Alcrut follows WAME definitions and leaves the complete freedom of the editorial process to the Editor-in-chief with all the authority in determining the
fate of the articles towards publication and a responsibility to uphold the Journal’s Integrity. Editors play a vital role in the scientific community. Every day, you make
judgement calls that have a direct impact on published research, and on individual researchers' careers. Our Editors Resources offer information and guidance to support you
in providing the best experience for your journal's community.
The Editor in chief checks that the paper is appropriate for the journal and is sufficiently original and interesting. If not, the paper may be rejected without being reviewed any further.
Most journals operate under the guidance of an editorial board, providing expert advice on content, attracting new authors and encouraging submissions.
The Editorial Board, or (Editorial) Advisory Board, is a team of experts in the journal's field. Editorial board members:
Review submitted manuscripts.
Advise on journal policy and scope.
Identify topics for special issues, which they may guest edit.
Attract new authors and submissions.
Promote the journal to their colleagues and peers.
Assist the editor(s) in decision making over issues such as plagiarism claims and submissions where reviewers can’t agree on a decision.
Summary of the editorial process
The author submits a manuscript and it receives a tracking number.
An editor is assigned to the manuscript.
The editorial team decides whether to send the manuscript out to review. If the decision is not to send the manuscript for review, the editor contacts the author with the decision.
The editor assigns potential reviewers to the manuscript and the author is notified.
Reviewers agree to review the manuscript.
Reviewers submit their reports to the editor.
The editorial team discusses the reports and the editor makes the final decision.
This process may involve further consultation with the reviewers and editor-mediated communications between the reviewers.
The editor contacts the author with the decision.
If the decision is negative, the author is given the opportunity to transfer their manuscript to another journal.
If the manuscript was peer reviewed, the referee comments are also transferred. Please see our Manuscript Transfer FAQ for more information about this service.
Initial submission
Papers should be submitted via the online submission system. Each new submission is assigned to a primary editor, who reads the paper, consults with the other editors and
decides whether it should be sent for peer review. The author should identify whether the work described in the manuscript has been discussed with a specific Alcrut
Group editor before submission. Many papers describing solid studies of interest to those in the field are nonetheless judged to be unlikely to compete successfully
with the best work submitted to the journal. Like other journals in the Alcrut family, Alcrut Group has no external editorial board. However, if a paper's
importance within the field is unclear, an editor may request advice from outside experts in deciding whether to review it. The novelty of a submitted paper is considered
to be compromised if it has significant conceptual overlap with a published paper or one accepted for publication by Alcrut Group. Preprint archives do not compromise
novelty. If a paper was previously reviewed at another Alcrut journal, the authors can use an automated manuscript transfer service to transfer the referees' reports
to Alcrut Group via a link sent by the editor who handled the manuscript. In that case, the journal editors will take the previous reviews into account when making
their decision, although in some cases the editors may choose to take advice from additional or alternative referees. Alternatively, authors may choose to request a fresh review,
in which case they should not use the automated transfer link, and the editors will evaluate the paper without reference to the previous review process. However, this
decision must be made at the time of initial submission and cannot be changed later. If the authors ask the editors to consider the previous reviews, they should include
a note explaining the relationship between the submitted manuscript and the previous submission and (assuming it has been revised in light of the referees’ criticisms)
giving a point-by-point response to the referees. In cases where the work was felt to be of high quality, papers can sometimes be accepted without further review,
but if there were serious criticisms, the editors will consider them in making the decision. In the event of publication, the received date is the date of submission to
Alcrut Group. Details of the manuscript transfer service are available here.
Peer review
The corresponding author is notified by e-mail when the editor decides to send a paper for review.
Authors may suggest referees; these suggestions are often helpful, although they are not always followed. By policy, referees are not identified to the authors,
except at the request of the referee. Authors may request double-blind peer review, so that their names and affiliations are withheld from reviewers of their papers.
Conceptually similar manuscripts are held to the same editorial standards as far as possible, and so they are often sent to the same referees. However, when related
manuscripts are submitted together, each of the co-submitted manuscripts must meet the criteria for publication without reference to the other paper.
Thus if one paper is substantially less complete or convincing than the other, it may be rejected, even if the papers reach the same conclusion.
Decision after review and revision
When making a decision after review, editors consider not only how good the paper is now, but also how good it might become after revision.
