Virtually every scientist strives to publish their article as quickly as possible. The reason for this may be an upcoming thesis defence or a grant application. However, there are many factors that influence the timing of peer review and publication of research, which can delay the process. Knowing these factors helps authors better plan their work and submit their articles in advance. In this article, we will review the main stages of the publication process and examine in detail the aspects that affect publication times.
What are the stages of publication?
The process of publishing a scientific article involves several key stages, each of which requires a certain amount of time. On average, the entire process from submission of the manuscript to its publication takes about six months, as it must undergo a number of mandatory procedures before being published. What are these procedures?
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Stage |
Characteristics |
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Manuscript preparation |
The author must format the article correctly in accordance with all the journal's requirements. This includes image format, citation style, bibliography format, text length, and other aspects. |
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Submission of the article |
Once the author has finished working on the article, they submit it to the journal's editorial office together with a cover letter. |
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Editorial review (Desk Review) |
At this stage, the editor assesses how well the topic fits the journal's focus and determines its quality. |
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Peer review |
Next, a more thorough analysis of the article is carried out. It is sent to independent reviewers who evaluate its scientific significance, methodology, and quality of presentation. |
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Revision of the material |
After receiving the review, the author has the opportunity to make the corrections specified in it and resubmit the article for consideration. |
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Final decision |
The editor makes the final decision on publication based on the reviews and revisions. |
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Preparation for publication |
The approved article undergoes editing, layout and proofreading. |
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The article is published in the print or online version of the journal. |
What determines the publication date of an article?
1. Article quality
One of the factors that most influences the publication date is the quality of the article. If it is structured according to the IMRAD system, meets the journal's requirements, and has high scientific value, it will quickly pass editorial review and peer review.
Conversely, if the submitted material has errors in methodology, its translation into English does not comply with academic standards, and the citation style does not match that required by the journal, there is a high probability that it may be rejected at the editorial review stage. Subsequently, the author will need more time to revise and correct all errors.
2. Journal features
It is worth noting that publication times may vary depending on the journal. For example, publications with a high impact factor (in the Web of Science database) or CiteScore (in the Scopus database) have a more rigorous selection process and a lengthy review process that can exceed six months.
The business model of the journal is also important: traditional or open access. We recommend reading our article in which we analysed the features of each model.
3. Review process
As we noted earlier, the type of review directly affects how quickly an article will be published. The main types of review include: single-blind, double-blind, triple-blind, open, and post-publication review. You can read about the features of each of them in our article.
In addition, the duration of this process depends on the availability of reviewers. The fact is that finding qualified reviewers, especially in narrow fields, can be difficult. Delays occur if reviewers have a queue of articles to process, or they may simply refuse to work.
4. Speed of revision by authors
The speed with which authors respond to reviewers' comments and make corrections is also one of the key factors. If a scientist quickly corrects errors and revises the article, the process moves faster.
5. Editorial processes and publication schedule
After an article is accepted, the journal needs time for editing, layout and proofreading. The duration of these processes depends on a number of factors, including:
- the frequency of publication: for example, monthly journals are published once a month, while quarterly journals are published once a quarter;
- editorial workload: journals with a small editorial team may process articles more slowly than larger scientific publications;
- publication queues: if a journal accepts more articles than it can publish in a single issue, the articles are placed in a queue.
As you can see, many factors influence publication times. Although most of them are beyond the author's control, the author can make every effort to ensure that the research meets the journal's requirements as closely as possible and plan the publication in advance.
To publish your article on time and avoid mistakes, contact Scientific Publications. We will audit your article, help you choose a journal, and accompany you through all stages of the process. If you would like a free consultation, please leave your contact details in the form below, and our manager will contact you shortly. Together towards new scientific achievements!
