Rejection is quite common in academic publishing, though it is hard to accept. After years of hard work and months of writing a research paper, it is quite hard to accept the inability of a paper to get published. The following are a few reasons why manuscripts are rejected.
- The author hardly follows the guidelines of the journal they wish to publish
Each journal has a definite aim and scope. Hence it is wise if the authors simply follow the guidelines on their website and maintain their manuscript accordingly. That would make it easy for publication. Formatting the paper as per the author guidelines would further increase the scope of publishing.
- Paper is under consideration for any other journal
Most of the journals don’t accept a paper that is under consideration in some other journal. Therefore make sure your paper is not under review or submitted in some other for publication. Every journal asks for signed consent for publication; make sure you have a signed consent before publication.
- Vague Writing
Journals readily accept papers that are clear and concise. In short, use language that would be easy to grasp by the scientific community. The simple language would make it easier for the readers to dig out the knowledge from the research papers.
- The manuscript is not formatted as per the Journal guidelines
Rather than following your own guidelines, follow the set of rules mentioned in the website for the manuscript. Check for the font size, font type, and spacing and reference styles. Go through the guidelines for figure and table formatting apart from the language fashion.
- The manuscript is not under the scope of the journal
This is the first and foremost thing an author check before submitting a paper in a journal. Sometimes, authors go for a journal which doesn’t cover their scope. This makes the journal difficult for the paper to accept. Therefore, make sure your scope matches the journals’.
- Wrong research methodology
Get updated with the latest research methodologies for your research and use them. Using old research methodologies may increase your chances of rejecting the paper. Hence, use the latest techniques.
- Disobedience of research ethics
It is necessary to comply with the guidelines of the journal such as plagiarism check, consent of the participants, and declaration that the research has been wholly carried out by an individual. Apart from this, an author should present the declaration parts; acknowledgments, funding sources, consent for publication, ethics, and author contributions.
Getting a research paper accepted in the first try is rare. However, keeping these above guidelines in your mind can increase the probability of acceptance of your paper.