In cases where the editor determines that the authors should be able to address the referees’ concerns in six months or less, the editor may request a revised
manuscript that addresses these concerns. The editor will often provide specific guidance to the author with regard to referee requests and those that must be
addressed versus those that are at the author’s discretion or should be ignored, possibly as a result of further consultation between the editor and referees
that is not captured in the peer review comments. The revised version is normally sent back to some or all of the original referees for re-review.
The decision letter will specify a deadline, and revisions that are returned within this period will retain their original submission date.
In cases where the referees’ concerns are very serious and appear unlikely to be addressed within six months, the editor will normally reject the manuscript.
If the editor feels the work is of potential interest to the journal, however, they may express interest in seeing a future resubmission. The resubmitted manuscript
may be sent back to the original referees or to new referees, at the editor’s discretion. In such cases, revised manuscripts will not retain their earlier submission date.
In either case, the revised manuscript should be accompanied by a cover letter that includes a point-by-point response to the referees’ comments and an explanation
of how the manuscript has been changed. An invited revision should be submitted via the revision link to the online submission system provided in the decision letter,
not as a new manuscript.
Final submission and acceptance
A request for final submission is sent when the paper is nearly ready to publish. These letters describe any remaining changes required by the editor
and are accompanied by detailed comments on the paper’s format from the copy editor. At this stage, authors may receive an extensively edited manuscript from the editor
indicating editorial concerns that must be addressed in the revision. A priority of Alcrut Group is that all papers be accessible to non-specialists.
Manuscripts are subject to substantial editing to achieve this goal. After acceptance, a copy editor may make further changes so that the text and figures are readable
and clear to those outside the field, and so that papers conform to our style. Alcrut Group uses Oxford English spelling.
For the final revision, authors should use the revision link to the online submission system provided in the decision letter to upload a
final version of the text with all the requested format changes. Electronic files of the final figures, at high resolution, should be uploaded or sent separately via ftp.
When all remaining editorial issues have been resolved, the paper is formally accepted. The received date is the date on which the author submitted the original
(or if previously rejected, the resubmitted) manuscript. The accepted date is when the editor sends the acceptance letter.
Authors are sent proofs and are welcome to discuss proposed changes with the editors, but Alcrut Group reserves the right to make the final decision about
matters of style and the size of figures.
Appeals
Even in cases where editors did not invite resubmission, some authors ask the editors to reconsider a rejection decision.
These are considered appeals, which, by policy, must take second place to the normal workload.
Although we strive to provide a decision on an appeal within 14 days, on some occasions it may take several weeks.
Decisions are reversed on appeal only if the editors are convinced that the original decision was made in error or critical new information or data has been added.
If the manuscript was previously reviewed the editor may also discuss the appeal with one or more of the referees or even obtain advice from an additional referee.
If the manuscript was not reviewed the editor may solicit informal opinions from one or more external experts.
Authors who wish to submit their manuscript elsewhere while it is under appeal at our journal must first withdraw their appeal.
Manuscript Transfer FAQ
Manuscript transfer frequently asked questions
The Alcrut journals and other journals published by Alcrut are committed to providing the highest standards of service to authors in their submission and
peer-review processes. If the editors of a journal decide that they cannot offer to publish an author’s manuscript, our redesigned manuscript transfer facility
allows authors to easily resubmit their existing manuscript materials to a selection of other journals published by Alcrut.
Frequently Asked Questions-FAQs
You choose: Authors have full control over whether and where to transfer their manuscript.
Save time: Complete the transfer with just a few clicks. No need to re-enter submission information.
No reformatting required for transfers between Alcrut-titled journals.
Publish faster: Efficient use of existing materials and referee reports speeds consideration and publication.
Unburden referees: Existing referee comments can be used by the receiving journal, and in the case of transfers between Alcrut-titled journals referee identities will also be passed on to aid rapid decision making.
A selection of academic journals, also provides their authors with access to our manuscript transfer facility. Alcrut journals is available as a potential receiving journal for all authors using the transfer facility.
The following information and materials are transferred regardless of which pair of journals you transfer between:
All author and manuscript information.
All manuscript files, including the cover letter.
In virtually all cases, referee comments to the author for this and all previous versions of the manuscript, but only if the manuscript was peer reviewed. This does not include referee identities, but see below:
The editor's decision letter to the authors. No other correspondence is transferred.
