Journal of Contemporary Orthodontics

Official Publication of Indian Orthodontic Society


Kohli: Manuscript rejection: The whys and wherefores

Introduction

For researchers, academicians and clinicians in healthcare a key motivating factor is to publish in scholarly scientific peer reviewed journals.1 These publications could be in the form of research articles, review papers, thematic clinical case series, case reports or short communications. These publications serve as beacons for future research, aid in refining clinical protocols or adopting new techniques to improve patient care.2 “Research” and “Review” articles constitute the bulk of scientific publishing.

A group of authors put in countless hours to pen their thoughts, develop a methodology, review pertinent literature, assimilate and analyze their results and conclude their findings in the light of contemporary evidence, thereby creating a manuscript for consideration for publication. Once the manuscript is ready, author(s) must carefully select journals whose focus areas match with the content of the manuscript. For this, authors must clearly understand the scope of the journal. Case in point, as the editor of an orthodontic journal, we sometimes receive manuscripts relating to orthopedic surgery when the corresponding author did not read the journal guidelines properly.

The Editorial Process

Once the manuscript is submitted for consideration, it first passes an editorial review, where the manuscript is checked for its completeness, viz., is it within the prescribed word limit, are the minimum number of references cited, are the citations in sequence, plagiarism check, etc. Once the manuscript crosses this phase, it lands on the desk or nowadays the dashboard of the Editor-in-Chief (EiC). The EiC along with editorial board members then peruse the manuscript to see if the content of the manuscript is of interest to the journal’s readership and should be sent for a blinded peer review.

The next step is a blinded peer review. The reviewers then methodically assess the worthiness of the manuscript, it’s quality, relevance and novelty, and then arrive a decision to either accept or reject it, or suggest improvements3, 4 This feedback is communicated to the EiC, who in turn while maintaining the confidentiality of the reviewers, communicates their observations to the author.

Why are manuscripts rejected?

The common reasons for scientific manuscript rejection enumerated below are collected and collated from relevant papers published in other scientific journals;5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

  1. Presentation of old and/or obsolete research methods

  2. Lack of novelty or newness

  3. Improper rationale forming the premise of said research

  4. Inconsequential or irrelevant subject matter

  5. Methodological failings

  6. Lack of suitable interpretation or inappropriate conclusions drawn thence

  7. Inappropriate or incomplete statistical analysis

  8. Inaptness for the journal

  9. Unsuitable packaging of the manuscript and

  10. Narrative reviews which either lack critical appraisal or are unsolicited

  11. Lack of up-to-date references or references containing a high proportion of self-citations

  12. Violation of publication ethics or research ethics

  13. Case reports that are not well documented or show only a normal level of care

What should the author(s) do if their manuscript gets rejected?

Receiving a communication stating that the manuscript has been rejected is certainly an unhappy moment, but it should not temper down the morale of the authors. A rejection should not be taken personally, and authors must not base their self-esteem on the outcome of the manuscript. They must read the decision letter carefully and analyze the reviewer’s comments, this feedback can be used for improving the manuscript and plan future research in a direction that would be relevant to contemporary science. Authors can refine their publications keeping in mind the scope of their intended journal, improving language and grammar, amongst other points.14 Authors can request help from peers and mentors to improve current and future manuscripts. Authors must focus on the main text as well as the abstract, the abstract must not be treated as an after-thought. It should succinctly convey to the editor and reviewers the message of the manuscript. The goal should be to take rejections in your stride while developing techniques to increase acceptance. The only way to achieve this is to write on a regular basis.

Wishing you a very fruitful journey in scientific writing!

Conflict of Interest

None.

References

1 

MM Marta A brief history of the evolution of the medical research articleClujul Med201588456770

2 

SS Kohli Publishing HonestlyJ Orofac Health Sci2024112412

3 

P Dhillon How to be a good peer reviewer of scientific manuscriptsThe FEBS J202128827506

4 

FH Arthur Scientific Manuscripts and the Peer-Review ProcessAm Entomol20206643640

5 

MJ Ali The science and philosophy of manuscript rejectionIndian J Ophthalmol202169719345

6 

T Wyness CNJ Mcghee DV Patel Manuscript rejection in ophthalmology and visual science journals: identifying and avoiding the common pitfallsClin Exp Opthalmol20093798647

7 

S Ehara E Takashasi Reasons for Rejection of Manuscripts Submitted to AJR by International AuthorsAm J Roentgenol200718821136

8 

CM Hesterman CL Szperka DP Turner Reasons for Manuscript Rejection After Peer Review From the Journal HeadacheHeadache2018581015118

9 

AI Fatelrahaman Rejection of Good Manuscripts: Possible Reasons, Consequences and SolutionsJ Clinic Res Bioeth2015612048

10 

J Ali Manuscript Rejection: Causes and RemediesJ Young Pharm20102136

11 

S Dogra Why your manuscript was rejected and how to prevent itIndian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol201177212330

12 

S Adib V Nimehchisalem Reasons for Manuscript Rejection at Internal and Peer-review StagesInt J Educ Literacy Stud20129328

13 

DJ Pierson The Top 10 Reasons Why Manuscripts Are Not Accepted for Publication. Respirat Care20044910124652

14 

V Kailasam Ten Tips to improve publicationsJ Ind Orthod Soc20245841



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Article History

Received : 22-08-2024

Accepted : 26-08-2024


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https://doi.org/10.18231/j.jco.2024.037


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