Once you have submitted your article, the first stage is a preliminary review by the journal’s editorial board. They review your manuscript for basic requirements such as formatting, adherence to the scope of the journal, and completeness of documents, for instance, cover letter and ethics approval. The stage is usually rapid, taking from just a few days to a couple of weeks.
But if your paper does not meet the journal’s criteria or is missing certain key elements, it may be outright rejected. This can be termed as “desk rejection,” saving one time but also involving submitting to another journal.
It’s once your article passes initial screening that it moves into peer review. Here’s where things can get a little uncertain. On average, the peer review process takes about 4 to 8 weeks; the fact remains that it can stretch longer than that. The time depends on certain conditions of the Health Sciences Journal, such as:
- Reviewer availability: Journals often face a challenge when trying to identify qualified reviewers who are already working themselves to death.
- Number of reviews required: Some journals require one, two, or sometimes three reviews to make a decision, which adds some time.
- Area of research: Reviewers may take more time when the subject requires technical expertise and is not easily understood.
Sometimes, the journals implement a “rolling review” procedure in which the reviewer gives his or her impression once they finish reviewing it. In other instances, the editor waits for all the reviews to be submitted before submitting them to you.
Revisions and resubmissions
Do not be surprised if your article isn’t accepted outright at Innovare Academics. The time it takes to correct these changes depends on the extent of the revisions. For minor edits, a week or two should suffice; more major revisions may take you a few months to complete.
In the case that you resubmit, the journal might send your article back for reviewing again. In this case, the process is likely to take an additional 2 to 4 weeks. Some journals allow multiple rounds of revisions, further delaying the time needed in the entire process.
Speed things up
While you can’t have control over everything in the review process, there are a few things that you can do to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible:
- Select the right journal: Research journals that interest you and target one with a reasonable turnaround time.
- Follow the submission guidelines: Ensure your manuscript meets all the relevant formatting and documentation requirements set by the journal.
After the peer review and revision stages are complete, the editor makes the final decision; accept, reject, or request further revisions. If not, you’ll need to consider submitting to a different journal and starting the process all over again.
These are usually health science or Pharmaceutical Journals, and for the majority of them, the process from submission to acceptance takes about 3 to 6 months. Of course, if we talk about the high-indexed journals that have, so to speak, higher standards, it can take even up to a year.
For more information, you can visit our website https://www.innovareacademics.in/ & https://daawriter.in/ & https://ijcr.info/index.php/journal or call us at +919165136558
