Questions tagged [editors]
Questions about the roles and responsibilities of editors, who decide what papers are accepted into peer reviewed journals.
399
questions
25
votes
5answers
4k views
Is it bad to withdraw a manuscript one day after it has been submitted?
I submitted it yesterday, after sending it to a repository. Then, a colleague gave a quick read and found some narrative issues, i.e., our abstract seems to be claiming something we did not do and we ...
0
votes
2answers
207 views
Can you file a complaint about editors selling your contact information?
If you are in academia, you might have noticed that your contact information is being sold, sometimes you collaborate with a person with a very specific research line and background and get an ...
0
votes
0answers
62 views
Pros and Cons of being an editor for an edited book volume
I am early in my tenure track position. I have just completed my post-doc and PhD two years ago. In collaboration with colleagues, we have recently circulated call-for-papers for an edited book.
What ...
35
votes
3answers
5k views
Is it acceptable, as a Reviewer, to ask the Editor about another reviewer?
I recently reviewed a manuscript submitted to a Journal. Today, I received the editor's response to the authors, which included all the reviews made by the (anonymous) reviewers.
I was particularly (...
1
vote
1answer
146 views
Overly long review process (>2 years) without feedback [duplicate]
We submitted a paper to a journal more than 2 years ago. After 1 year had passed without any news, I asked the editors for an update on the status of our paper, and they mentioned they were still ...
0
votes
1answer
67 views
With editor status changes to Submitted to Journal After 5 weeks [duplicate]
May I please ask what does this mean. I submitted a manuscript to an Elsevier journal, for 5 weeks it had "with editor" status, now it has changed to "Submitted to Journal". What ...
2
votes
1answer
530 views
My manuscript status says “18 reviewers invited.” Is it a bad sign if that many reviewers were invited to review my manuscript?
So far, that is the only information given to me by the journal. I have no idea if all 18 reviewers were invited at the same time, or if one at a time. In either cause, is this a bad sign, something ...
-3
votes
4answers
1k views
What should I do if the author didn't do what I asked them to do when I reviewed their paper?
I had reviewed a manuscript two months ago.
Though the manuscript was interesting and well written there were some minor flaws.
I had pointed to the author the flaws and asked them to correct them.
I ...
3
votes
1answer
76 views
What to write in journal cover letter when research was conducted several years ago
I am in the process of submitting a paper to a peer reviewed journal. The paper reports a study that was conducted 7 years ago. In the cover letter to editors that I have prepared, I point out that ...
1
vote
1answer
67 views
How to find past editors and editorial board members of scientific journals?
Journal websites usually list their present editors and editorial board members.
Is there any systematic way to find out the journals' past editors and editorial board members (if possible, in a ...
4
votes
3answers
380 views
Is it ok to enquire the editor about the accceptance chance of a paper which is under review for 1.5 years [duplicate]
I have submitted two papers in a top-tier applied mathematics journal. The first one is a short paper and the second one is a full paper. After 7 months the short paper and after 8 month the full ...
42
votes
6answers
5k views
Can I write a referee report too fast?
As a math postdoc, I received my first invitation to referee a journal article today, and I accepted the invitation. I've already read a preprint of the submitted article (which has been available on ...
1
vote
2answers
157 views
Where to get a basic introduction to a science subject published legitimately? [closed]
I have a high school to undergraduate level introduction written for methods and applications of a particular science topic (~5000 words with tables and schematic, like a book chapter).
My goal is ...
3
votes
2answers
105 views
How much domain expertise and network does a special issue guest editor need?
I have been invited as a special issue guest editor. The journal is genuine (I have both published and reviewed there multiple times) but not very prestigious and sometimes seen as "easy" to get into....
23
votes
4answers
6k views
Paper rejected due to short reference list
Recently I submitted a paper to a journal and I got the following feedback from the Editorial Office:
The reference lists of manuscripts submitted to our journal should include a variety of English-...
2
votes
2answers
249 views
If you were an editor-in-chief, would you appreciate to be informed that an associate editor has published sloppy information in his journal?
(Edited with thanks after the early comments helped gauge the perception of the post.)
This is the situation
I came across an article published in a reputable journal in the field of physics and ...
