Guides
For five years my job was to read newly submitted manuscripts and decide which ones went out to peer review. Most did not. That decision is the part of publishing authors see least clearly and worry about most. These guides help both shed light on the process happening behind the scenes in the journals, and give practical tips to give your paper the best possible chance to reach peer review.
6 guides, in the order a paper moves through publication
About 31 minutes in all
- Desk rejection: why papers are turned down without review What a desk rejection is, who makes the decision and on what basis, what it does not mean about your science, and what to do with the paper next. Part 1 of 6 · 5 min read
- Choosing where to submit, and what journal scope means How to judge whether a journal is right for your paper, how to read a scope statement, when a presubmission enquiry is worth sending, and how to spot a predatory journal. Part 2 of 6 · 5 min read
- What a journal cover letter is actually for What an editor does with your cover letter, what belongs in it and what does not, how long it should be, and the one thing it can do that the abstract cannot. Part 3 of 6 · 5 min read
- Figures, and what a graphical abstract is for Why figures are read before the text, the encoding and colour decisions that cost papers credibility, what journals check, and how to approach a graphical abstract. Part 4 of 6 · 5 min read
- Responding to reviewer comments How a response to reviewers is actually read, how to structure one, what to do when a reviewer is wrong, and when disagreeing is the right call. Part 5 of 6 · 5 min read
- Using AI tools in scientific writing, and the pitfalls What journal policies on generative AI actually require, where disclosure belongs, which uses are safe, and the specific risks: fabricated references, confidentiality and unreliable detectors. Part 6 of 6 · 6 min read
I do not write about individual manuscripts, journals or colleagues: everything I saw as an editor stays confidential, permanently. And nothing here is a promise that your paper will be accepted. Nobody can promise that.