The Process of Article Submission – How to Submit Your Paper
We know the benefits of article submission are numerous and can help researchers gain visibility. However, imagine spending days or even months writing a manuscript and then sending it to a journal for which it’s not really suited. This is the last thing you want for your article, and that’s why we’re here. We are going to guide you through the whole process of article submission, and we’ll start by giving you some tips on finding the correct journal.
There are a few things to consider when choosing a journal. First, make sure your research matches the journal’s topics. For instance, for applied research, you’ll want to search for applied science journals to submit your work. Also, consider the journal’s typical audience, reputation, and personal requirements. Finally, learn more about its impact by researching its journal metrics such as CiteScore metrics, SJR, SNIP, JIF, or h-index.
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A Few Crucial Steps Before Submission
Before article submission, there are a few crucial steps you need to go through.
1. Run a Plagiarism Check
A plagiarism check will verify your research’s authenticity and look for traces of material that may have been intentionally or unintentionally copied from other sources. We can’t stress enough how important it is to write a plagiarism-free paper. All journals have ethical standards that clearly state that plagiarism is strictly forbidden. If your research ends up containing someone else’s work, it’s sure to be rejected. Always run your article through plagiarism check platforms.
2. Prepare Your Artwork
Any artwork in your paper, including charts, images, graphs, or others, play a massive role in how you communicate your research results. That’s why artwork preparation is an essential factor to consider before submitting your paper. Note that every journal will have specific technical artwork guidelines, so make sure to look for them on its website. Usually, there are no strict requirements, but a common practice is to place your artwork toward the end of the paper.
3. Check for Formatting Requirements
While the technical artwork requirements aren’t usually rigorous, formatting requirements usually need more consideration. Most journals have their own formatting requirements and only accept papers written in a specific style. For example, American Psychological Association (APA) style is one of the most common formatting styles for academic documents. But don’t be surprised if the journal you’ve selected follows a combination of two different styles. Since these writing requirements are at the core of a journal’s article structure, you want to make sure to follow them up to the smallest details.
Your manuscript should be written in proper English. Both American and British English are welcome, but you shouldn’t combine these two. If you believe your English manuscript needs further editing, most journals will have an editing service to eliminate grammatical or spelling errors that you may have missed or of which you may not be aware. Your language should also be inclusive, acknowledge diversity, and convey respect to all people. Use neutral language that’s bias free, without slang or stereotypes.
You can find publishing requirements for every journal on their website. Usually, there will be a page called “Information for Authors” or “Submission Guidelines” that either come with a download link for a detailed document or with the instructions clearly stated on the page.
4. Include a Cover Letter
If given an option, always include a cover letter to the journal editors. This is your chance to outline why your research is unique and important. You’ll want to point out how the journal’s readers will benefit from reading your paper, as the editors take their responsibility to their audience very seriously. Writing a cover letter can help speed up the publication process and send your article out for peer review faster.
Avoid just copying the abstract, but rather use your own words to explain your research scope and why it belongs in that specific journal. Ensure the cover letter is easy to read and keep it short – no more than one page. You should also include your contact information and a brief statement saying you haven’t previously published the article in another journal.
The Review Process
Once you submit the manuscript, the editors will check whether it meets all the submission criteria. If it does, it will be sent out for peer review. By peers, we mean a group of independent researchers from the same research area as the paper who assess it for authenticity and importance. They give a final word when helping editors decide whether the journal should publish the research or not.
Peer review is important because it confirms manuscript validity. It’s important for a journal that the articles published in it are of high-quality. Without the peer review phase, that wouldn’t be possible. And when it comes to the manuscript, it becomes more robust since the reviewers can find some gaps that could use additional explanation. Also, there might be difficult parts to read, so the peers can suggest tweaking them, resulting in an easy-to-read paper.
There are four main peer review types:
- Single-blinded. This is when the researchers who review the paper know who wrote it, but the writer doesn’t know who the reviewers are.
- Double-blinded. When neither the reviewers nor the author know who is doing the work.
- Open peer. This is a review type where the writers know who is reviewing their paper, and the reviewers know the author.
- Transparent peer. In this case, the reviewers know who the author is, but the author doesn’t know who is reviewing their paper. However, the reviewer can sign the report, thus revealing themselves to the author.
It depends on the journal which peer review type it will use. You can find that information under its “About” page.
Depending on the result, you can receive four different reviews:
- Desk reject. This is when editors reject the article simply because it doesn’t fit the journal’s scope. This is why it’s essential to do your journal research beforehand and make sure to submit your manuscript to the right place.
- Accept. This is a review not even long-time publishers get to see often. It means there are no revisions needed and the article is ready to be published as is. But chances are, if your article gets accepted, there will always be a few things to change and address.
- Reject. This means the article was passed down for peer review by the editor, but the former ones decided it wasn’t good enough. If you receive a “reject,” there will always be feedback explaining why it was turned down, which can help you do better next time. It would be nice to thank the editors for their feedback, even if you disagree with it.
- Revise & resubmit. This is probably the most common review most submissions get. It means the reviewers found some gaps that you should fill and then resubmit the article for publishing. Always make sure to carefully read all reviews and understand what is being asked of you. It would be best to make a list of all things you need to address and cross each once you get it done. Make sure to include a brief response when resubmitting the paper, letting the reviewers know that you addressed all comments. If, for any reason, you didn’t follow a specific comment, explain why.
AKJournals’ Submission Guidelines
If you want to submit articles to AKJournals, we’re always glad to help with the submission process. We process all article submissions online or over email. However, each journal has specific author guidelines to ensure quality content, and we warmly advise you to go over them in detail. This will maximize your chance of getting accepted.
You can find all information regarding each journal’s submission guidelines on this page. Alternatively, you can visit the webpage of the journal you’re interested in submitting to and see the author guidelines under the “For Authors” section.
