Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-grxwn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-09T09:04:21.941Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

34 - Handling Submitted Manuscripts: As Editor and Author

from Part V - Tips for a Successful Research Career

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 May 2023

By
Lisa L. Harlow
Edited by
Austin Lee Nichols  and
John Edlund
Austin Lee Nichols
Affiliation:
Central European University, Vienna
John Edlund
Affiliation:
Rochester Institute of Technology, New York
Get access

Summary

Submitted manuscripts usually have an arduous journey, while also having the potential to make significant contributions that reach wide and relevant audiences. In this chapter, I offer a path and guidelines for journal submissions; this includes both the editor’s perspective on handling submitted manuscripts and implications for the authors. Although journals may vary in how manuscripts are handled, the following three main phases most likely occur in some form: (1) submissions are screened to determine their appropriateness for a journal; (2) manuscripts that remain after screening are usually assigned to reviewers by the editor or associate editor; and (3) manuscripts that remain after the review process are accepted and published. I’m hopeful that the information will be helpful to editors and authors by elucidating the process of handling submitted manuscripts and improving the chances of successful and productive contributions.

Keywords

Manuscript SubmissionScreeningDesk RejectRevise and ResubmitEditor Tasks and DecisionsAssociate EditorAuthor
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods and Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Volume 1: Building a Program of Research
 , pp. 734 - 754
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Albertine, K. (2010). Advice for submitting manuscripts to scientific journals. Experimental Biology, 24(S1). https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.8.1Google Scholar
Altman, Y. & Baruch, Y. (2008). Strategies for revising and resubmitting papers to refereed journals. British Journal of Management, 19, 89–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8551.2007.00542.xGoogle Scholar
Andersen, M. Z., Fonnes, S., & Rosenberg, J. (2021). Time from submission to publication varied widely for biomedical journals: A systematic review. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 37(6), 985–993. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007995.2021.1905622CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
APA (2020a). Summary report of journal operations, 2019. American Psychologist, 75(5), 723–724. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000680Google Scholar
APA (2020b). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Appelbaum, M., Cooper, H., Kline, R. B., et al. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for quantitative research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force report. American Psychologist, 73, 3–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000191Google Scholar
Cooper, H. (2018). Reporting Quantitative Research in Psychology: How to Meet APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards, 2nd ed. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000103-000Google Scholar
Degele, L. (2010). New illustrated guide for authors submitting to ScholarOne Manuscripts™ (formerly Manuscript Central). Editors’ Bulletin, 6(2), 40–42. https://doi.org/17521742.2010.516195Google Scholar
DeMaria, A. (2011). Manuscript revision. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 57(25). 2540–2541.Google Scholar
Forsyth, A. (2021). Peer review in a generalist journal. Journal of the American Planning Association, 87(4), 451–454. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944363.2021.1958551Google Scholar
Garand, J. & Harman, M. (2021). Journal desk-rejection practices in political science: Bringing data to bear on what journals do. PS: Political Science & Politics, 54(4) 676–681. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096521000573Google Scholar
Hall, D. (n.d.). J K Rowling turned down by 12 publishers before finding success with Harry Potter books. Available at: https://riseupeight.org/jk-rowling-harry-potter-books/.Google Scholar
Harlow, L. L. (2017). The making of Psychological Methods. Psychological Methods, 22(1), 1–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/met0000141Google Scholar
Holmbeck, G. N. & Devine, K. A. (2009). Editorial: An author’s checklist for measure development and validation manuscripts. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 34(7), 691–696. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsp046Google Scholar
Johnson, C. & Green, B. (2009). Submitting manuscripts to biomedical journals: Common errors and helpful solutions. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 32(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2008.12.002Google Scholar
Judge, W. (2008). The screening process for new submissions. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 16(6), i–iv.Google Scholar
Kennedy, M. S. (2018). Journal publishing: A review of the basics. Seminars in Oncology Nursing, 34(4), 361–371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soncn.2018.09.004CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kusumoto, F. M., Bittl, J. A., Creager, M. A., et al. (2021). High-quality peer review of clinical and translational research. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 78(15), 1564–1568.Google Scholar
Lake, E. T. (2020). Why and how to avoid a desk rejection. Research in Nursing & Health, 43, 141–142. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.22016Google Scholar
LaPlaca, P., Lindgreen, A., & Vanhamme, J. (2018a). How to write really good articles for premier academic journals. Industrial Marketing Management, 68, 202–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2017.11.014Google Scholar
LaPlaca, P., Lindgreen, A., Vanhamme, J., & Di Benedetto, C. A. (2018b). How to revise, and revise really well, for premier academic journals. Industrial Marketing Management, 72, 174–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2018.01.030Google Scholar
Levitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., et al. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta-analytic, and mixed methods research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board task force report. American Psychologist, 73(1), 26–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000151Google Scholar
Lovejoy, T. I., Revenson, T. A., & France, C. R. (2011). Reviewing manuscripts for peer-review journals: A primer for novice and seasoned reviewers. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 42(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-011-9269-xGoogle Scholar
Mendiola Pastrana, I. R., Hernández, A. V., Pérez Manjarrez, F. E., et al. (2020). Peer-review and rejection causes in submitting original medical manuscripts. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 40(3), 182–186. https://doi.org/10.1097/CEH.0000000000000295Google Scholar
Pierson, D. J. (2004). The top 10 reasons why manuscripts are not accepted for publication. Respiratory Care, 49 (10), 1246–1252.Google Scholar
Pierson, C. A. (2016). The four R’s of revising and resubmitting a manuscript. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 28(8), 408–409. https://doi.org/10.1002/2327-6924.12399Google Scholar
Price, B. (2014). Improving your journal article using feedback from peer review. Nursing Standard, 29(4), 43–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2020.184651910.7748/ns.29.4.43.e9101CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raitskaya, L. & Tikhonova, E. (2020). Seven deadly sins: Culture’s effect on scholarly editing and publishing. Journal of Language and Education, 6 (3), 167–172. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2020.11205Google Scholar
Rigby, J., Cox, D., & Julian, K. (2018). Journal peer review: A bar or bridge? An analysis of a paper’s revision history and turnaround time, and the effect on citation. Scientometrics, 114, 1087–1105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-017-2630-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, R. (2020). Learning from Leonardo – The importance of the rough draft. Available at: https://blog.shrm.org/blog/learning-from-leonardo-the-importance-of-the-rough-draft.Google Scholar
Steer, P. J. & Ernst, S. (2021). Peer review: Why, when and how. International Journal of Cardiology Congenital Heart Disease, 2, 100083. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcchd.2021.100083Google Scholar
Stroup, D. F., Berlin, J. A., Morton, S. C., et al. (2000). Meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology (MOOSE): A proposal for reporting. JAMA, 283(15), 2008–2012. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.283.15.2008.Google Scholar
Su’a, B., MacFater, W. S., & Hill, A. G. (2017). How to write a paper: Revising your manuscript. ANZ Journal of Surgery; 87(3), 195–197. https://doi.org/10.1111/ans.13847.Google Scholar
Teixeira da Silva, J. A., Al-Khatib, A., Katavić, V., & Bornemann-Cimenti, H. (2018). Establishing sensible and practical guidelines for desk rejections. Science and Engineering Ethics, 24, 1347–1365. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-017-9921-3Google Scholar
Tikhonova, E. & Raitskaya, L. (2021). Improving submissions to scholarly journals via peer review. Journal of Language and Education, 7(2), 5–9. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2021.12686Google Scholar
Williams, H. C. (2004). How to reply to referees’ comments when submitting manuscripts for publication. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 51(1), 79–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2004.01.049CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×