Scientific publication is a tedious and tolling process. Manuscripts need to be revised and edited several times. In the research field, no matter how well you craft final product, it wouldn’t be accepted by a high-impact journal immediately. A report suggests that 23% of the manuscripts are rejected without review, and 42% of papers are rejected after peer review.
Peer review process has been a part of scientific communication since the first scientific journals have appeared. Peer review is the system employed to evaluate the quality of a manuscript before it is published.
This process follows a number of stages including editor assessment, review process to acceptance or rejection of the manuscript.
Scientific findings have far-reaching implications for society and individuals. This is one of the major reasons why manuscript undergo a process of quality control before they are published.
Peer review includes subjecting the researcher’s work and research to the scrutiny of other experts in the same domain to inspect its validity and evaluate its suitability for publication.
While assessing the manuscript, peer reviewers will inspect various aspects, including:
- Originality – The originality of a scientific manuscript rests on conceptual novelty as it adds value to the scientific knowledge. In terms of originality, the reviewer will check whether the work contributes enough to what is already published. If yes, what does it add? Does it develop on what is already known or add new knowledge? Will the work matter to policymakers and scientists? Is the specific journal to which the manuscript is submitted publishes such works?
- Scientific reliability – On the other hand, scientific reliability can be evaluated by the various sections of the manuscript. Peer reviewer will check if the research question defined clearly and appropriately answered? Does your study design has the potential to answer the research question? Are the participants adequately described and are they representative of the situation you were trying to study? Are all the research methods adequately described? Did the findings answer the research question? Are the interpretations, conclusions derived from the data collected? Does the abstract/summary reflect what the entire manuscript conveys?
In addition to these major concepts, the reviewer will also check for citations, numerical or factual errors, implementation of tables, figures, etc.
Possible choices if the manuscript is rejected by peer reviewers
Upon peer reviewing, while very few manuscripts gets accepted, the majority of them fail through the process. Rejection is inevitable. Some common reasons include:
- Writing doesn’t conform to the style of the journal
- Findings doesn’t add value to the existing knowledge base
- Unclear hypothesis
- Inappropriate research methodology
- Poor statistical analysis
- Violation of research ethics
However, there are a number of alternate options available if the manuscript is rejected by a journal.
As said earlier, some rejections occur before the work is reviewed. In such cases, find a new journal that fits your work.
If the manuscript is rejected after the review process, then the alternatives available include:
- Make the required modifications and submit to a different journal – This is the best option if you aren’t adamant about getting it published in the journal which rejected your work. Consider the feedback you received from the reviewers, work on it to improve the manuscript, and submit it to another journal. Ensure to make changes in details such as the reference format, cover letter, and other journal-specified details before resubmission.
- Appeal the rejection – Many a time, journals describe the policy for appealing editorial decisions publicly. If a legitimate error or misunderstanding led the reviewers to recommend rejection, outline the points to the reviewer without being argumentative.
- Resubmit to the same journal – Although initially the journal rejects your work, it might invite you to resubmit the manuscript after addressing the reviewers’ concerns. If you are aiming to publish only in that journal, this option must be your top choice. However, if the journal informs you that they do not accept any future edited versions of the manuscript, then the only option would be looking out for other journals.
- Never resubmit and file the manuscript – Your data may be valuable for the research community. If your manuscript gets rejected or you do not find the right fit for your work, then consider publishing it in freely accessible sites. SItes such as figshare, Dryad, etc. publishes a manuscript where it will be citable.
The length of the review process would take up to 60-80 days. However, it varies according to the journal. Typically, Elsevier journal peer reviewers will evaluate the manuscript within 80 days. However, if the reviewers’ reports contradict one another or are unduly delayed, a further expert opinion will be sought. At this point of time, the process may be delayed. In such a scenario, you can request the publishing house to return your manuscript and take help from the firms that offer peer reviewing service and put the process on the fast track.