Submit Process

First impression matters!

Approximately 65% of papers are ‘desk rejects. These decisions are often related to the scope of the paper, poor writing quality, research design or other such reason which the Editor should explain in a rejection letter. Provided you are submitting to an appropriate Journal, and are confident you have strong research, there is little reason why you need to be part of this reject figure: however, with all that said – it does happen.

First impressions really matter!

Keep the Editor sweet! Even if not specifically required, alongside your perfectly polished manuscript, write the Editor a nice cover letter introducing your manuscript submission! It looks better, and it’s more polite!

Cover letter etiquette and formatting

Your cover letter is the first thing the Editor will see. In the cover letter, it is advised that you state: o That you wish them to consider your paper for publication o That you have permission from all the co-authors (and other formalities) o What your novel finding is o Why it is SO exciting and they should be excited too o Why you think it is appropriate for the journal Finally, it may be obvious, but ensure your cover letter is appropriately addressed! – ie. You have the right Journal – particularly if you are re-submitting a manuscript to a new Journal! 😉 Why not make the extra effort and find out the editor’s name? A personally addressed letter looks a lot better!

Perfectly polished papers

Make sure the final draft of your manuscript is as polished as it possibly can be, and that all co-authors are happy before you go to Submit.

Ensuring your manuscript is the best it possibly can be at this point will

let you mind rest whilst you wait the weeks for an initial decision, and
will present the Editor with a great first impression of your manuscript when it lands on their desk!

Save some time

Before you start your submission, gather as much information in advance and ensure you have your files in the correct format for submission. This includes:

o List of Authors (Make sure you know their publishing name (ie. Is their middle name initial included?))
o Institution addresses
o Author’s email addresses
o Paper in correct format. Ie. draft .text or word file (is double spaced required? See information for authors!)
o Bibliography format and upload –

Figures in correct format. Ie. is .jpeg preferred? Are the images labelled and ordered correctly?

Submitting your manuscript

Do a final check with our helpful sample format which can be found here!

Once you have your perfectly polished manuscript and cover letter complete, you can submit your paper to most journals using an online submission form, where authors can register and upload manuscript files (text, figures and supplementary information), directly to the journal. Set aside most of a day to do this for the first time, it can be a bit nerve-racking and fiddly.

Manuscript text is usually preferred in text or Word, with figures provided in individual files. Often IBM journals will provide sample format to their preferred style, which can be viewed as pre or post print (ie. double spaced or columned). The sample file usually includes a title page with author affiliations and contact information, which also need to be submitted in separate fields within the form.

Each journal’s submission form will be different. Read the information provided to you carefully and work your way through the steps. Finally, please ensure your manuscript compiles correctly before pressing the Submit button!

Once you have submitted…

Once your paper has been successfully submitted, the Journal will most likely acknowledge the receipt of your manuscript. This will likely contain a reference number required for any future correspondence, If you have not received this after a couple of weeks, send the editor a short email asking for confirmation of receipt of your paper.

For now, sit back, try to relax, and wait for your response from the Editor!
The Editor will make a desk rejection or acceptance and inform you of this decision generally within 30 days from the submission date.

Accepted?

Congratulations – if you are successful at this stage, you will receive a letter informing you that your manuscript will next be sent out for review. The Editor will next assign a number of field specialists for the purpose of Peer Review.

The number of reviewers varies depending on level of Peer Review of that Journal, but is nominally one to three external persons. The reviewers will decide if they are appropriate to review your paper based on your abstract. The amount of time they get to review the paper is set out in Guidelines by the journal, but this step of the review process can be unpredictable and a lengthy progress.

You can generally check on the status of your manuscript through the process using your reference number, which can specify how many reviewer responses have been received. Speak with your supervisor if this is taking too long (usually 30-60 days are appropriate for first review). It can be appropriate to send a polite email to the editor with regard to the length of time reviewers are taking.

Warning: It is rare and highly unprofessional, but be particularly aware that in some cases, reviewers may wish to stall your publication to ensure their (similar) publication beats yours to the mark. A carefully worded and diplomatic email can be sent to the editor if you suspect foul play.

Rejected?

If your manuscript is rejected by the Editor, it has generally been decided by the editor or editorial board that the article is unfortunately deemed not appropriate for further review. This can be related to the scope of the paper not matching the scope of the journal, poor writing or research quality, and general first impressions. The editor will explain the reason for the rejection in a rejection letter.

Dealing with rejection can be difficult and disappointing, with emotions running high from personal emotional investment in the manuscript. Try not to react too emotionally to the rejection, take on board the comments and / or advice, take some time and think logically:

Time to let the co-authors know the news and move down the list of potentially suitable journals you wrote in your ‘Top 3-5 list of Journals’. Get ready to re-write and reformat your journal, taking on board any constructive criticisms, and try, try, try again. See ‘Dealing with Rejection’for more information.

International Bio-Mechanical Journals