Having a manuscript rejected by a journal indexed in Scopus is a situation every scientist encounters from time to time, regardless of experience or field. We look at the factors that most often affect the editorial decision and how to reduce the risk of rejection.
Why does an article fail to match the scope of a Scopus journal?
A mismatch between the topic or focus of the research and the journal's scope is one of the most common reasons for rejection, and the decision is often made before peer review even starts, at the stage of editorial screening. Each journal covers a defined range of disciplines and publication types, and an article that falls outside these boundaries – even one of a high scientific standard – is usually returned to the author without being sent to reviewers.
A similar situation arises when a study addresses a narrow, regional problem and holds little interest for the journal's international readership. Before submitting a manuscript, it is worth reviewing the journal's recent issues and checking which types of articles it accepts – original research, literature reviews or short communications.
Weak methodology is a frequent cause of rejection
An insufficiently detailed description of the research methods, an unjustified sample size, or a lack of statistical grounding for the results are factors reviewers pay particular attention to when assessing the methodological section. If the chosen methods do not match the stated aims or fail to produce reproducible results, the manuscript is either sent back for revision or rejected outright.
The results section also deserves attention: conclusions that are not supported by the data presented, or that go beyond what the study actually allows one to establish, likewise reduce the chances of a favourable editorial decision.
How do language and formatting affect the editor's decision?
Unclear phrasing, overly complex sentences and inconsistent terminology make the text harder for reviewers to follow, even when the work itself has sufficient scientific value. Requirements for academic language are particularly strict in top-quartile journals, but in journals with a lower entry threshold, carelessly prepared text still reduces the likelihood of acceptance.
Beyond language, a number of technical formatting issues also affect the editor's decision.
Typical shortcomings found in rejected manuscripts include:
- a structure that does not match the journal's requirements
- missing mandatory sections – abstract, keywords or reference list
- errors in reference formatting that do not follow the journal's style
- incomplete author details, affiliations or ORCID information
- exceeding the word count set by the journal
Breaches of publication ethics stand in the way of publication
Self-plagiarism – reusing passages from previously published work without attribution – is grounds for rejecting an article even when it otherwise formally meets the journal's requirements. Editors respond in a similar way to the parallel submission of the same manuscript to several journals at once – most publications will not consider an article that is simultaneously under review elsewhere.
Breaches of publication ethics also include incomplete disclosure of conflicts of interest, missing information on funding sources, and incorrect attribution of authorship, including cases where a co-author's stated contribution does not reflect their actual involvement in the work.
Do Scopus journals check for the use of artificial intelligence in a manuscript?
A number of publishers have expanded their manuscript-screening systems, paying closer attention to whether the use of artificial intelligence tools in preparing the text has been properly disclosed. Using such tools while writing an article is not generally prohibited by journal policy, but most editorial boards require this to be stated in the methods or acknowledgements section. If such a disclosure is missing and signs of automated text generation are detected, this can become an additional ground for rejection.
Additional factors that reduce the chances of publication
Besides the reasons already discussed, several other circumstances tied to manuscript preparation and communication with the journal often affect the editorial decision:
- Choosing a journal without first checking its scope, formatting requirements and the types of articles it accepts.
- Insufficiently substantiated scientific novelty or practical significance of the research presented.
- Missing deadlines or failing to follow the required format when responding to reviewers' comments during revision.
- Addressing reviewers' comments only partially or superficially, without substantively reworking the text.
A rejection does not necessarily mean that a study lacks scientific value: a considerable share of rejected articles go on, after revision, to be published successfully in another journal that suits their subject matter. Understanding the typical reasons for rejection at the planning stage helps a scientist adjust the methodology, structure and formatting of a manuscript in advance, reducing the risk of a further rejection.
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