Editors' Newsroom: Your manuscript—From acceptance to publication

Leisha, you’ve worked for SBP Journal for four years and helped hundreds of authors in that time. You get to send authors the news that their paper has been accepted!

What can you tell authors about getting to that point of acceptance? 

Manuscript review is a process that will definitely bring out the best in your research!

Every approved manuscript first goes through peer review, then an internal editorial evaluation with our expert Associate Editors. Whether the initial decision is to request a resubmission or accept with revisions, you have an opportunity to carefully edit your work before sending through a revised version for consideration.

Currently, the time from submission to the initial decision is around 8–10 weeks. If you want an update on your manuscript’s process or clarification on any revisions requested, the Associate Editors and I are very happy to lend a hand.

What do you most enjoy about working with our authors?

I love seeing the joy that authors—especially early-career researchers—get when their manuscript is accepted for publication. Authors put in hours and hours of hard work to finalize their research and make all the changes that our Editors suggest, so the excitement they experience is well-deserved!

What is one tip you’d give authors who are preparing a revision of their manuscript?

My biggest tip would be to look carefully at the Editors Comments file and any in-manuscript notes from the Associate Editor. It is so helpful to include a list of how you have responded to these suggestions. The more thorough you are with this, the quicker your manuscript can be sent through to the next stage.

Thanks so much, Leisha. Kelly, once a paper is accepted, you schedule it for publication and send it to our copyediting team. You get to know our authors really well during this process!

Can you explain the timeline of a manuscript from being accepted through to publication?

Yes, there are so many steps that happen behind the scenes! Once your article is accepted, I assign it to an issue for publication and send it to a copyeditor for a first round of editing. This copyeditor will work directly with you to improve the paper, asking for feedback and more information before conducting a second round of edits.

Next comes layout: our Layout Editor converts the edited Word document into HTML for online reading and PDF for print. Our proofreader then checks these again. The process to this point can take several months, but we find that authors are usually delighted with the results.

You will receive the PDF for approval a month before publication, and after all our final, detailed checks, the paper is ready. Once all papers scheduled for that month are finalized, the issue goes live!

And what is your favorite part of this process?

Right at the end, when I send authors their final PDF to check over before publication. Authors are so happy to see their article in its final form, and I receive lots of friendly and appreciative emails. It’s nice to think that the result of the authors’ work and dedication is right there in its final form, and that our team has helped them achieve that.

Again, what is one tip that you’d give to authors to make the publication process as smooth as possible?

Please check your email spam folder regularly! We will send you many emails along the way: about your author copyedit, extra copyediting queries, proofreader queries, and your final PDF proof. Checking your spam folder means you won’t miss out on any important steps in the process. Save our email addresses to your contacts or “safe senders” list, and you should receive all our email correspondence straight to your inbox.

And a question for you both: What services or help do we provide to authors, especially those who are early in their careers and perhaps don’t have a lot of publishing experience?

Leisha: I can’t emphasize enough the expertise of our Associate Editors. Even when our decision is to decline a submission, their review can provide valuable insight. I strongly recommend using their comments to develop your research paper, knowing that it will be better as a result.

Kelly: Many of our authors speak English as an additional language. We really admire your hard work to have research published in English. Our experienced copyediting team will make sure your article’s spelling and grammar are top-notch, so your work will appeal to the widest audience. They have a real eye for detail and a thorough knowledge of APA guidelines.

Thank you both for sharing your perspectives on journal production. The whole process can seem like a bit of a mystery for researchers just wanting to have their work published. I think this will have shed some light on what happens behind the scenes! Also, our authors can get to know you both a little more, not just as names in email signatures but as our dedicated editors who give personal attention to each and every manuscript. I think an overall message from your comments, and one I want to repeat, is that we’re here and ready to help anyone who has questions about the publication process or their own paper. We want all our authors to enjoy publication success with SBP Journal!

Alexandra Cheyne, Managing Editor, Scientific Journal Publishers, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]