MECA Needs You

Do you work for a publisher, preprint server, or publishing vendor organization? Are you willing to share your expertise to help make the transfer of manuscripts between systems easier, saving time for researchers and their organizations? Would you like the opportunity to represent the needs of your community and to develop professionally? If so, then MECA — the Manuscript Exchange Common Approach — needs you!

MECA is a NISO project, which has developed a common approach to easily transferring manuscripts between and among manuscript systems, such as those in use at publishers and preprint servers. The MECA Recommended Practice has recently been published and we’re now looking for volunteers to join the new MECA Standing Committee. Committee members will help support publishing operations and communication among all stakeholders around the manuscript transfer process by managing, promoting, and maintaining this important new open protocol as it is adopted across the information community.

We are looking for volunteers who are willing to devote a few hours  per month to the MECA Standing Committee, and who collectively:

• Understand and can represent the needs of a wide spectrum of organizations with an interest in manuscript transfer — publishers (commercial and not-for-profit, large and small), preprint servers, vendors, especially manuscript submission systems, and others

• Have a broad range of experience and expertise — product management, technical, user experience, community engagement and communications, etc.

• Are willing to help promote and, over time, improve the Recommended Practice, including speaking and writing opportunities in your own organization and the wider community

If you’re interested in volunteering or learning more, please contact NISO Associate Executive Director, Nettie Lagace, at nlagace@niso.org. More information about MECA is available at https://www.niso.org/standards-committees/meca