Peer Review Send Original Copy by Postal Mail

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If you manage peer review at one or more than academic journals, you're probable always on the lookout for ways to speed up your process. Whatever hazard to shave off even a few minutes from peer review can help reduce your overall manuscript conclusion timeframes and editorial workloads, making both authors and editors a lot happier. One often-overlooked way to save time during peer review is using e-mail templates. Most editors go through a weekly (or maybe daily!) excursion of emailing out review requests, review reminders, manuscript decision letters, and the listing goes on. Journals tin salve a lot of time by simply cutting down on email writing using templates.

An e-mail template is a model electronic mail that contains the bones information an editor should include in an email on a particular topic. For example, your journal can draft email templates for manuscript decisions that contain the adjacent steps editors should send all authors of accepted, rejected, or revise and resubmit submissions. With templates, rather than having to keep rewriting almost-duplicate emails, editors tin simply pull up the template they need, add whatsoever necessary customization, and transport it off.

Ideally, your peer review software should include built-in electronic mail templates with the selection to add merge tags. Merge tags will allow y'all to accept certain information, like a recipient's name, merged into your email automatically upon sending it. If you manage peer review manually, you can still create templates by keeping a document with template text that editors can paste into emails every bit needed.

In this blog post, we break down how to develop effective email templates for the journals y'all work with, including vii examples. Y'all're welcome to repurpose and reuse these example templates to fit your needs.

Let's go to information technology!

How to create constructive email templates

The timesaving benefits of email templates are pretty patently to encounter, but you may be wondering the best style to go about composing them. The fundamental to crafting effective e-mail templates (equally exhibited in the title of this weblog) is to focus on making templates specifically for the most common peer review correspondences your periodical sends — think manuscript decision messages, review reminders, and oft asked questions. These are the emails relaying basic journal information or expectations that rarely change and could often be improved past greater uniformity. For instance, journals tin can save fourth dimension on email writing, and potentially ameliorate their overall reviewer performance, by having all editors use the same review request email template containing reviewer guidelines and any other helpful information.

To start, we recommend creating e-mail templates for the following:

• Manuscript Acceptance Letter
• Manuscript Rejection Letter Following Peer Review
• Desk-bound Rejection Letter
• Revise and Resubmit Request
• Referee Request

One time you have templates for the above common journal correspondences, run across with your editors to consider other frequent communications that could potentially be templated.

Ane business that many journals grapple with when considering adopting email templates is whether they will seem also automated. While templates may sound less personal, the truth is, a well-crafted electronic mail template can really make information technology easier for editors to take the time to accost private author concerns. All email templates should include built-in customization opportunities, so your team tin insert information specific to recipients as needed. For example, all rejection letters should include a infinite for details on why an author'due south manuscript was not a good fit for your periodical.

Make sure every editor knows how to admission your email templates

When developing a collection of email templates, information technology's important to ensure that all editors know how to access them (and know about them in full general!). This is where using peer review software that includes email template functionality can be particularly useful. Most peer review systems provide the functionality to ready up decision letter of the alphabet templates, and some also include the option to create custom e-mail templates. For example, Scholastica's born manuscript Word feature includes the choice to create Discussion templates.

If you have to store electronic mail templates in a document, that'due south okay too. Just be sure that all editors ever have access to the latest version. An easy way to practice this is to use a shared file system, such every bit Google docs.

Example peer review electronic mail templates

To assist you get started, we've drafted some templates for mutual correspondences that you tin can customize to come across your periodical'southward needs. Nosotros've also created a Google physician with Markdown versions of these templates, which tin can be copied and pasted right into Scholastica.

Manuscript Acceptance Alphabetic character

Ane of the highlights of being a periodical editor is getting to inform scholars who've authored loftier-quality manuscripts that you lot would like to publish their work. You'll have even more time to enjoy this moment when you accept an acceptance letter of the alphabet template to kickoff with! The goal for your acceptance email should be to include as much upfront information as you lot tin regarding adjacent steps the author must take in society to motion their submission to publication, also as to accost any common questions authors tend to ask at this point in the submission process.

