What Happens to Your Research Paper After You Submit It to a Journal?
When you press Submit to your manuscript, you might get two feelings. After weeks or months of research, writing, and revisions comes relief. Then comes uncertainty. There is a tendency for many researchers, particularly first-time authors, to ask what happens after journal submission their manuscript to a journal, as it appears as if their manuscript has vanished from a system with minimal activity. Days turn into weeks and sometimes months of status updates!
The upside is that there is a not-so-secret secret to the publishing process. Knowing what happens after journal submission helps you to manage your expectations and prepare you for all the steps. Each editorial stage has a definite purpose and time frame, from the initial editorial screening through peer review and final editorial decision.
Step One — Editorial Office Check Immediately After Submission
Your manuscript’s first stop is the editorial office of the journal. The staff conducts a preliminary evaluation to be sure that your research is complete before anyone reviews it. They confirm the title page, author information, abstract, keywords, figures, tables, references, ethical statements, and supplementary files.
Also, the team will verify that your manuscript is formatted according to the requirements of the journal. In this phase, the scientific quality is not assessed. Rather, it assures the technical fulfillment of the paper for the journal. If key components of the manuscript are missing, it is returned for correction before proceeding. Typically, this will take 1 to 5 business days.
Step Two — Editor-in-Chief Assessment and Desk Rejection Decision
After the administrative review, the manuscript goes to the Editor-in-Chief or the handling editor. The editor will then decide to take the paper to an external review. They review the abstract, introduction, objectives, originality, and general relevance for the scope of the journal.
21% of manuscripts are desk-rejected before peer review. This is often due to a lack of fit with the topic of the journal, a lack of novelty, a lack of presentation, and/or a lack of conclusions supported by methodology. It is not necessarily a bad sign of research if a student is rejected from the desk. Sometimes it’s just a matter of it being more appropriate for another journal. Preparing a manuscript for submission with manuscript editing services can help make the chances of acceptance more likely.
Step Three — Peer Reviewer Assignment and Invitation
Once the editor accepts the manuscript, the next hurdle is to find qualified reviewers. The handling editor seeks out 2-3 other researchers who have similar expertise and invites them to review. Typically, each reviewer is given 2-4 weeks to review.
Not all experts who are invited accept. Others surrender due to hefty workloads, conflicts of interest, or unmatched skills. In this case, the editor needs to recruit more reviewers until it can be said that sufficient reviewers have accepted. This reviewer search is frequently the most unpredictable and can lengthen the time a journal submission takes to publication timeline, before it even has a chance to begin the review process.
Step Four — The Peer Review Process Explained
The research paper peer review process is the main quality-control process of academic publishing. The manuscript is reviewed by the reviewers in detail, and the following points are examined: Originality, significance, research design, statistical methods, interpretation of research results, writing clarity, and contribution to the field.
There are three basic models of journal review, which you will find in most journals. In single blind peer review, the author(s) know who the reviewers are, but the reviewers are anonymous. Double-blind review: reviewers DO NOT know the author’s name, and the author DO NOT know which reviewers they are dealing with. Open review is where the identity of both parties is known. The length of time it takes for the research paper peer review process varies based on journal and model, but is generally 4-6 weeks per round of review, depending on the availability of appropriate reviewers in specialised journals.
Scopus journal publication service providers are of great value to researchers who are preparing manuscripts for indexed journals, since they help them boost their manuscripts before proceeding to this challenging stage of evaluation.
Step Five — The Four Editorial Decisions After Peer Review
Once the reviewers have returned their reviews, the editor considers each of their recommendations before reaching a decision. The final result is the combined result of the comments by the reviewers and of the editorial requirements of the journal. Each journal will have its own policies, but there are 4 possible decisions that the author may receive. Nothing is accepted on the first time around, except in a very rare instance. With minor revisions,” indicates that the paper may be accepted for publication by the journal after some minor corrections within 30- 60 days.
The most common result of manuscripts that are eventually published is a major revision or revise and resubmit. Authors typically have 60 – 90 days to do significant rewrites before another review. Lastly, when you get a rejection, the paper won’t be published in this journal. Peer Review process results in rejection of ~40% papers, but the comments of the reviewers can help to improve the paper for submission elsewhere.
How Long Does Peer Review Take — Realistic Timelines by Stage
A frequent question that scientists have is about how long peer review takes. The answer can differ as there are various factors that affect the timeline, such as the availability of reviewers, journal workload, and revision requirements. But the general span between journal submission to publication timeline of a journal article is more or less similar for most of the academic journals.
The typical timeline would be:
- First editorial to be checked: 1-5 business days.
- Editor assessment: 1–2 weeks
- Acceptance of review: 4–6 weeks after invitation
- Peer review: 4–8 weeks
- Editorial decision: 1–2 weeks
- Author revisions: 4–12 weeks
- Second review (if necessary): 2-4 weeks
- Accepted: 4-8 weeks after production
- Online publication: 1–4 weeks
The average from submission time to publication for the entire journal is approximately 4–12 months. Because authors who want to publish their papers in indexed journals have to make their papers as strong and attractive as possible, they often resort to the use of ISI journal publication services to avoid avoidable delays in the publication of their papers.
What to Do While Waiting for a Journal Decision
Waiting can be stressful, but it shouldn’t be a waste of time. After submitting the research paper, don’t wait every day to check the submission portal. Rather, record the journal’s due date and make a follow-up call only if the journal’s due date is missed by two weeks.
Keep an uninterrupted research project going, rather than taking a break from your studies. It’s also a good idea to have a list of alternative journals to consider submitting to in the event that you need to resubmit. To create research priority and to get initial feedback from readers, some researchers decide to post preprints of their research on websites like arXiv or SSRN before the journal accepts the paper for publication or rejects it.
How to Respond to Reviewer Comments and Revision Requests
It’s often good to get the revision request, as it means that the journal believes that your article has merit. First, read the comments of each reviewer thoroughly, then make changes. Summarize group comments as major revisions and minor edits and as justifiable academic disagreements.
Write an extensive reply letter responding to each comment, in turn. Clarify each of the revisions and give evidence for not using a suggestion. If changes are requested, make sure to keep all the changes visible, and submit a revised version of the manuscript on time if the journal has asked for changes. Article publication services are used by numerous researchers to make revisions and create professional response letters that meet editorial requirements.
Final Thoughts on What Happens After You Submit a Research Paper to a Journal
Many first-time researchers are surprised at the time it takes to have the paper published, but it’s not random. Each manuscript goes through a well-defined process of editorial review, evaluation by reviewers, revisions, and acceptance/rejection. It’s important to be aware of each one so you can minimize uncertainty and get ready for what lies ahead.
Don’t take it personally if you are rejected from a desk, don’t accept peer review as personal criticism, and don’t take it as a bad sign if you have a revision request. Every submission is an opportunity to develop your research and take another step towards successful publication with patience, preparation, and thoughtful responses to feedback.
