Submission Eligibility

You must affirm at the time of submission that:

• Your submission has not been published elsewhere, either in whole or in part, in any language. Presentation of a work at a conference is acceptable. Publication in conference proceedings may be acceptable, depending on the format and distribution of the proceedings. Please discuss prior publication in conference proceedings with the editor.
• The paper is not under review by another publication.
• The paper will not be submitted for review for publication while under review at BEQ (conference submissions are acceptable).
• The paper is not based on data reported in any other prior or pending publication, unless you provide the editor with supporting documentation to demonstrate the unique contribution of the submission (this is appropriately done in a cover letter accompanying the submission).
• The project is not a product of or embedded within a conflict of interest on your part.

Works previously submitted to BEQ and rejected are not acceptable unless the rejection letter specifically indicated that BEQ would consider another manuscript from you on the topic (this is often though not always explicitly labeled a “reject-and-resubmit” outcome). In such cases, you must in a cover letter identify the manuscript number of the prior rejected submission and should also in that cover letter indicate how the paper has changed since the prior submission.

To protect the integrity of anonymised review, papers that have been submitted may not be posted online during the review process. If the article is being presented at a conference while under consideration at BEQ, please ensure that the full text is not posted online.

The success of a peer-reviewed journal such as BEQ hinges on the willingness of scholars to evaluate each other’s work and provide feedback. When you submit work to BEQ you signal a commitment to reciprocate by acting as a referee for the journal if called upon to do so.

How to Submit

Submit manuscripts for editorial consideration through the ScholarOne system at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/beq. After submitting a manuscript, you will receive a confirmation of submission. If that does not arrive, please email managing editor Joanna Osiewicz-Lorenzutti at [email protected].

If you do not receive the first email confirming your submission, it may be that your spam filter is catching ScholarOne correspondence, which will make receipt of subsequent correspondence (such as decision letters) unlikely. It is your responsibility to make sure you are able to receive email from us, and to keep your email address up to date in the ScholarOne system so that we may contact you.

What Happens After Submission

A submission will receive initial review from one of the journal’s editors, aimed at deciding if the paper should be desk rejected (rejection without external review) or if it should be send out for full peer review.

Some of the reasons why submissions are commonly desk-rejected (rejection without external review) include cases where the paper:

• is not on a topic appropriate for BEQ;
• does not promise to make a novel, theoretical contribution;
• includes previously published material;
• essentially repeats what already has been said on a topic, without contributing much new insight;
• is written or structured in a way that does not fit the journal’s academic style;
• is more journalistic or commentary-oriented than scholarly in level of argument and detail;
• (if empirical) makes largely descriptive, rather than explanatory, use of the data;
• (if empirical) has serious problems with the data, study design, or execution;
• is not written with adequate quality of expression (non-native English speakers are advised to seek assistance with grammar, style, and copyediting prior to submission);
• fails to comply with BEQ manuscript submission guidelines found in this document;
• reveals its author’s identity.

If not desk-rejected, an anonymous copy of the manuscript is sent to reviewers. You are not notified when this happens, but the submission status in the online system will show as "under external review." Among reviewers, we aim to include at least one member of the editorial board and appropriate disciplinary coverage. Once the manuscript is returned by the reviewers, the editor or an associate editor reviews the paper as well as the reviewers’ reports to arrive at an editorial decision. You will receive a decision letter by e-mail, along with anonymous copies of the reviewers’ comments (and each reviewer receives the others’ comments).

For first-round submissions, decisions are generally either Reject, or Revise-and-Resubmit, or Major Revision. A first-round submission may also receive a Reject-and-Resubmit decision, which means the present submission will not be considered further, but the journal is open to a new and significantly changed and improved manuscript on the topic. In rare circumstances a first-round submission may receive a Minor Revision decision or a Conditional Accept decision.

How Long Will It Take?

Although each submission is addressed according to its individual characteristics, most follow the path outlined above. An editor’s workload, difficulty in finding reviewers, unexpected changes in reviewers’ availability, and many other factors can affect processing time. We strive to make an initial review decision (desk reject vs. send out for review) within four to six weeks of submission (and usually less time than that). When a paper is sent out for full peer review, we strive to reach a decision within three to four months of submission.

Checking the Status of a Submission

In your author center on ScholarOne you can view the status of your submission and read correspondence related to it. The manuscript status will give one of these indications:

• under initial review (the paper is awaiting an editor’s initial determination whether it will be desk rejected vs. placed under external review);
• under external review (the paper is with referees and we are waiting for their reports);
• awaiting action editor decision (the reviews are in and a decision letter is forthcoming);
• view decision letter (a decision has been issued and emailed, and can be viewed here).

You may also contact the journal’s managing editor to inquire about the status of a submission.

REVISIONS AND RESUBMISSION PROCESS

Timing and Format

Revise and Resubmit and Major Revision and Minor Revision decision letters include a time frame with a deadline the resubmission. If you need more time, contact the paper’s decision editor to request an extension of the deadline for submitting a revision. Editors will generally accommodate these requests within reason.

If you choose to revise and resubmit, use the decision editor’s letter to interpret the reviewers’ comments, focusing on the items recommended by the decision editor. It is important for you to revise carefully, as we strive to make a final decision on most manuscripts during the second round of review. Follow all of the same formatting and anonymity requirements as with first-round submissions.

Response Document

When submitting revisions, prepare a separate detailed ###b explaining how you have dealt with the issues raised by the decision editor and reviewers. Include page number references to the new version so that discussed changes are easily located. Submissions must have only one author response document, addressing all of the comments from the decision editor and the reviewers.

It is essential that this response document be anonymous in order to preserve anonymised review should the editor elect to send the paper back to the reviewers. Accordingly, be sure you have not violated anonymity: don’t use letterhead, don’t sign the document, and don’t refer to yourself or your co-author(s) by name, or otherwise reveal your identity.

Submitting a Revision

Revised papers should follow all of the same (above) manuscript guidelines and are submitted electronically on ScholarOne at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/beq; in your author center you will find your manuscript under "Manuscripts Awaiting Revision." Upon submission of the revised version, your manuscript number will be appended to denote a revision (.R1 for first revision, .R2 for second revision, and so forth).

The original decision editor reads the revision (and your replies to editor and reviewers), and makes a decision as to whether the issues and concerns prompted by the first version of the manuscript have been dealt with adequately. If the revisions do not adequately address issues and concerns in the decision letter, the manuscript will be rejected by the action editor. If, from the perspective of the action editor, the revisions meet expectations the paper will typically be sent back to referees for their review and assessment. Usually all of the same referees are invited to see and comment on the revised paper. Occasionally the editor at his/her discretion may elect to not involve all reviewers again, or may elect to invite a new reviewer for the second round of review.