Overcoming the Challenges of Publishing Your Manuscript in an Academic Journal

By Jessica Lipowski
Publishing Editor at SAGE Publishing

After months or years of trials and research and collecting findings, many exhale a deep sigh of relief. But now, that little cloud hangs overhead with the next milestone: publishing the results. It’s not just time to share the findings with the world, but also impact society in some way, shape or form. That being said, navigating the publishing process can be daunting. It is competitive and often time consuming, both in the amount of work required from the author but also the amount of time it takes from submission to final publication.

However, SAGE has conducted internal market research to learn about particular pain points and challenges researchers in today’s world face to help them in their path to publishing their manuscripts. Also, if it is your first time submitting a manuscript, be sure to read this blog answering some frequently asked questions about the steps an article goes through while in peer review.

Before even submitting your article to a particular journal, take some time to dig into the desired journal’s aims and scope. By familiarizing yourself with what the journal will and will not accept, you increase your likelihood of acceptance. Many Editors are transparent in this regard, because they want to save everyone time: themselves, authors and any peer reviewers.

Also, double check if the journal is Open Access. Recently, Open Access has been on the rise and many authors express concerns about paying an Article Processing Charge (APC) to publish their work in an academic journal. We have put together a guide on how to protect yourself from predatory publishers to help you ensure you are publishing your work in a credible journal.

Furthermore, adhere to the journal’s formatting guidelines found under the Submission Guidelines. Although academic publishing does not have one set or uniform standard, try to stick to your desired journal’s formatting guidelines. If you feel you need to break the guidelines for some reason (i.e. on why you cannot adhere to the word limit), note this in your cover letter or at the beginning of the submission to appeal to the editor. If you have done your homework and it’s a good fit for the journal, you might be able to explore alternatives rather than face flat-out rejection.

Also, patience is key. Once you submit your article to a journal, the peer review process can take time. Every journal varies with the time it takes from first submission to final publication since publishing quality peer reviewed articles takes time. You can login to the submission portal to check on the status of your manuscript. If it says “peer review in progress” or “pending peer review”, please be assured that the editorial team is undertaking all necessary steps to move the manuscript forward, whether it is securing peer reviews or addressing review comments for potential revision(s).

Last but not least, be sure to join us on Tuesday, March 3 at 8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT / 5pm CET for a webinar on How to Get Published in an Academic Joournal. Our free webinar will guide you through the author journey, from beginning to end. Featuring myself and a panel of Editors-in-Chief from various disciplines, including management, medicine, and health, we will break down each step of the process and detail best practices for authors or those who want to be authors, as well as answer your questions about the process. Register today!

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