Earlier this month, we hosted the second event in our PSA ECN Publication Pipeline Series. We teamed up with the British Journal of Politics and International Relations (BJPIR) and were thrilled to host Dr Derek Edyvane (University of Leeds) for a “Meet the Editor” event on how to publish journal articles.
As editor of BJPIR, Dr Edyvane was able to provide insights into the process of academic publishing in journals and walked participants of the session through it step-by-step. If you missed the session or just want to brush up on some of the things Dr Edyvane spoke about, read on below for a summary of the key points.
A key point here is that first impressions count. Make sure to respect the word limits and style guidelines of the journal when you prepare your manuscript. A covering letter is usually optional, and it is typically not a disadvantage to not include one. However, if you do want to write a cover letter, Dr Edyvane said this is not a bad idea and can help to get your argument for choosing this specific journal across as well. Once you have submitted your manuscript, it will be assigned to an editor of the journal. They will then determine whether to reject it or send it out for peer-review.
In the session, Dr Edyvane shared some of the common reasons for desk rejections. First, a manuscript will be rejected if it is outside of the aims and scope of the journal and therefore not of substantial interest to the readership. Second, if the paper lacks an original contribution, this could also lead to rejection. And third, a submission might be rejected if it doesn’t meet the quality threshold.
Dr Edyvane explained that the review process can take weeks and usually takes around 2-3 months, though he said there tends to be a lot of variation in the timeframe. He acknowledged that this poses a particular challenge for early career researchers. Still, his advice was to try to be patient. When the review process takes time, it is usually for good reasons: Reviewers are also human after all and sometimes, life happens. Dr Edyvane advised not to chase submissions up too quickly but to wait around three months before asking for an update.
There are three types of decisions that you may receive: accept, reject, or R&R (revise and resubmit). Dr Edyvane shared that a decision of R&R is very standard, and that a manuscript that isn’t rejected usually goes to R&R on the first round. If you receive a decision of R&R, your revised manuscript will usually be sent back to the same reviewers. If an editor tells you they will send the revised version to new reviewers, Dr Edyvane said it is usually a good idea to walk away as it would be starting the process from scratch.
If your manuscript is rejected by a journal, do not fret! As Dr Edyvane said in the session, “Everybody gets rejected.” Take the time you need to deal with the rejection, consider edits to your manuscript, and try your luck somewhere else.
The PSA Early Career Network Committee would like to once again thank the British Journal of Politics and International Relations and our fantastic guest speaker Dr Derek Edyvane for joining us for this session and sharing valuable insights into the publishing process for academic journals.
The ECN Committee is already working on some exciting future events, and we hope to see many of you there!
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The Political Studies Association Early Career Network’s ‘Publication Pipeline’ aims to support ECRs to equip themselves with the skills and knowledge to secure a publication. There is still much work to be done to make academia more inclusive. In our commitment to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion within the discipline, this workshop aims to widen access to conferences and publication by bolstering the skills of ECRs and removing barriers to much of the ‘unspoken’ knowledge we need to participate. We encourage participation from scholars of all backgrounds based in any location.
To stay up to date with PSA Early Career Network events and get access to exclusive opportunities, you can become a member for just £20 per year if you are an early career researcher. You can find out more on the membership website.
