Which author is normally responsible for sharing reprints of a publication with readers?

Which author is normally responsible for sharing reprints of a publication with readers?

a) Editor

b) Corresponding author

c) Reviewer

d) Publisher

Answer: b) Corresponding author

It is the instituted practice that the corresponding author should provide reprints of a publication to the readers. This role is very important in the process of publication and it entails the following responsibilities apart from the distribution of reprints. The corresponding author is the author designated as the main contact person for all communications throughout the submission, peer review, and publishing stages and remains a contact person after the paper is published.

For instance, if the research team has posted a paper on a new type of cancer treatment, the corresponding author in the study would be the main contact for any questions regarding the paper. In today’s world, if a reader wishes to read the whole paper and he/she does not have institutional access, they send a mail to the corresponding author for reprints. The corresponding author would then send the reprint, normally as a PDF of the final manuscript as published.

This responsibility also applies to other messages regarding the paper to some extent as well. If other researchers wish to ask something about the methods used or would like to partake in the next research to be done, they would contact the corresponding author. Likewise, should media facilities want to interview the given findings, they would be expected to consult the corresponding author. This manner of lacking a single contact and focus point promotes accuracy and represents the research consistently.

It is important to note the fact that in most cases, this is the corresponding author who is charged with the distribution of reprints although it is the publisher who has the rights to authorize it not forgetting that this may be laid down by the agreement. To self-archive the paper, some journals provide the green light to disseminate the papers while others have proscribed the practice or set restrictions as to when the papers may be disseminated.