All You Need To Know About the Scholarly Publishing Process

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Over the past decade, the output of scholarly research increased by about 4% globally, as indicated in the volume of publications in journals of science and engineering. While the number of papers published rose, getting a manuscript accepted into a peer-reviewed publication has not necessarily become easier.

Steps to Publishing a Research Paper

The advent of the internet certainly changed the speed with which a submission goes through the scholarly publishing process, yet the process itself remained largely the same. By learning the editorial process, you can understand what to expect before you submit your research to an academic journal. Here are the basic steps most publications follow:

1. Submission: When submitting your manuscript, be sure you follow the publisher’s guidelines. Ensure your research and paper, are up to publication standards for research publishing.
2. Initial review: Once submitted, your manuscript undergoes an initial review to determine journal suitability, research quality, ethical standards adherence and content quality.
3. Peer review: If it passes the initial review, the manuscript is sent on to peer reviewers. These reviewers assess the validity and reliability of your research methods, analysis and results, and interpretations. Generally, two or three peers review a paper, and you do not know their identity.
4. Editor decision: An editor reviews the outcomes of the peer review and decides to reject the manuscript, accept it as is or accept it with revisions.
5. Revisions: Frequently, you will be required to make at least minor revisions, based on the peer reviewer suggestions and comments. Sometimes major revisions are necessary before the manuscript is ready for full acceptance.
6. Copy editing: After you complete your revisions, the editorial staff takes over to get the manuscript ready for publication.
7. Proofreading: Once the manuscript passes through the copy editing and formatting stage, you conduct a final proofread to ensure it has maintained accuracy.
8. Invoicing: Depending on the journal and any services you may use, you’ll receive an invoice and information about when your manuscript will be published.
9. Publication: The last step is seeing your research in print.

The entire process can take anywhere from two months to a year. Publications vary, but generally, the more competitive journals take longer due to the volume of manuscripts they receive. It can be hard to wait, but it’s important to keep in mind that the process exists to maintain integrity in research publishing.

Educational Publishing Services

Amnet provides a full range of educational publishing services in the K-12 and higher education arenas. We know what it takes to produce high-quality journals with rigorous research content. If you want to know about our editorial services, get in touch with us today.

Sources:
1. https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20206/.
2. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2019/05/15/how-increase-your-chances-getting-your-work-published-scholarly-journal-opinion.