How to Ask Editor of Journal to Spped Up Reviewing Process

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If you manage peer review at one or more bookish journals, you're probable always on the scout for ways to speed up your procedure. Any chance to shave off even a few minutes from peer review tin help reduce your overall manuscript determination timeframes and editorial workloads, making both authors and editors a lot happier. Ane often-overlooked fashion to relieve time during peer review is using email templates. Well-nigh editors go through a weekly (or perhaps daily!) excursion of emailing out review requests, review reminders, manuscript decision letters, and the listing goes on. Journals can save a lot of time by simply cut downward on email writing using templates.

An electronic mail template is a model e-mail that contains the basic information an editor should include in an email on a particular topic. For case, your journal can draft email templates for manuscript decisions that comprise the adjacent steps editors should send all authors of accepted, rejected, or revise and resubmit submissions. With templates, rather than having to continue rewriting near-indistinguishable emails, editors can simply pull up the template they need, add any necessary customization, and send it off.

Ideally, your peer review software should include built-in email templates with the option to add merge tags. Merge tags will let yous to have certain information, similar a recipient'due south proper noun, merged into your email automatically upon sending it. If you manage peer review manually, yous tin nevertheless create templates past keeping a document with template text that editors tin can paste into emails every bit needed.

In this weblog mail, we intermission downwards how to develop constructive email templates for the journals y'all work with, including seven examples. Y'all're welcome to repurpose and reuse these example templates to fit your needs.

Permit's get to information technology!

How to create effective e-mail templates

The timesaving benefits of e-mail templates are pretty plain to see, simply you may exist wondering the best fashion to go about composing them. The fundamental to crafting effective electronic mail templates (as exhibited in the title of this weblog) is to focus on making templates specifically for the most common peer review correspondences your periodical sends — recollect manuscript determination letters, review reminders, and frequently asked questions. These are the emails relaying basic periodical information or expectations that rarely change and could ofttimes be improved by greater uniformity. For example, journals tin save fourth dimension on electronic mail writing, and potentially improve their overall reviewer performance, by having all editors use the aforementioned review request email template containing reviewer guidelines and any other helpful information.

To commencement, we recommend creating email templates for the following:

• Manuscript Acceptance Letter
• Manuscript Rejection Letter Following Peer Review
• Desk Rejection Letter
• Revise and Resubmit Request
• Referee Request

In one case you lot take templates for the to a higher place common journal correspondences, meet with your editors to consider other frequent communications that could potentially be templated.

One concern that many journals grapple with when considering adopting electronic mail templates is whether they will seem too automatic. While templates may audio less personal, the truth is, a well-crafted email template tin actually make it easier for editors to take the fourth dimension to address individual writer concerns. All electronic mail templates should include built-in customization opportunities, and so your team can insert information specific to recipients as needed. For instance, all rejection letters should include a space for details on why an author's manuscript was non a expert fit for your journal.

Make sure every editor knows how to access your e-mail templates

When developing a collection of email templates, information technology's of import to ensure that all editors know how to access them (and know well-nigh them in general!). This is where using peer review software that includes email template functionality can be especially useful. Most peer review systems provide the functionality to set upwards decision letter templates, and some also include the option to create custom e-mail templates. For case, Scholastica'south built-in manuscript Give-and-take feature includes the option to create Discussion templates.

If y'all have to shop email templates in a document, that's okay too. Just be sure that all editors always have access to the latest version. An like shooting fish in a barrel way to do this is to use a shared file organisation, such as Google docs.

Example peer review email templates

To help you get started, we've drafted some templates for common correspondences that yous tin can customize to meet your journal's needs. We've also created a Google md with Markdown versions of these templates, which can be copied and pasted right into Scholastica.

Manuscript Acceptance Letter

One of the highlights of being a periodical editor is getting to inform scholars who've authored high-quality manuscripts that yous would like to publish their work. You'll take even more fourth dimension to enjoy this moment when you have an acceptance letter template to start with! The goal for your acceptance electronic mail should be to include as much upfront data equally you tin regarding next steps the writer must take in order to move their submission to publication, likewise every bit to accost any mutual questions authors tend to ask at this point in the submission process.

