Research Guides: Publishing Support: Submission Process

Submission Tips

To give your manuscript the best chance of acceptance, it is important you submit methodically. Even with novel research, details are key in convincing editors and referees that your manuscript fits the journal's purpose and standards. Follow these tips to improve your odds:

Thoroughly review submission guidelines and criteria
Strictly adhere to the individual journal's stated citation style, structure, manuscript type, figure and table format, word limit, and scope
Keep track of submission deadlines
Ask a peer/mentor to proofread your manuscript
Check the accuracy and completeness of your references
Submit to only one journal at a time - it's unprofessional to do otherwise and your referees may notice if they review for multiple journals
Have a list of backup journals in mind in case you receive a rejection and want to resubmit elsewhere
If possible, make your article attractive with relevant tables, figures, or photographs
Have more than one way of contacting your team members, who will need to fill out conflict of interest forms
Be sure to submit for the category you intend to
Create and edit your work outside of the submission form. Many submission sites won't save a work in progress
When submitting, follow the directions for what is wanted in each field
If including a cover letter, explain why that specific journal is the best fit for your manuscript

Responding to Peer-review

Editor responses can vary, but the following are common responses post-submission

Reject without review (desk reject). Most often occurs because the submission is out of scope for the journal or does not meet the publisher's quality standards
Minor revision. Manuscript comes back with minimal comments on the science and requires reference and/or grammar changes. In most cases, the sooner you revise and resubmit, the sooner your work will be published
Major revision. Frequent response for newer authors. Resubmission will require significant changes that thoroughly address each of the referees comments. May be tempting to simply submit to a different journal, but even if you decide this is the best course of action it is prudent to improve your manuscript based on reviewer comments. When resubmitting elsewhere, it is not uncommon to receive the same referees and they will notice the extent you have addressed their previous comments
Reject (after review). Can be a disheartening response, but if you believe your manuscript is at its core valuable it may be best to improve the manuscript using reviewers comments and resubmit elsewhere

Tips for responding to reviewer comments:

Stay calm and take your time
Read reviewer comments thoroughly and re-read them later with a fresh perspective
Have peers or mentors read reviewer's comments
Make a table that details each reviewer's comment and the changes required to adequately address them
Deal with minor comments first, working your way up to the most labor intensive revisions
Address every reviewer's comment and ensure your response is thorough and logical
Follow Williams' (2004), The 3 Golden Rules of Structuring your Response Letter:
1. Answer Completely
2. Answer Politely
3. Answer with Evidence

Rejection is a common response, so do your best to not get discouraged. Up to 90% of submissions are rejected from high impact journals (Bhatt, 2021).

Sources: Annesley, T. M. (2011). Top 10 Tips for Responding to Reviewer and Editor Comments. Clinical Chemistry, 57(4), 551–554.

Bhatt, A. (2021). Advice to authors for avoiding flaws in preparation of original research manuscripts. Perspectives in Clinical Research, 12(4), 229–233.

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.