Post-submission Outcomes The review black box Editorial rejection Post-review rejection Reject with resubmission Major revisions Minor revisions Accepted The review black box Submission Outcomes My awesome paper Me Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Submission britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc

Unlocking the review black box

The cost of peer review is time Authors, editors, reviewers, journals all invest time in each submission. Everybody wants it to have been worth your (and their) time– even if they reject your paper. #RejectionIsTheRule britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc

#RejectionIsTheRule 80% rejection rate #RejectionIsTheRule - Got editorially rejected? - Got rejected post reviews? - Got rejected with possibility for resubmission? - Got major revisions? - Got minor revisions? - Got accepted? #RejectionIsTheRule 80% rejection rate (in BES journals) britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc

Editorially rejected? Editorial/desk reject = rejected without review Read decision letter (may have useful feedback on fatal flaws or suggested target journal)… …and then step aside and don’t touch it for 1-2 days Then: Consider rebuttal? Consider staying @ or going down in IF? Consider up-stream submission? Consider going back to the field/lab/greenhouse/computer? Go and celebrate at the pub: your paper has been read by a very exclusive number of academics! britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc

Rejected post-review? Read response letter … and then step aside and don’t touch it for 1-2 days Then: Think objectively about feedback Consider rebuttal? Consider staying @ or going down in IF? Consider up-stream submission? Consider going back to the field/lab/greenhouse/computer? Go and celebrate at the pub: your paper has been read by a very exclusive number of academics! britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc

Rejected, with resubmission allowed? Your paper shows good promise, but needs too much revision to know if it can or cannot be accepted in the end Resubmission does not mean rejection Resubmission does mean lots of work to do Do not get comfy! Re-analyse, re-write, etc. Consider submitting elsewhere – resubmission does not mean rejection, but it does not mean acceptance either. britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc

Not rejected at all! Got major revision? Got minor revision? Percentage of rejection post-revision declines a lot, but: A major revision is not a guarantee of publication A minor revision means a greater likelihood… but no guarantee You still have work to do! britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc

Carefully draft the letter of responses to the editor and reviewers Remember, they couldn't accept your paper as it was. You must make changes or justify why not. britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc

In your response letter… Be polite and appreciative of the effort involved in reviewing a paper. Highlight strengths & address main concerns in your opening paragraph Respond point by point to comments Make it easy to tell your responses from the reviewers’ comments Make it easy to find your changes Show evidence of the points you are making (reference lines in manuscript, provide citations, etc.) Do not refer to reviewers as “he” Do not refer to the reviewers as “you” britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc

What’s the most common track of a paper? - Post-review rejection - Rejected (resubmission invited) - Major revisions - Minor revisions - Accepted - Editorial rejection My awesome paper Me Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Submission Submission britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc

Usually linear… - Editorial rejection - Post-review rejection My awesome paper Me Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx - Post-review rejection - Rejected (resubmission invited) - Major revisions - Minor revisions - Accepted - Editorial rejection Submission britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc

Rejection can happen at any point …But not always! My awesome paper Me Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx - Post-review rejection - Rejected (resubmission invited) - Major revisions - Minor revisions - Accepted - Editorial rejection Submission Rejection can happen at any point britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc

Accepted! Job isn’t finished! Quick turn-around for proofing of print version Authorship copyright transfer agreement Promote your paper (Twitter, Facebook, blogs, send to your collaborators – but do not mass-email folks) britishecologicalsociety.org @BritishEcolSoc - Go celebrate to the pub, like for reals