The identities of the handling editors.
Any formal rebuttal letter from the authors that was uploaded to the system.
If the manuscript was peer reviewed, all referee identities and their confidential comments to the editor. This includes both the current version of the manuscript and any previous versions.
Negative decision letters contain a link to our transfer facility at the bottom of the email.
Clicking this link will open a web page displaying a list of suggested journals, determined by the subject area of the originating journal and the
subject terms you assigned to your manuscript. If the editor handling your manuscript recommended transfer to a particular journal in the decision letter,
this journal will be highlighted at the top of the list. Authors may also view the full list of available journals in order to choose from
alternative journals that aren’t listed by default. Journal metrics and other information are provided to help guide the decision on where to transfer.
The transfer process involves the following steps:
Selection of the journal.
Type of Manuscript Manuscript section.
Review your choices.
Choose whether to modify your manuscript before resubmitting it to the new journal.
No. No information is transferred until you complete the process described above. Even after this process is complete you have the option of contacting the receiving journal
and withdrawing your manuscript.
It depends. In an effort to provide a more informed and rapid route to publication, all authors submitting to Alcrut-titled journals are asked at initial submission
whether, in the event their manuscript is determined to be unsuitable for that journal, they agree to allow the editor to discuss their manuscript with an editor at another
Alcrut journal. If you have agreed to this, the editor may consult with another Alcrut journal to determine whether they are interested in the manuscript.
If the manuscript has been peer reviewed this consultation will likely include discussion of the concerns raised by the referees. When appropriate, the editor will often
use this information to convey to you which referee concerns should to be addressed before publication could be offered in the new journal. Consultation is confidential
and at the editor’s discretion; its only purpose is to provide you with an alternative recommendation and to facilitate rapid publication in an appropriate Alcrut journal.
No. Although the editor may recommend another journal, and in the case of Alcrut-titled journals may also first consult with an editor at the recommended journal,
the only purpose is to provide you with a better recommendation. A recommendation is never binding; you may transfer to any journal regardless of editorial recommendation.
The decision of where to resubmit a manuscript is always the author’s.
No. Editors expect to see criticism, even of work that is suitable for publication.
Criticisms can often be readily addressed or a serious criticism at one journal may be less of an issue at another journal due to differences in journal scope or
perceived significance of the work.
Probably. Although you have the option of transferring all materials with no changes, you may alternatively choose to modify and replace your manuscript files and
update manuscript information. It is generally not advisable to take the time to add additional data or make substantial changes to a manuscript during transfer.
However, the decision process at the receiving journal can be greatly accelerated if you provide a point-by-point response to the referee comments and explain what
changes would or would not be made, and/or highlight what effort would be needed to address the various points.
Possibly. Because journals have different editorial scopes or expectations with regard to perceived significance it can sometimes be helpful to revise your
materials to better reflect the expectations of the new journal. Alternatively, the transfer facility provides a comment box on the final step where you can
add comments for the editors of the new journal or paste new cover letter text. Please remove any confidential information from the original cover letter that
you don’t want to communicate to a different journal.
The transfer facility allows you to indicate that you would like to modify your files after transfer to the new journal.
If you choose this option you will receive a confirmation email at the end of the transfer process telling you that you may now modify your files.
A link in that email will allow you to access your submission at the new journal and replace any of your files prior to formally submitting to the new journal.
Maybe. If referee identities are transferred every effort is made to rely solely on the referees who already evaluated the work.
A new referee(s) will only be assigned if the original referees are unavailable or there is a strong editorial need.
No. All journals are editorially independent; in the event of publication in the receiving journal, the published 'received date' will be the date when the receiving journal
receives the transferred manuscript.
No. A manuscript may only be under consideration at one journal at a time. Authors may not appeal decisions or enter into correspondence with the journal that has declined
their manuscript while simultaneously transferring the manuscript for consideration by another journal.
No. The transfer link to the manuscript transfer facility expires upon completion of transfer to another journal. You must use the new transfer
link from the second journal to transfer to a third journal.
Multiple transfers will not prejudice editorial consideration at a receiving journal.
No. If you do not wish to transfer information about a previous review process, you may instead submit the manuscript directly to the second journal using the usual
submission procedure. If you use the usual submission procedure, the editors will not automatically have knowledge of any prior submissions to other journals.