prevents editors from viewing and taking actions on manuscripts they have co-authored and submitted to their own journal. | Apr-25 |
| Yes | Enhancements to reviewer search results | Editors | Editors will see the same level of information about reviewers surfaced by system suggestion as they will for those from manual search. | Apr-25 |
| Support for Dryad data deposit | Authors, admins, editors, reviewers | Support for authors depositing their research to Dryad, making the Dryad reference available in the peer review workflow. | Apr-25 | |
| Yes | Enhancements to reviewer information | Editors | Editors can see suggested reviewers’ publication and retraction histories alongside their previous reviewer activity for the journal. | Mar-25 |
| Overdue reviewers able to submit comments after due date | Reviewers, editors | Reviewers with overdue reviews can submit their reports at any point before a recommendation or decision is made, without need for an extension. | Mar-25 | |
| Gold OA (Phase 3): display discount in Review | Admins, authors, editors | Editors of Gold Open Access titles will see details of discounts or waivers claimed by authors at submission. | Feb-25 | |
| Yes | Automatically list previous reviewers on revised manuscripts | Editors | Easier location and re-invitation of reviewers of previous manuscript versions for revisions, without need to toggle between versions. | Feb-25 |
| Yes | PDF file for peer review | Authors, editors, reviewers | Authors, editors, and reviewers can download a single manuscript PDF containing all manuscript files. | Feb-25 |
| Yes | Preview decision emails | Editors | Editors can preview emails for all decision types before sending to the author. | Feb-25 |
| Yes | Edit reviewer comments in decision emails | Editors | Editors can edit reviewer comments in decision emails, e.g. to clarify meaning, correct errors, or remove problematic content. | Feb-25 |
| Yes | Full-text email history visible in Review | Editors, admins | Improved Activity Log enables editors to view all emails sent during the lifecycle of the manuscript within Research Exchange Review. | Jan-25 |
| Commission tool now available | Editors | Designed to streamline invitation workflows, boost efficiency, and elevate your journal’s impact. Find out more here. | Jan-25 | |
| Yes | Reviewer file upload | Reviewers | Reviewers can upload a file as part of their review. | Dec-24 |
| Yes | Updated text in email templates | Editors, reviewers, authors | Updated content and tone in 25 email templates for reviewers and authors, reflecting feedback. | Dec-24 |
| Yes | Ability for Editor-in-Chief to assign self as handling editor | Editors | Editors-in-Chief can self-assign as handling editors and complete tasks without requiring a separate account. Find out more here | Nov-24 |
| Yes | Extend reviewer due date | Editors, reviewers | Editors and journal admins can extend a reviewer's due date within 10 days of their deadline. | Nov-24 |
| Improved 'Return to Draft' and 'Refuse to Consider' Reasons | Editors | Menu of reasons for refusal to consider or return to draft in addition to a free text ‘Comments’ box. | Sep-24 | |
| Automatic screening for Author Names in Double Anonymous Manuscripts | Authors, admins | New feature supports checks for double anonymous manuscripts in the Screening application. | Sep-24 | |
| Editorial Oversight Permissions | Editors | Triage Editors and Academic Editors can be assigned ‘viewer’ permissions, enabling a view of manuscripts submitted to the journal. | Aug-24 |
| Editor Feedback Feature | Feature | User | Description | Planned Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Enhanced Image Manipulation checks | Admins, editors | Will improve the quality and efficiency of image manipulation checks with the integration of the ImageTwin tool. | Pilot Ongoing | |
| Yes | Ability for non-Wiley editorial offices to upload files on behalf of authors during submission | Admins | Enables staff at external editorial offices to access submissions and upload files on behalf of authors when manuscripts are in draft, for example to allow for minor copyediting or other post-acceptance changes to be made. | Pilot Ongoing |
| Yes | Reviewer invitation queue | Editors, reviewers | Will enable editors to set up a queue of reviewers to invite in order of preference. Auto-invitation of assigned reviewers, in sequence, until the required number of reviewers have agreed to review. | Pilot Ongoing |
| Three-tier editorial workflow | Editors, admins | Support for journals with three tiers of editors, e.g. Editor-in-Chief, Senior Editor and Handling Editor. | Feb-26 | |
| Custom email signature at user level | Editors | Users will be able to customise their default signature which will automatically populate email templates for the respective sender. For example, allowing editors to add initials, affiliations or academic titles in line with their preferences. | Feb-26 | |
