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Reasons for Manuscript Rejection

Dr. Nancy Agnes, Head, Technical Operations, Tutorsindia info@ tutorsindia.com

In brief

Every researcher wants to see their theory

published in a high-impact journal. On the other

hand, publishing a paper is difficult, and

manuscript rejection is a frequent phenomenon in

scholarly literature. At some stage in their career,

any researcher would have a manuscript rejected.

Researchers will learn from their errors and

guarantee that their next novel has a smooth path

to print. A list of the utmost common mistakes that

could lead to your manuscript being rejected (1)

.

I. INTRODUCTION

Challenges to translate research studies conducted

in the field of pharmaceutical sciences into

published manuscripts are common. A research

manuscript published in a reputable national or

international journal is known as substantiation of

accurate and dependable studies conducted by a

research group. Journal papers, reviews, brief

letters, commentaries, proceedings, expert

statements, and editorials are examples of

manuscripts written in scholarly journals (2)

.

‘Research’ and ‘Review’ articles are the most

important and influential styles among them, and

they are widely published, read, and popularised.

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II. REASONS FOR MANUSCRIPT

REJECTION

There are a variability of explanations for this; the

most common (non-limiting) ones are discussed

below:

1. Lack of Novelty, originality, and

presentation of an obsolete study

The key criteria that a science journal editor

emphasizes the most are novelty and non-

obviousness. Unless the researcher shows

something different, adding to the existing

experience, a mouth dissolving tablet formulation

of drug-using traditional techniques, technologies,

and proven excipients adds little innovation to the

existing state of the sector. Furthermore,

introducing an out-of-date analysis when newer

approaches are now available has little to no

experimental merit.

2. Improper rationale

The purpose of the analysis is to make a point with

proper justifications and adequate evidence. A

controlled release formulation of a nearly water

insoluble medication may be refused right away on

these grounds. The rationale, which should be the

article’s core subject, should focus on the whole

manuscript. The last sentence in the introduction

section should usually include the goal and

objective. Rejection is caused by a lack of

emphasis and an inability to stick to the

manuscript’s theme.

3. Unimportant and irrelevant subject

matter

Peer-reviewed journal publications disseminate

information. As a result, a manuscript must have

considerable empirical merit to be published in a

well-recognized, international journal. Again, the

publisher is on the lookout for anything novel that

still meets the standards of his journal’s reach.

4. Flaws in methodology

Any manuscripts show that the work performed in

the research sample was done incorrectly. It is due

to the researcher’s lack of expertise, as shown by

the preliminary literature survey conducted before

beginning the project. A 300 mg tablet prepared

with an 8 mm circular punch would have an

increased thickness and is thus unsuitable for

preparation. If this is seen in the manuscript, it will

give the reviewers an unscientific interpretation (3)

.

If a study’s approach is flawed or doubtful, the

results are almost certain to be flawed or questions

as well, and even widely regarded peer-reviewed

publications will not consider such a study.

5. Lack of interpretations

The researcher must have adequate knowledge to

interpret the precise explanations for the study’s

findings. Even if the findings aren’t quite what the

author anticipated, the author should objectively

understand the reason in the discussion section. It is

not enough to demonstrate good results. If the root

cause of the negative effects is correctly

interpreted, manuscripts will support future study.

6. Inappropriate or incomplete statistics

The use of statistics in the methodology and

findings pages of a manuscript gives it an

advantage over the competition since statistics are

already in demand. The risk of the manuscript

being accepted would be increased if the data are

presented precisely, and mathematical rules are

applied.

7. Reviewers field of knowledge and

discretion

Occasionally, a manuscript may be submitted to a

reader who is not an authority in the area of the

matter under consideration. He may send the

manuscript a glance before determining its fate. In

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such circumstances, it is expected that the

manuscript has a better probability of being

accepted; however, the reverse may also happen.

8. Inappropriateness for the journal

Before determining whether to submit a research

report for review, the Editor-in-Chief considers its

content about that of the journal. If the manuscript

is unusual, some journals will research lead

molecules rather than known and proven drug

molecules. The date of publication and the

importance of the subject matter published in a

journal are also important considerations.

9. Lack of In vivo studies

With the introduction of advanced in vivo drug

measurement technology and methods for

estimating drug concentrations in minute amounts

in a specific subject, a manuscript is handicapped if

the in vitro data is not supported by applicable in

vivo observations and correlations. Acceptance of

manuscripts based solely on data produced by in

vitro assessments is difficult in the current

environment (4)

.

10. Inappropriate packaging of the

manuscript

A less-than-borderline paper may be accepted in

certain situations if it is well-packaged. It may be

difficult for an assessor to tell the difference

between “introduction” and “discussion” in some

situations. The introduction aims to present the

research topic and to state the article’s objective(s)

or goal(s). The aim of the ‘discussion’ is to analyze

the study, make comparisons to previous

experiments, and analyzing the findings. The

‘materials and procedures’ section should be

comprehensive enough for every student to

replicate the analysis. In reality, this is useful for

confirming the study’s authenticity. The

‘Discussion’ must be relevant to the research.

11. Journals popularity and the priority is

given to the manuscript by the editor

Some manuscripts have potential, but due to the

status of the journal and the vast number of hits to

the journal, prospective manuscripts must be

rejected because they face stiff competition from

the Editor-in-higher-graded Chief’s research

manuscripts. If a thesis is rejected on these points,

it will eventually find a home in another well-

regarded publication (5)

.

Table: 1 common reason for manuscript

rejection

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III. CONCLUSION

Recognize that there are a variety of causes for

exclusion. As previously mentioned, publishers are

frequently searching for something very unique.

Don’t be upset or offended; please don’t take it

personally. An anonymous party reads the

manuscript and takes a decision based on a set of

pre-determined parameters. Respect his opinions;

one should be mature enough to discern whether

the opinions expressed are sincere or merely

written for the sake of writing. Re-energize

yourself by reading the post again and seeing

whether it might be changed in any way, as well as

any of the reviewers’ remarks (6)

.

REFERENCES

1. Pastrana, Indira Rocío Mendiola, et al. “Peer-

Review and Rejection Causes in Submitting

Original Medical Manuscripts.” Journal of

Continuing Education in the Health

Professions 40.3 (2020): 182-186.

2. Jackson, Debra, and Caroline Bradbury‐Jones.

“Top ten reasons papers are rejected during

initial screening and some tips to avoid early

rejection.” (2020): 3899-3900.

3. Asif, Fariha, Azza Jauhar Ahmad Tajuddin,

and Intakhab A. Khan. “REJECTION OF THE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE MANUSCRIPTS

ANALYSIS OF REASONS FROM THE

EDITORS’PERSPECTIVE.” PalArch’s

Journal of Archaeology of

Egypt/Egyptology 17.4 (2020): 1553-1575.

4. Shah, Jay N. “Desk-rejection of manuscript:

How to avoid it.” Journal of Patan Academy of

Health Sciences 7.2 (2020): 1-3.

5. Guillaume, Rene, Jesús Cisneros, and Edna

Martinez. “Manuscript Rejection and Shame

Resilience in Early Career Faculty of Color:

Vignettes on Coping and Overcoming.” Taboo:

The Journal of Culture and Education 19.5

(2020): 3.

6. Krausman, Paul R. “The necessity of

manuscript rejection.” (2020): 839-840.