How can we make publishing less painful?

The Times They Are a-Changin' in the world of scientific publishing, and just like Bob Dylan and the music industry, we have now moved into an electronic age in publishing. This digital revolution has made it less of a risk to start new journals with new business models and has allowed the proliferation of a wide range of open access online-only journals. This change and the response it has generated from traditional subscription model journals, together with numerous other developments that have improved accessibility, has started to make it much easier for scientists to find information. However, one area that remains a major area of concern to many of us [1] is the process of getting a paper published. The peer-review system of course remains the backbone of the scientific system, but many scientists see inefficiencies and perceive unfairness in the way the system has evolved. Essentially...