What are the Chances that Our Paper Can Get Published?

According to Robert Johnston, Founding Editor of Emerald's International Journal of Service Industry Management (now known as theJournal of Service Management), of every 100 papers submitted, only 29 survived a three-stage review process and achieved publication in IJSIM.

In their informative article on peer review, Emerald describes the typical review process used at IJSIM, comprising an Editor Review, First Peer Review and Second Peer Review. An editor contributes expertise in English grammar and usage, as well as in-depth knowledge concerning the needs and objectives of the journal; the peer reviewers hold doctoral degrees related to the academic area addressed by the journal, and contribute subject matter expertise.

Editor Review Stage

Of the submissions received and reviewed by an editor, 48% were passed through to the first peer review; 24% were rejected at this stage, while 28% were returned for revision based on editor suggestions. Of this revision group, 10% were withdrawn.

First Peer Review Stage

A total of 66% of submissions advanced to the first peer review stage. Of these, 44% were rejected; 56% were returned for revision. Of this revision group, 84% of revised manuscripts passed through to the next peer review, while 16% were withdrawn.

Second Peer Review Stage

A total of 31% of total submissions survived the first peer review and advanced to the second peer review stage. Of these, 84% advanced to publication, while 16% were returned for revision. Of this revision group, 60% of revised manuscripts passed through to be published, while 40% were ultimately rejected.

As noted in the opening paragraph, for this journal, only 29% of papers submitted were ultimately published, and none were accepted outright without the authors making minor to major revisions. To reduce the chances that your manuscript will be rejected or withdrawn during one of the three review stages, please refer to the article on this site entitled Increase Your Chances for Publication: How to Avoid Rejection during the Editing and Review Process.

Please refer to the Emerald article cited below for further information on peer review.

Source: “How to... survive peer review and revise your paper”, retrieved at http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/authors/guides/promote/review.htm.