A publication rejection does not always mean that the research has no scientific value. Often, the reason lies in a mismatch with the journal’s subject area, high competition, insufficient adaptation of the manuscript to the journal’s requirements or reviewers’ comments. That is why, after a rejection, it is important not to rush into resubmission, but to analyse the situation and correctly choose a new journal in Scopus. How can this be done correctly? We will discuss this in our article.
1. Analyse the reason for rejection
Before choosing a new journal, it is necessary to carefully study the editorial office’s response and the reviewers’ comments. If the article was rejected because it did not match the subject area of the journal, it is worth looking for a journal with a more relevant specialisation. If the reason was methodological or structural shortcomings, the manuscript needs to be revised before resubmission.
2. Check the match with the journal’s subject area
The new journal should correspond not only to the general field of the research, but also to the specific direction of the article. To do this, you should carefully review the aims and scope of the journal on its official website, the topics of recent issues, the types of articles accepted by the journal, as well as the keywords of already published materials. This will help reduce the risk of another rejection at the preliminary screening stage.
3. Check the current status of indexation in Scopus
Before submitting an article, it is important to check whether the journal is indeed indexed in Scopus at the time of submission. For this, it is worth using official sources, in particular Scopus Preview. You should not rely only on the information on the journal’s own website, as it may be outdated or incorrect.
4. Assess the quartile and scientometric indicators
After a rejection, it is worth realistically assessing the level of the journal. If the previous submission was to a Q1 or Q2 journal, and the manuscript received substantial comments, you may consider Q3 or Q4 journals, provided that they match the subject area and have a proper reputation. At the same time, the quartile should not be the only selection criterion, as the quality of peer review, stability of indexation and correspondence to the research profile remain important.
5. Adapt the article to the journal’s requirements
You should not submit the same manuscript without changes. Each journal has its own requirements for the structure, length, formatting of tables, figures, reference list and accompanying documents. Before resubmission, the article must be adapted to the instructions for authors and the previous comments of the editorial office or reviewers should be taken into account.
6. Check the journal’s reputation
After a rejection, authors sometimes seek to quickly find any indexed journal, but this can be risky. It is worth checking the editorial board, transparency of peer review, publication policy, presence of a DOI, open access conditions, review times and the journal’s indexation history. If a journal actively advertises rapid publication or guarantees 100% acceptance of an article, this may be a sign of unethical practice.
7. Assess the review and publication times
If the article is needed for reporting, dissertation defence or a grant application, it is important to take into account not only the fact of indexation, but also the actual review times. Some journals have a lengthy peer review process, so before submission it is worth checking the average duration of the publication process in order to obtain indexation of the publication on time.
8. Prepare a cover letter
After revising the article, it is important to prepare a proper cover letter. It should briefly explain the relevance of the research, its novelty, its correspondence to the journal’s subject area and the significance of the results obtained for the scientific community. A high-quality cover letter can strengthen the editorial office’s first impression of the manuscript.
A publication rejection can become a useful stage for improving the article and choosing a more appropriate journal. The main thing is not to resubmit the manuscript without analysing previous mistakes.
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