0
votes
1answer
68 views
Why has the status date changed while the status remains unchanged at “Editor Assigned”?
I submitted an accepted paper after a second revision to a springer journal on 24th Avril and the status stayed at "Revisions Being Processed " for two days. The status changed to "Editor Assigned" on ...
0
votes
2answers
220 views
“Editor invited” to “Decision in Process” [duplicate]
I submitted my paper to World Scientific journal for a week ago. The "Editor invited" status stayed since the submission, and then it changed to "Decision in Process" directly. It seems strange. ...
1
vote
1answer
311 views
What does “Awaiting SE Preliminary Decision” mean for IEEE transactions journal? [duplicate]
I have a manuscript with IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology under peer review from early Jan 2020. Today, there has been a status update on the journal's ScholarOne online portal which ...
0
votes
1answer
53 views
Does a senior area editor supervise a country or a region?
What area is being referred to in the title senior area editor? Is it a country or a region that may include more than one country?
22
votes
5answers
5k views
What to do when a reviewer is late while daily posting about other activities on social media?
I am an associate editor for a journal. I have asked an academician to perform a review for the journal, to which they agreed. The reviewer is already 6 weeks late (6 weeks after the deadline), not ...
0
votes
1answer
62 views
Is it a normal process if all changes by “Track Change” function in Word of my revised manuscript are visible after being built in Elsevier?
I got a revision reply and the editor wanted me to use "track change" in Word to do changes in manuscript. I completed the revision for manuscript and responses to reviewers file. I re-submitted and ...
5
votes
3answers
495 views
Paper accepted subject to minor changes – should I comply if I do not consider them minor?
My paper met acceptance (through email notification from editor) with one reviewer requiring a minor change which is not minor according to my perception and would revise all my figures and results. ...
1
vote
2answers
118 views
Can a managing editor replace the editor on a paper or remove them from the editorial board? [duplicate]
Let's assume that a journal editor has been allocated a submission, started reviewing it himself, but stopped responding to the managing editor (= you) despite a long time since the authors had sent ...
0
votes
2answers
222 views
When does an editor fail?
Let's assume that a journal editor has been allocated a submission, started reviewing it himself, but stopped responding to the managing editor (= you) despite a long time since the authors had sent ...
-2
votes
2answers
123 views
How to respond to an editor who suddenly stops answering your emails
I've been corresponding with an editor at a university publishing company, but he suddenly stopped responding to my emails. Most recently, I sent him my book chapters and a summary of my book, but he ...
1
vote
1answer
120 views
Are summarized reviewer comments a thing?
I recently got a rejection from an Elsevier journal. What struck me as odd was that each reviewer comment was three sentences each. To me they look clearly summarized, possibly by the editor. This is ...
1
vote
3answers
241 views
How to address an Editor if I have new proof techniques of old results?
I read an article published in a High Impact Factor journal and on reading I find that almost all of the proofs could have been done in an easy way.
I devised easy techniques myself and I find that ...
1
vote
3answers
271 views
No reply to the referee report from the author of a manuscript
Let assume that a manuscript needs to be revised after referee's report. If there is no reply from the author of manuscript, what happens? What are the rules and next steps in such cases?
1
vote
2answers
297 views
How to politely explain editor is wrong
We have a paper that is a second round R&R at a Journal that is a cognate field which is less technical than ours. The editor has been extremely conscientious and supportive through the process, ...
0
votes
0answers
22 views
How long does it take for the final editorial decision for an article? [duplicate]
My case can be explained as below:
Day 1: first submission
Day 60: I got the first decision suggesting revision. The 3 reviewer’s comments were positive and 2 of them asked to make some minor changes ...
0
votes
1answer
43 views
What is an Ad-Hoc Acting Editor for Journal of Finance and/or PNAS?
What is an Ad-Hoc Acting Editor for the Journal of Finance and/or PNAS? Is it similar to the special-issue editor? How to select that editor in paper submission?
2
votes
1answer
111 views
Pre-submission enquiry taking a long time
Following the journals' protocol, I have sent a pre-submission enquiry to a few journals regarding a manuscript, and have received answers rather quickly (max 1 week). I have always waited for an ...