| Yes | Conversation Tool for editors not assigned to manuscripts | Editors | Enabling users with active editor roles to be tagged and notified by the Conversation Tool, to view manuscript details, and to leave their own comments. | Mar-26 |
| Authorea deposit and update | Authors | Will upload an author's submitted manuscript as a preprint to Authorea upon submission, and updates upon acceptance. | Apr-26 | |
| Yes | User-validated keywords | Reviewers | Will allow users to edit the keywords that inform reviewer suggestions, currently based on their publication history, which will help ensure the accuracy of suggestions. | Apr-26 |
| Yes | Notification center | Editors, Reviewers | Adds a centralized hub that enables users to control their own preferred settings, to toggle on/off certain notifications. | Apr-26 |
| Yes | Customizable email templates | Admins | Enables the addition of default, journal-specific text in editable sections of certain email templates, so this will not need to be completed on a manuscript-by-manuscript basis. | Apr-26 |
| Improved Conflict of Interest matching | Editors, Reviewers | Allows the use of researcher identifiers such as ORCiD to improve author disambiguation and better detect and suppress from results any co-authors of the manuscript; identity matching will be extended so that any exact name matches generate an advisory warning, to better detect cases where researchers have changed institutions and emails. | Apr-26 | |
| Allow changes to issue type at acceptance | Editors | Enable editors to control, at the point of acceptance, whether a manuscript submitted to a regular issue should be published in a special issue, or vice versa. | Apr-26 | |
| Rescind reject decision | Admins, authors | Will enable journal admins to return a rejected manuscript to peer review. | Apr-26 |
| Editor Feedback Feature | Feature | User | Description | Planned Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Disambiguation of researcher profiles | Editors, reviewers | Enhancements to Wiley’s researcher database will improve the quality of data in researcher profiles and reduce instances of an individual appearing multiple times in reviewer suggestion results. | Ongoing |
| Enhancements to manuscript status filtering | Editors, admins | Ongoing improvements to the clarity of manuscript status filters. | Jul-26 | |
| Reviewer recognition with ORCID | Reviewers | Will enable reviewers to get credit for their review in their ORCID profile | TBC | |
| Specialized reviewer enhancements | Editors | Improvements to the specialized reviewer functionality to make it easier for editors to find the most relevant user from this tab. | TBC | |
| Reviewer can decline and suggest another reviewer | Editors, Reviewers | Will allow reviewers to suggest alternatives when declining a review invitation. | TBC | |
| Enhancements to manuscript status filtering | Editors, admins | Will bring improvements to the clarity of manuscript status filters. | TBC | |
| Ad-hoc email communication | Editors, admins | Enable users to send communications ad-hoc from the system. | TBC | |
| Enhanced integration with Dryad | Authors, admins | Extends our integration with Dryad to better assist authors with data deposit, and automatically updates Dryad at submission and acceptance stages. | TBC | |
| Allow users to change article type at revision | Authors, admins, editors | Enables changes to article types and subsequent changes to editorial workflow after the point of initial submission. | TBC | |
| Reviewer pool management | Admins, Editors | Adds the ability to dynamically add and remove individuals from journal-specific reviewer pools. | TBC | |
| Yes | Editors can attach files to recommendations | Editors | Will enable editors to upload files when making recommendations on a manuscript, which will be made available to the author as part of their decision letter. | TBC |
| Triple anonymous peer review | Authors, editors, reviewers | Support triple anonymous peer review workflow in line with Standard Terminology for Peer Review: reviewer identity is not made visible to author, author identity is not made visible to reviewer, reviewer & author identity is not made visible to (decision-making) editor. | TBC | |
| Manuscript ID naming conventions | Authors, editors, reviewers | Updates to manuscript ID naming conventions, for example to better reflect date of submission, journal, and manuscript type. | TBC | |
| Author-suggested reviewers | Authors, reviewers | Will enable authors to suggest reviewers by integrating with user-verification checks, tied to our database of validated researchers. | TBC | |
| Assist authors with AI disclosure statement | Authors | Will introduce a structured AI-disclosure statement to reflect updated guidelines. | TBC |