What is the rejection rate of journals?
Rejection rates range from 30%-90%. Journals with good to high standards have rejection rates of around 90%. Open-access journals tend to have lower rejection rates. What are open-access journals?
Open-access journals are journals that offer free and permanent online access to research articles they publish. The aim of these journals is to “ensure the rapid and efficient communication of research findings” to the entire scientific community (BioMedCentral, About Us section, July 2011).
While readers are given free access to published material, authors typically have to pay an article-processing fee to help these journals bear publishing costs. What is impact factor?
Impact factor indicates the number of times the articles in a journal are cited in other studies during a particular period. For example, an impact factor of 3 indicates that each article in the journal was cited 3 times on average during the specified period. It is assumed that an article that is cited many times presents novel, interesting, or important research.
There are various formulas for calculating impact factors. We generally follow the ones published in Journal Citation Reports (JCR) by Thomson Reuters. Most journals have a JCR impact factor in the range 1-4. Brand new journals tend to have low impact factors. Are a journal’s impact factor and rejection rate directly correlated? For example, does a journal with a low impact factor have a low rejection rate?
In general, journals with a high impact factor tend to be more selective and therefore have a high rejection rate as well. However, this is not always true.
Some journals with a low impact factor have a high rejection rate; for example, new journals aspiring to be the best in their field have a low impact factor but they can be extremely selective. Conversely, some journals with a high impact factor may not be very selective; for example, the open-access journal PLoS One has an impact factor above 4, but its rejection rate is relatively low (30%) because it aims to publish a large volume of research. Do journal peer reviewers accept/reject papers?
No, peer reviewers do not accept/reject papers; the journal editor makes this decision. However, while peer reviewers do not make this decision, they can strongly influence this decision because they evaluate your manuscript and make recommendations on whether to accept or reject it. The journal editor considers these recommendations when making the acceptance/rejection decision. Why do journals ask authors to recommend reviewers?
Journals want to ensure that a qualified expert with thorough and in-depth understanding of the subject area reviews every manuscript they receive. Authors are most likely to know qualified experts in their field and hence are asked to provide the names of potential reviewers. Many journals also allow authors to exclude reviewers based on conflicts of interests; for example, an author can choose to exclude a competing researcher who he/she thinks will not provide a fair evaluation. Who should I recommend as a reviewer for my manuscript?
A potential reviewer should be a qualified expert with thorough and in-depth understanding of the subject area of your manuscript. You can recommend researchers from other universities who are from the same field as you, fellow experts you meet at conferences and other academic forums, and authors you have cited in your manuscript as potential reviewers.
However, you should not recommend colleagues who work in the same department, employees who work under your supervision, your own supervisors, or co-authors, as this would involve a conflict of interest.
(Note: Editage does not recommend reviewers for your manuscript.) Who is the corresponding author?
During the journal submission process, one author must take overall responsibility for the manuscript and correspond with the journal right through the journal’s publication process. This author is called the corresponding author.All correspondence pertaining to the manuscript is addressed and sent to the corresponding author and he/she is responsible for communicating with the journal, revising the paper, and submitting revisions. The corresponding author is also responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the paper. For more details on authorship, read our Short Guide to Publication Ethics. What fees do I have to pay the journal and are these included in your Journal Submission service?
Different journals have different policies and operate on different revenue models. Hence, they have different fee structures as well. For example, most subscription-based journals charge authors for printing color figures/artwork. However, they do not charge any fees for publishing a manuscript. On the other hand, many open access journals charge authors a fee for publishing their articles and they use these fees to maintain the journal.
As these fees differ from journal to journal and, more importantly, need to be paid by the authors themselves, they are not included in our Journal Submission fee. How do I select a pack service? (Platinum, Gold, or Silver)
Choose the Platinum pack if you would like high-end research + publication assistance. The Platinum pack is an end-to-end package that gives you access to all our publication and research support (Journal Selection, Pre-submission Peer Review, Premium Editing, Artwork Preparation, and Journal Submission) and post-submission support services, thus helping you maximize your chances of publication.
Choose the Gold pack if you want total publication assistance. The Gold pack includes Journal Selection, Premium Editing, Artwork Preparation, Journal Submission, and post-submission services. This service does not include research support (Pre-submission Peer Review, which provides you with detailed feedback on your research content and manuscript quality).