Here's an example acceptance letter:

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Hullo {Insert author name}, I am pleased to inform you that {Insert periodical proper noun} would like to publish your manuscript "{Insert article proper noun}" in our next issue. I am attaching a certificate with some basic required edits that need to be applied to your manuscript before information technology's published. In order to proceed to publish your submission we will need you lot to submit the following: * A signed author agreement: [ADD LINK HERE...] * Your edited manuscript - please include all of the edits outlined in the fastened file * [Insert any additional items your journal requires hither...] At this time we also desire to remind you of our copyright and open access policies, [Add LINK Here...]. Once your manuscript is moved to publishing, our production editor will go along yous informed of your article's progress in the production procedure. You volition also receive a proof of your manuscript for final review. We're excited to move forward with your submission. Delight experience free to email me with whatsoever questions. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Manuscript Rejection Letter Following Peer Review

Equally much as you bask sending manuscript acceptance letters, crafting dreaded rejection letters is likely 10 times worse. No editor likes to be the bearer of bad news. But, we hope, in that location are means to make your rejections more constructive, and having a template will assistance you ensure you're always including all of the information you should.

Below is an example:

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Hi {Insert writer name}, Thanks for submitting your manuscript "{Insert title}" to {Insert journal name}. Post-obit conscientious consideration past the journal'southward editorial board and a group of expert reviewers, I regret to inform yous that nosotros are unable to have your submission. Although {Insert positive qualities almost the manuscript hither}, our editorial board and expert reviewers determined that the paper {Insert high-level caption of why the paper doesn't meet your publication standards}. Master concerns expressed were that: - [Insert specific concern...] - [Insert specific concern...] - [Insert specific business organization...] I am including the reviewer comments in this email for your reference. I hope y'all find this data helpful for submission at some other journal, and nosotros promise to run across more than of your piece of work in the time to come. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Desk-bound Rejection Letter

There volition exist times when you receive a manuscript that is clearly non a skilful fit for your periodical, either because information technology is not a sound submission or because it falls beyond the grounds of your periodical's detail aims and scope. In this case, it'south of import to be able to quickly send a desk rejection to the writer, both to avert delaying your journal's manuscript time to decision and out of courtesy to the writer then he or she tin can re-piece of work the submission where needed and send it out to a different publication.

Hither's a sample desk rejection:

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Hello {Insert author name}, Thanks for submitting your manuscript "{Insert title}" to {Insert journal name}. Later careful consideration by our editors, we regret to inform you that we must decline this submission on editorial grounds and subsequently accept declined to send the paper out to external peer reviewers. Nosotros found that {Insert explanation of why this detail manuscript is not fit for your publication...}. This paper may be a better fit for {Insert name(s) of other journals)}. We thanks for your involvement, and hope you choose to submit another commodity for review in the future. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Revise and Resubmit Request

Somewhere in-between the joys of sending credence letters and the woes of sending manuscript rejections lies the revise and resubmit request. Your periodical will likely send out one of these to an writer before you accept his or her submission. Perhaps fifty-fifty more than of import than the electronic mail body of your revise and resubmit asking is that you ensure the reviewer comments you send the writer are reasonable and indicate actionable steps for comeback. Once you lot've done this, be sure to attach them to your email and explain all next steps the author must take to keep with the necessary revisions.

Here'southward an example:

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Hello {Insert author name}, Thank you lot for submitting your manuscript "{Insert title}" to {Insert periodical proper noun}. The editorial team and a grouping of expert reviewers accept assessed your submission and feel that it has potential for publication, and and then we would similar to invite you to revise the paper and resubmit for further review. We appreciate that your paper addresses {Insert positive quality about the paper'due south cardinal objective}, only there were some concerns raised with regard to {Insert key concerns}. Delight see the attached reviewer comments for further details about necessary revisions. We enquire that you submit the revised version of your manuscript by {Insert explanation of how to do this}.Please annotation, your revised manuscript should exist accompanied by a summary of your responses to the reviewers' comments. You have {Insert number} weeks to answer to this revise and resubmit request ending on {Insert hard deadline}, later which bespeak we volition presume that you accept withdrawn your submission from {Insert journal name}. Please feel free to contact me with whatever questions. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Cascading or transfer manuscript desk reject conclusion

At organizations that publish multiple journals inside the same discipline, at that place may be instances where a manuscript submission to one journal is not the best fit for that publication but could potentially be a fit for a related publication. In this example, the editor may choose to send a turn down manuscript decision with the option to pour or transfer the manuscript to the other periodical.

