Along with the intense pressure to publish their work, researchers across the world also have to deal with the crushing disappointment of rejection, or worse desk rejection. With top journals rejecting more than 90% of the manuscripts submitted, across research fields,1 it’s a struggle for most. The process of ‘rinse and repeat’ where manuscripts need to be reformatted and submitted to the next journal is both tedious and frustrating for authors. But there is hope for those dealing with paper rejections. “Failure is constructive feedback that tells you to try a different approach to accomplish what you want,” writes best-selling author Idowu Koyenikan, and we agree. In fact, data shows that 62% of papers have been rejected at least once by other journals before eventually getting published.2
This is because the top problems that lead to desk rejection can, more often than not, be identified and corrected with a comprehensive manuscript submission readiness check. Here are five reasons for rejection that are hurting your chances of acceptance, along with actionable tips for authors and a smart solution to help researchers streamline their submission journey and reduce the chances of desk rejection.
#1 Mismatch with journal aims and scope, and lack of originality, novelty or significance
Journal editors are always looking to publish high-quality original research that is thought-provoking, has a clear impact, and is likely to garner a large number of citations. On the other hand, the most common mistake authors make is not approaching the right journals to publish their research, which leads to desk rejection.
Researcher.Life advice: Do an extensive search to find the most relevant and reliable journal for your research, without which you are almost doomed to fail and get a desk reject verdict. When submitting your manuscript, be sure to highlight how interesting your research is for the journal audience, how your results can be generalized, and how your paper can have substantial practical, clinical or theoretical implications in your area of research.
#2 Poor language and manuscript presentation
Poor language is one of the major reasons for rejection of your manuscript. Most of the top international journals publish in English, which makes it imperative for you to deliver quality manuscripts devoid of language errors. Even ground-breaking research can face journal desk rejection if the language is sloppy or the manuscript is not structured logically or missing some sections.
Researcher.Life advice: Putting your manuscript through a comprehensive language check to weed out typos, grammar and style errors, and issues with logic and flow is essential to avoid desk rejection, especially if you are starting out or are a non-native English speaker. Be sure to avoid the excessive use of jargon or complex terms that are difficult to interpret, which may also be a reason for rejection. Finally, before you submit to your chosen journal, make sure your manuscript is complete, follows the recommended format, and all the sections are well presented to avoid desk rejection.
#3 Ethical issues, such as plagiarism, simultaneous submission
While scientific research is based on the trust, integrity and ethical conduct of researchers across the globe, there is an alarming lack of understanding about what this means. In fact, data reveals that 10-25% of respondents didn’t know or were confused about plagiarism, duplicate submissions, and authorship, while 31% had never heard about global ethics-related bodies such as COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) or ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors).3 This is one of the major reasons for rejection and ethical misconduct can lead to desk rejection or rejection at the peer review stage, so while authors must ensure their study is important and novel, the job does not end there.
Researcher.Life advice: New research is built on previously published papers, which makes it quite possible for authors to unwittingly copy concepts, text, data, processes and/or methods, making them a likely candidate for desk rejection. So when writing, make sure you don’t use content as is, and if you are, place copied text within quotes; you must also remember to mention sources correctly (including adding references for your own published work). Other equally serious reasons for rejection or even desk rejection could be submitting manuscripts to multiple journals at the same time or attempting to republish content that has been published earlier without requisite permissions, not declaring personal, financial, or professional conflicts of interest, and not getting the right ethical approvals for your work.
#4 Flaws in research methodology/study design
For research to be productive and reproducible, it needs to have a clear problem statement and well-defined research questions that are based on sound literature reviews. However, the push to fast-track research to boost publishing lists has fueled a more superficial reporting of data, which is unacceptable and a cause for desk rejection in most top journals. Journal editors look at research methodology and study design when deciding whether to accept or reject manuscripts.
Researcher.Life advice: Even before you start your research project, it is critical to conduct a comprehensive literature review to identify and apply the best-suited research methodology and scientific processes. Be sure you have an unambiguous statement of the problem, which highlights the importance and impact of your research. This is critical to assure the transparency and transferability of research studies and ensure your manuscript does not end up with a desk reject.
#5 Length and inconsistencies in manuscript
One of the things that shout carelessness and can be a primary reason for desk rejection is inconsistencies in your research manuscript. Journal editors are trained to find and remark on such inconsistencies, whether it is the way you mention organization names, list references, or other basic errors. And if your paper is too wordy, far beyond the limit usually mentioned in the author guidelines, it will most likely be headed for the ’desk reject’ pile.
Researcher.Life advice: Be sure to read through the author guidelines of the journal you are submitting your manuscript to and ensure you follow it as closely as possible to avoid desk rejection. Keep to the recommended word count and avoid manipulating the fonts, spaces between the lines or stating an incorrect length in your application. It is equally important to conduct a pre-submission manuscript assessment to eliminate any problems and inconsistencies between tables, figures and text, including the way you mention references.
There are many reasons for desk rejection, but these are just some of the most common problems journals cite when manuscripts are desk rejected. It may seem like a lot of work for busy researchers, and this is where My Research Projects by Researcher.Life can help. Powered by advanced AI designed using 20+ years of editorial intelligence, the My Research Projects tool helps authors avoid desk rejection and save time. Its comprehensive manuscript readiness check covers key submission parameters most journal editors check for and helps you identify potential problem areas in minutes, allowing you to optimize your manuscript before you submit. Ready to bypass desk rejections and accelerate your submission journey? Register for Researcher.Life now and take the first step toward publication success.
References
- Goldfinch, K. Yamamoto – Peer review, refereeing and their discontents: a failed model or simply the least worst option? Prometheus Assessed? Research Measurement, Peer Review, and Citation Analysis. ScienceDirect, 2012. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781843345893500033
- A. Hall, A.J Wilcox – The fate of epidemiologic manuscripts: a study of papers submitted to epidemiology. Epidemiology. 2007. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17301708/
- Author Perspectives on Academic Publishing, Global Survey Report. Editage, 2018
