Understanding the journal publication process is a critical skill for researchers. After you have determined what journal you want to publish in, you must traverse the submission and peer review procedures before you get your research papers published. Understanding the many milestones in this difficult process will assist you in knowing how to publish in a journal.
Manuscript submission and peer review
Once you have chosen a journal to submit your research paper to, there are various processes your manuscript goes through before it is published.
1. Preparing to submit
To prepare for submission, make sure your work is ready. Your submitted work must comply with the author submission requirements for the publication you are seeking. Each journal has preferred methods for formatting and layout, ranging from reference and captioning styles to how tables, graphs and figures are placed. This information should be published in the author instructions on the journal’s website.
2. After submission
Your submitted paper will be evaluated by an editor of the journal. They will verify your work matches with the journal’s scope and is of quality and importance.
Rejection occurs when the article is not aligned with the journal’s scope, the paper lacks significance, or the submission criteria have not been followed, prompting the editor to reject the work. This is not inherently detrimental, as it allows you the opportunity to refine your work and subsequently submit your enhanced article to a different journal.
Accepted pending significant modifications.
Accepted with minor adjustments.
Accepted without further evaluation
Manuscripts seldom undergo publication without undergoing peer-review.
3. The peer review procedure
Once your paper has received preliminary acceptance from the journal editor, it will then undergo evaluation by specialists in your specific area of study.
Categories of peer review
Blind: The identity of the peer reviewer(s) is unknown to you.
Double-blind: refers to a situation where both you and the peer reviewer(s) are unaware of each other’s identities.
Transparent: The peer review report is publicly released with the paper.
Open: both you and the peer reviewer(s) are aware of each other’s identities
If your work is undergoing double-blind peer review, your manuscript may be thoroughly checked for any identifiable information before being distributed. This might introduce extra delay to the publication process.
4. Revision of the manuscript
The reviewers will provide you with a list of queries and recommended modifications. These issues must be resolved prior to advancing your paper. Modifications might be minor, such as correcting spelling errors or enhancing the clarity of figures. Significant modifications, such as more research or experiments, may also be necessary.
The proposed adjustments may seem random or unneeded depending on the reviewer’s domain knowledge and the degree to which it matches with your work. Although it is normally advisable to modify your work to conform to the reviewer’s advice, you have the option to challenge a reviewer’s comments if you can provide a compelling explanation for why it is unnecessary. The reviewer may maintain their disagreement and persist in advocating for their proposed alterations. It is important to maintain politeness, respect, and professionalism while addressing reviewer criticism.
5. Re-submission of the manuscript for additional review
Subsequently, you will transmit the modified document to the editor. Additionally, it is advisable to send a note that specifically acknowledges and answers each of the reviewer’s complaints, emphasizing the modifications you have implemented in response to their feedback. Your work will be reviewed by the editor once more. Subsequently, they have the option to:
Reject it. They may determine that despite the alterations, your work falls below the journal’s standards or lacks sufficient quality or importance. This is really advantageous; you now possess a work of superior quality that can be submitted to other academic publications.
Submit it for another round of peer review. This is a regular occurrence when the modifications you have made are significant enough to need evaluation by an expert. Iterative revisions and resubmissions are necessary until a definitive decision is reached by the editor, which may occur several times.
Accept it. After your amended paper is reviewed, it will be sent for final publication. The accepted manuscript refers to the version of your manuscript that has been approved as final but has not yet undergone formatting for final publishing. This is the revised version of your paper.
Speed of publishing/Timeframe The processing time for each of the steps mentioned above varies after submission. The minimum time required for completion, particularly for research classified as a high-priority is around 1 week. Nevertheless, the duration of the process might extend to a maximum of 2-4 weeks, or even more, depending upon the extent of revisions needed and the efficiency of the editorial staff. In some fields, the process of getting your research articles published might span over 3 months, commencing from the beginning until its completion. Typically, journals will provide estimates of the time it takes for them to publish articles.