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The publication process

January 2019, Vol 50, No. 1

Print version: page 66

1 min read

APA Style leaf logo Cite This Article in APA Style
Clay, R. A. (2019, January 1). The publication process. Monitor on Psychology, 50(1). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/01/secrets-published-sidebar

When you send a manuscript to a journal, you set in motion a long chain of events. First, the journal’s editor—or an associate editor specializing in your manuscript’s content area—will send the manuscript to approximately three reviewers, either members of the journal’s editorial board or ad hoc reviewers who have expertise in a particular area.

Over the course of a few months, these reviewers will assess your manuscript according to several criteria: how relevant your research is for the journal, how significant your topic is, how well you write, whether you’ve used sufficiently rigorous and appropriate research and analysis methods, and what contribution the manuscript makes to the scientific literature.

In addition to specific feedback, you’ll receive one of four recommended dispositions:

■ Accept: This rare rating means that your manuscript is ready to be published.
■ Accept pending revisions: Also scarce, this designation signals the editor’s commitment to publish the manuscript once you make the suggested changes.
■ Revise and resubmit: This means there’s a good probability—but no promise—that your paper will be published if you make the suggested changes.
■ Reject: This is the most common disposition, especially at top journals. —Rebecca A. Clay

Letters to the Editor