Choose the Silver pack if you would like assistance with only the major publication tasks— Journal Selection, Premium Editing, Artwork Preparation, and Journal Submission. What services does the Platinum pack include?
The Platinum pack offers complete, end-to-end publication and research support. It includes the following services:
• Journal Selection
• Premium Editing
• Artwork Preparation
• Pre-submission Peer Review
• Journal Submission
• Post-acceptance/Resubmission Support
To know more about the Platinum pack click here. What does the Gold pack offer?
The Gold pack offers total support for all publication tasks. It includes the following services:
• Journal Selection
• Premium Editing
• Artwork Preparation
• Journal Submission
• Post-acceptance/Resubmission Support
It does not include Pre-submission Peer Review. To know more about the Gold pack click here. What services are included in the Silver pack?
The Silver pack offers essential publication support. It includes the following services:
• Journal Selection
• Premium Editing
• Artwork Preparation
• Journal Submission
It does not include Pre-submission Peer Review and Post-acceptance/Resubmission Support. To know more about the Silver pack click here. Does Editage guarantee publication with each pack?
Publication depends largely on the quality of your research and is a subjective decision that the journal editor takes based on several factors. Therefore, we cannot guarantee publication. However, by helping you understand and follow publication protocols and by offering Premium Editing and Pre-submission Peer Review services*, we help you increase your chances of publication.
*Pre-submission Peer Review is only available with the Platinum pack or a Custom pack where you opt for this component. I want to select one of your standard packages but I have already selected a target journal. Therefore, I don’t need the journal selection service. What should I do?
If you have already selected a target journal, our experts evaluate the journal and your paper and check whether it is a suitable choice. In addition, we recommend other suitable journals. Thus, you can ensure that your target journal is suitable, learn about other journals that may be appropriate, and make a more informed choice.
Moreover, given the high rejection rates of journals, authors often have to submit their manuscripts to several journals before their paper is accepted for publication. Therefore, it is prudent to keep a list of journals ready—if your paper is rejected by your target journal, you will have a list of other journals to choose from for resubmission.
We have found that Journal Selection is one of the most useful and basic services that we can provide authors, even those who have already selected one target journal. This is the reason that we have included it in all three packs.
However, if you are confident that you do not need this service, we recommend that you create a Custom pack. Do you offer help to rewrite and paraphrase the plagiarized text in my manuscript?
Through the plagiarism check service, Editage helps you identify the sentences that overlap with previously published works. We also suggest measures that can help you reduce the overlap. However, these measures will have to be applied by the author. Academic publishing guidelines and standards require authors to interpret references in their own words and use direct quotes sparingly. In compliance with academic guidelines, Editage can only guide authors in this regard. We will be unable to conduct the actual paraphrasing on behalf of the author. To help you with a related topic, here’s a video on the best ethical practices for researchers. It will help you avoid journal rejections due to ethical issues. How will you check my document for Plagiarism?
We conduct a thorough check for plagiarism on your manuscript by using software that is widely used in the academic community. What are the best practices for journals to be considered for review?
A journal should demonstrate the quality of editorial work, including features that contribute to the objectivity, credibility, and quality of its content. These features mainly include:
• Information about the methods of selecting articles
• Statements indicating adherence to ethical guidelines
• Evidence that authors have disclosed financial conflicts of interest
How is the selection process carried out?
Generally the selection process for admission of new journals in the collection divided into three stages:
• pre-assessment of format and indicators
• evaluation of scientific contents by experts
• final review by the Advisory Committee
What is rapid technical review?
Under rapid technical review service, our expert will evaluate the manuscript and offer comments on how to revise the manuscript for a peer-reviewed journal. Does the pricing for Rapid Technical Review vary depending on the word count of my document?
No, our pricing for Rapid Technical Review is flat and hence will not increase with an increase in word count. Do you assure privacy of my article before submission to a journal?
We adhere to a privacy policy that guarantees 100% confidentiality and allows researchers worldwide to submit their work to us with complete confidence. As I did not receive a reply from the Editor of the Journal could you advise me if I should withdraw my request?
At times the editors might be busy and not have the time to reply to you. You can try sending emails more frequently before withdrawing your request. Can you re-format my manuscript for another journal?
e can format your manuscript according to a different jounal’s specifications. However, this will be treated as a different job. How can I ask my job to be put on hold as I am revising my manuscript?
You can write to us on request@editage.com mentioning your job code and the fact that you would like to put the job on hold and our Client Managers will handle it for you.
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