0
votes
1answer
112 views
The best wording to politely nudge the editor? [duplicate]
Any tips on polite yet resolute phrasing for an e-mail to the managing editor of a journal when your article is under review for far too long and it would be nice to give the process a nudge?
Thanks ...
28
votes
5answers
5k views
What do legit journal/conference/review invitations look like?
As everyone else here probably does, I receive a lot of unsolicited emails. I don't like it, but I've gotten used to it and can just ignore them with a friendly smile on my face, because at least ...
0
votes
2answers
158 views
Is it unethical to have a possible future coauthor to review my current paper?
Many think it is unethical to have your coauthor to review the paper; many think it is not.
In my situation, I am discussing possible collaboration opportunities with researcher A. He knows the ...
1
vote
3answers
150 views
When and how often is an associate editor not starting review process?
Very simple question. Reading some Q&A here and experience from my own papers and reviews I'm actually wondering when and how often the associate editor managing a possible review process of a ...
17
votes
8answers
6k views
Should I tell an editor that I believe an article I'm reviewing is not good enough for the journal?
Here's the scenario: I was asked to review an article for a given journal. I did, the authors addressed my comments/corrections, and now the manuscript is back with me for a second time to review the ...
2
votes
1answer
86 views
Does registering in Editorial Manager® and indicating that I am available as a reviewer increase my chances of being invited to review manuscripts?
Do editors check the database of registered users in Editorial Manager®, their keywords and ORCID records when selecting reviewers? I believe the majority of reviewers are assigned based on the ...
3
votes
2answers
205 views
Conflict of interests and the assignment of referee for a very narrow field
Consider a very small scientific field with three major contributors and a total of 15 authors, all of them had coauthored with everyone else.
In this field how could the editor choose referee for ...
3
votes
2answers
316 views
Short rejection after two years [closed]
I've submitted a short paper to a well-known cs journal. It got rejected after two years with the below one para explanation. While I admit that the submission was not strong, I feel cheated because ...
12
votes
4answers
10k views
Should I withdraw my paper because the editor is delaying the report?
I am clearly disheartened by the editor's behaviour:
I sent a manuscript for peer review nearly three months back to an Elsevier journal with impact factor 0.625 in mathematics.
I inquired about the ...
1
vote
1answer
106 views
revised manuscript [duplicate]
I have got major revision from biosensor and bioelectronics and the deadline was 1 month. I finished revision within 10 days and submitted the revised paper. now for one week it is with editor. when ...
1
vote
1answer
279 views
What should one consider when pondering a career as a scientific editor? [closed]
I'm in my 2nd year postdoc, considering getting a science-related job. I looked for jobs at PhD level, and found that one of my options is becoming an editor for a scientific journal.
How many years'...
3
votes
2answers
135 views
Editor reviews paper directly
Is it possible for an editor to review the paper directly without inviting another reviewer if the editor feels familiar with the content studied in the paper?
3
votes
2answers
231 views
Does my paper need to mention a hired editor?
I wrote a paper intended for a conference in computer science. Before submission I hired an expert to review and edit my paper. Do I need to mention them? If so, in what way? As a collaborator? In a ...
64
votes
9answers
12k views
Journal published a paper, ignoring my objections as a referee
A few months back I received a request from a reputed journal to review an article. The article was in a fast-track mode because of its assumed importance. I did review it, and found that it makes ...
9
votes
1answer
223 views
How to escalate a complaint about errors produced by a journal from the Nature publishing group when Editor doesn't respond
We have a scientific paper that was published at the beginning of this year in "Scientific Reports", an open-access journal by the Nature publishing group. However, upon publication, as authors we ...
3
votes
4answers
707 views
Should I report apparent conflict with handling editor during peer review?
I have been dealing with an awkward situation regarding evaluation of my submitted paper. The publisher is one of the big well known OA, and the journal is one of their leading journals (in terms of ...
1
vote
2answers
180 views
Is it fine to mail the Associate Editor in his personal email provided in his homepage?
Is it okay to mail an Associate Editor in his personal e-mail?
I have submitted a manuscript in a journal and I want to know the status of my manuscript.
The publisher of my journal is "World ...
