Submission & Publication process

 

Submission & Publication process

 A simplified view of important stages and roles in the publishing process of journal papers is given in the activity diagram in Figure 3.

The first step is to be taken by the author. After choosing an appropriate journal for submission, the author has to submit the paper according to the instructions issued by the journal editor. Most journals today offer the opportunity to submit the paper via the journal’s web site or a submission management system. At this stage, it is very important that the author follows the instructions, because submitted papers that do not adhere to the instructions can be rejected without taking into account the paper’s actual content.

Some common authors’ mistakes at this stage include:

 not adhering to the journal’s paper formatting and layout guidelines (e.g. using the wrong font size, line spacing, page numbering, referencing style, figure and table placement and visual guidelines);

 exceeding maximum paper length (word count, page count);

 the paper’s thematic focus not being within the scope of the journal’s subject areas.

If any of the above is evident when the editor does the preliminary review, the paper is likely to be immediately rejected regardless of its scientific contribution and quality. On the other hand, if these conditions are met, the paper will be considered for publication. The submitting author is notified of either one of these decisions.

The next step the editor takes is to select reviewers for peer reviewing the paper. The number of reviewers involved in the review process may vary from journal to journal, but usually the editor forwards the paper to at least three reviewers who are experts in the topic that is covered by the paper. Besides making comments and suggestions for improvements to the authors, reviewers generally support the editor in making a decision by providing information on the following general issues, which may vary in importance among different journals:

 thematic relevance to the journal’s scope of subjects;

 significance of contribution (does the paper contribute new findings to the body of knowledge in the field?);

 originality of the work (is similar research already published elsewhere?);

 coverage of relevant literature (did the authors report related work?).

Focusing more on the writing style of the paper, the following aspects are relevant to reviewers and might influence their recommended decision:

 clarity of writing: readability, organisation, conciseness and technical quality of the paper;

 appropriate title and abstract;

 appropriate use of well-designed figures and tables;

 sound conclusion and discussion;

 length of the paper relative to its usefulness.

Also increasing the likelihood of acceptance are the following characteristics of submitted papers:

 strong reputation of the author;

 successful test of the proposed theory;

 different content from that usually published in the journal.

 

When the assigned reviewers have finished reviewing and commenting the paper, the editor collects their recommendations and makes a decision which is sent to the corresponding author, who is indicated in the submitted manuscript. Generally, the notification by the editor will carry one of the following messages:

 

Accept. The paper is accepted as it was submitted. The paper will be published in one of the journal’s forthcoming issues. This outcome is very unlikely upon initial submission. Only in very rare cases will the paper be accepted right away. It is more likely that the paper has to be revised.

Revision. The editor requests a revision of (certain parts of) the paper. The authors have to modify the paper according to the suggestions and comments of the reviewers and the editor in order to be further considered for publication. After revising the paper accordingly, the author may submit the revised manuscript to the editor. This typically requires the authors to enclose a letter to the editor where they outline in detail how the reviewer and editorial comments were addressed in the revised version. After receiving the revised version, the editor either makes an accept/reject recommendation or, if required, forwards the paper for another round of reviewing, which usually involves those reviewers who were most critical about the original submission.

Reject. The editor does not see any chance for the paper to be published in the journal. This is the most frequent outcome of the review process of a journal. The editor usually encloses the reviewer comments. Typically, one or more reviewers

 had serious objections to one of the preconditions relevant to reviewers mentioned above

 found the paper to be out of the journal’s scope, lacking relevance or significance

 found fundamental flaws in the paper’s argument, data or methodology

 did not see any improvement with regard to previous submissions of the same paper.

If a revision is required and the author feels unable to comply with the editor’s recommendations, the author may either inform the editor about the disagreement or, alternatively, the paper may be sent to another appropriate journal in the field. The same applies to rejected papers.

The publisher typesets the paper and returns it as “galley proof” to the author, sometimes by way of the journal’s editor, who may also check the proof. “Galley proof” originally was the name for a typeset copy of a document used to permit correction of errors before the type was made up in pages; its name comes from the galley, a tray for holding composed type. With computerized typesetting, the term is also used as a synonym for “page proof” that shows how the made-up pages will appear. Various other paperwork may also appear at this time. Generally the publisher includes an order form for the author to order reprints of the article.  Author reprints are an exact replica of the article as it appears in the published journal, with a title-page cover included.

·       Reprints (Hard-copy reprints) – Reproductions of original journal articles and book chapters printed on high-quality paper. Reprints are available in color or black and white

·       E-Prints (Electronic reprints) – ePrints are encrypted, electronic copies of works in PDF format that you can distribute via email, post on a website or use in e-detailing

 If page charges are journal policy, the author receives a bill or invoice for the number of printed pages with the galley proof. Many journals require authors to execute a copyright release form, and such forms are often also enclosed with the galley. In addition to your signature as corresponding author, they may need to be signed by all co-authors.

As the final step in the publication process, the editor organizes and makes up an issue from proofed papers, and sends the entire issue to the publisher. The publisher then prints and mails the issue to journal subscribers. Reprints are usually mailed to authors within a week or two of publication.

Figure 1 Simplified activity diagram of the process of publishing a paper in a journal