The below template is based on a desk reject transfer decision. You can also create a variant of this template for a determination following peer review.

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Hello {Insert writer name}, Thanks for submitting your manuscript "{Insert title}" to {Insert periodical name}. Following editorial review we have determined that, unfortunately, your manuscript is not suitable for publication in our journal, which focuses on {insert specific periodical information...}. Still, the Editors' opinion is that your manuscript is worthy of consideration and would like to suggest that you lot transfer it to {alternate journal}, where it will take an advisable audience. Please note that acceptance of this offer to transfer does non guarantee acceptance of your manuscript as the Editors of {alternate journal} will still demand to evaluate the manuscript. If you lot would like to have your manuscript transferred to {alternate periodical} for consideration at that journal please [insert specific steps...]. If you prefer to submit your article to a dissimilar publication, please let the Editors know past [insert specific steps...]. One time you have, your submission will exist rejected and you will receive an e-mail confirmation. In one case you have received this confirmation, you lot will exist costless to submit to the publication of your option. Nosotros thank you for submitting your manuscript to {Insert journal name} and we look forrad to receiving your conclusion on this transfer opportunity. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Some other common correspondence for editors at many journals is responding to author inquiries virtually the status of their submission. You can speed up replies to status inquiry emails with a template that includes a condition update option for each of the major phases of your peer review process. The below template includes a list of possible condition options that you tin modify or add to as needed.

Here is a sample submission progress update email:

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Hello {Insert author name}, Thanks for submitting your manuscript "{Insert championship}" to {Insert journal name}. We are in the process of evaluating your manuscript. At this point your manuscript: - Has been assigned to an editor and is awaiting reviewer confirmations - Is nether external review with [number] of [number] required reviews submitted - Has all external reviews submitted and is awaiting final editorial review We evaluate all manuscript submissions every bit expeditiously as possible and appreciate your patience throughout the peer review process. [You tin track the condition of your manuscript within our peer review arrangement by navigating to ...]. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Another tip to cut dorsum on submission status request emails is to enable manuscript status updates within your peer review software. For instance, Scholastica features a submission condition progress bar that authors can reference to know where their manuscript is in peer review. If your journal has this characteristic, be sure to include it in submission status inquiry emails similar the higher up.

Referee Request

We've spent a lot of time looking at author correspondences, but what about those review requests yous're always writing? The platonic review request should be friendly and to the bespeak, including links to your journals peer review documents for those interested in learning more about your specific review process.

Here's one approach:

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How-do-you-do {Insert referee name}, {Insert journal name} has merely received a manuscript entitled "{Insert manuscript name}," which I believe is your area of expertise and idea y'all might exist interested in peer reviewing. I am including the commodity abstract in this email for your reference. Would you exist willing to submit a peer review for this article? I would need your review comments within the side by side {Insert number} weeks by {Insert hard deadline}. [INSERT ABSTRACT Hither...] If yous're willing to review this submission, I'll demand you to: {Insert side by side steps}. For more information on {Insert periodical name's} peer review policy you tin can {Explicate webpage link to visit or attach PDF with further information}. I look forward to hearing from you lot. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Putting it all together

Nosotros hope you find these sample peer review email templates useful! Creating email templates for common correspondences is a cracking fashion to speed up peer review and also foster more than standardized editorial workflows. These examples cover the nearly common uses for email templates that nosotros've seen. Exist sure to likewise meet with your editors to discuss where and how you may benefit from additional e-mail templates for other mutual journal correspondences.

Markdown version of templates for Scholastica users:

We've also put Markdown versions of these email templates into a Google Doc for Scholastica users. Markdown is the formatting syntax Scholastica uses to ensure your text is always formatted as you intend it. Yous can hands copy and paste these templates right into your Scholastica account!

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Source: https://blog.scholasticahq.com/post/peer-review-email-templates/