Hum is partnering with SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, to pilot Alchemist Review across two journals that have experienced significant submission growth over the past two years.
With Alchemist Review, SPIE aims to streamline core steps in the editorial workflow—submission triage, scope checks, integrity signals, and decision support—so editors can focus on scholarly judgment rather than manual busywork.
“We’re seeing increased submission volume in certain subject areas, which is placing a strain on the time and energy of our volunteer editors and reviewers,” said Gwen Weerts, SPIE Journals Manager. “With this pilot, we’re hoping Alchemist Review can help us alleviate the workload on editorial teams, while keeping decisions firmly in the hands of human experts."
Through the pilot, SPIE will be experimenting with AI to help editorial teams keep pace with rising submission volumes while maintaining quality and rigor. Alchemist Review applies structured content understanding to each incoming manuscript, providing essential insights that help editors:
- Understand manuscript fit and completeness early
- Surface integrity signals and identify unresolved citations
- Reduce time-to-first-decision by removing manual checklist steps and providing at-a-glance decision inputs.
“Publishers are looking for practical, trustworthy ways to add efficiency to the editorial review process without compromising quality,” said Dustin Smith, Hum’s CEO. “By piloting Alchemist Review across two popular SPIE journals, we’re focused on concrete wins: shorter cycles for authors, greater efficiency in catching citation errors or fit issues, and a calmer, more consistent experience for editors.”
About SPIE
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, advances light-based technologies through interdisciplinary information exchange, continuing education, publications, patent precedent, and career development. Learn more at spie.org.
About Hum
Hum delivers AI-powered intelligence tools for knowledge-rich organizations, transforming data into actionable insights and opportunities. Alchemist Review was designed specifically to improve and accelerate peer review for STM journals. Learn more at hum.works.