How to handle article rejection (2024)

Receiving the notification that your article has been rejected can be one of the most demoralising emails to receive. It’s little consolation that some of the articles underpinning our understanding of the world or founders of the technology we use in day to day life were also originally rejected (read more).

Emerald’s journal editors have all been through the submission journal and have their own experience of having an article rejected too. We asked some of them their top tips on how to move on from opening that rejection email.

Which kind of rejection?

Desk rejection: this will usually come within a week or so of submitting your article. A desk rejection is where a member of the editorial team has ‘prescreened’ your manuscript, considering if it should be sent out to review or not. Reviewer time extremely valuable and editors will only want to send out content for review that has a chance of being accepted. Reasons for a desk reject may be that the research topic may not be in line with the aims of the journal, that it doesn’t quite reach the quality standard the journal expects, or that there are serious language or formatting issues.

Rejection after review: After receiving reviews, the journal editor will take the reviewer recommendations into consideration along with their own knowledge to make an informed decision. When communicating this decision, you will usually receive the reviews used to make that decision as well as a reason from the Editor. Reasons for this rejection may be that it didn’t quite meet the quality standards the journal expects, or that there is a flaw (in the opinion of the Editorial team) in the research. A good decision email should provide constructive feedback on how you can improve your article to find another suitable publication venue.

How to avoid rejection: tips from the editors

#1 Prepare, prepare & prepare once more

“No one likes any form of rejection but rejection is often the result of lack of preparation and not because the research topic is not worthy of publication. It is really disappointing that so many authors fail to read the ambit of the journal and notes for contributors before submitting. It doesn’t take long to double check that the journal to which the paper is being submitted is the right outlet for the research undertaken. Just a little extra care would avoid unnecessary rejections.” Professor Nick French, Editor of Journal of Property Investment & Finance

“One of the challenge for editors is that authors don’t tend to ‘think audience’ – they write what they want to write (or they think is expected) without necessarily thinking about who is going to read their work. The attractiveness of an article to potential readers can be further impeded if the article is long and dense in style. Authors also tend to pick a journal and submit without stopping to read the notes for contributors … I quite often receive replies to my emails from authors who say that they didn’t know about the journal’s approach – this is because they didn’t read the notes for contributors in the first place!” Professor Richard Teare, Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes

#2 Check your writing (for both English and non-English speakers!)

“A good submission will ensure that it is written in good English. If English is not the author’s native language, they should get it copy-edited by a native-speaker before submitting.” Professor Nick French, Editor of Journal of Property Investment & Finance

#3 Ensure your article says something & adds to the body of knowledge

“The most important consideration is to make sure that your paper says something. A paper may have good quantitative analysis but unless the results are useful to someone and not just descriptive in nature, the paper will be rejected.” Professor Nick French, Editor of Journal of Property Investment & Finance.

How to handle rejection: tips

#1 Take a deep breath

This is not the end of the road for your article; it’s important after receiving the rejection to take a breath. Go for a walk, rant to a loved one about the rejection or do something else for a few hours. It may be that you want to ask the Editor to elaborate on the rejection decision, but you don’t want to do this by sending a kneejerk or emotional email.

#2 Move on from the decision

It can be galling to receive a rejection decision, but it’s nothing personal; the journal is not the right home for your research at that time. This feedback has the potential to make your article even better.

#3 Remain civil

It’s natural to feel protective of your research and any slight upon it can cut deeply; remain civil in any correspondence with editorial team members. It’s understandable to be upset, but these people are your peers in your subject discipline and are acting in the way they think best for the journal.

#4 Absorb the feedback

Resist the urge to submit your article to another journal immediately; take the time to consider the feedback given and see if you can edit or improve your article in line with the feedback. By doing this, you are less likely to receive another rejection decision.

#5 Speak up

If you feel that an Editor or reviewer truly has missed the point of your research, don’t be afraid to politely counter this point. Editor decisions are final, but Emerald has a clear appeals process if you feel there is a genuine misunderstanding.

If you feel that your article was handled inappropriately which resulted in a rejection, please don’t be afraid to speak to our Research Integrity team.

Final thoughts

'Rejection is avoidable with more preparation and care. So, if you have had a paper rejected for any of the reasons above, learn from it. It isn’t that you are destined to be rejected again. Target the right journal, ensure that your paper is well written and make sure that you reference all relevant previous work, especially from the journal to which you are submitting. And, most importantly, ensure that your research has been undertaken to answer a practical concern and that your work makes a contribution to a better understanding of the topic area.'
Professor Nick French, Editor of Journal of Property Investment & Finance