Here'due south an instance acceptance letter:

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Hello {Insert author proper noun}, I am pleased to inform you that {Insert periodical proper noun} would like to publish your manuscript "{Insert article name}" in our next issue. I am attaching a document with some bones required edits that need to be applied to your manuscript before information technology'southward published. In order to keep to publish your submission we will demand you lot to submit the following: * A signed author agreement: [ADD LINK Hither...] * Your edited manuscript - please include all of the edits outlined in the attached file * [Insert whatsoever additional items your journal requires here...] At this time we also want to remind you of our copyright and open up access policies, [Add together LINK Hither...]. One time your manuscript is moved to publishing, our product editor will continue you lot informed of your commodity's progress in the production process. Y'all volition likewise receive a proof of your manuscript for last review. We're excited to move forward with your submission. Please feel gratis to email me with any questions. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Manuscript Rejection Alphabetic character Following Peer Review

Every bit much as you savor sending manuscript acceptance letters, crafting dreaded rejection letters is likely ten times worse. No editor likes to be the bearer of bad news. Merely, we promise, there are means to make your rejections more than constructive, and having a template will help you ensure yous're always including all of the information you should.

Beneath is an example:

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Hello {Insert writer proper noun}, Cheers for submitting your manuscript "{Insert championship}" to {Insert periodical name}. Following careful consideration by the journal'southward editorial lath and a grouping of expert reviewers, I regret to inform you that nosotros are unable to accept your submission. Although {Insert positive qualities almost the manuscript here}, our editorial board and expert reviewers determined that the newspaper {Insert high-level explanation of why the newspaper doesn't come across your publication standards}. Primary concerns expressed were that: - [Insert specific business...] - [Insert specific concern...] - [Insert specific concern...] I am including the reviewer comments in this email for your reference. I hope yous discover this information helpful for submission at another journal, and we promise to see more of your work in the futurity. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Desk Rejection Letter

In that location will be times when you receive a manuscript that is clearly not a good fit for your journal, either because it is not a sound submission or because it falls beyond the grounds of your journal's item aims and telescopic. In this instance, information technology's important to be able to quickly ship a desk rejection to the author, both to avoid delaying your journal's manuscript time to decision and out of courtesy to the writer so he or she tin can re-work the submission where needed and send information technology out to a dissimilar publication.

Hither's a sample desk rejection:

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Hello {Insert author name}, Thanks for submitting your manuscript "{Insert title}" to {Insert journal name}. After careful consideration past our editors, nosotros regret to inform you that nosotros must decline this submission on editorial grounds and subsequently have declined to send the paper out to external peer reviewers. We plant that {Insert explanation of why this particular manuscript is not fit for your publication...}. This newspaper may be a better fit for {Insert proper noun(south) of other journals)}. We thank you for your involvement, and hope you cull to submit another article for review in the future. Sincerely, {Insert editor proper noun}

Revise and Resubmit Request

Somewhere in-between the joys of sending acceptance messages and the woes of sending manuscript rejections lies the revise and resubmit request. Your journal volition likely send out i of these to an writer before you lot accept his or her submission. Mayhap even more important than the email body of your revise and resubmit request is that you ensure the reviewer comments you send the author are reasonable and indicate actionable steps for improvement. One time you've washed this, be sure to attach them to your electronic mail and explain all next steps the writer must take to continue with the necessary revisions.

Here's an example:

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How-do-you-do {Insert author name}, Give thanks you for submitting your manuscript "{Insert title}" to {Insert journal name}. The editorial team and a grouping of expert reviewers take assessed your submission and experience that information technology has potential for publication, and so we would similar to invite you to revise the paper and resubmit for further review. Nosotros appreciate that your paper addresses {Insert positive quality nearly the newspaper's key objective}, only in that location were some concerns raised with regard to {Insert primal concerns}. Please see the fastened reviewer comments for farther details about necessary revisions. We ask that you lot submit the revised version of your manuscript by {Insert explanation of how to do this}.Please note, your revised manuscript should exist accompanied by a summary of your responses to the reviewers' comments. You have {Insert number} weeks to answer to this revise and resubmit asking ending on {Insert difficult deadline}, afterwards which bespeak we will presume that you have withdrawn your submission from {Insert journal name}. Please experience gratuitous to contact me with whatsoever questions. Sincerely, {Insert editor proper name}

Cascading or transfer manuscript desk-bound decline determination

At organizations that publish multiple journals inside the same subject area, there may be instances where a manuscript submission to 1 journal is not the best fit for that publication just could potentially be a fit for a related publication. In this case, the editor may choose to send a reject manuscript decision with the option to cascade or transfer the manuscript to the other journal.

The beneath template is based on a desk reject transfer decision. You lot can as well create a variant of this template for a decision following peer review.

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Hello {Insert author proper noun}, Cheers for submitting your manuscript "{Insert championship}" to {Insert journal proper name}. Post-obit editorial review nosotros take determined that, unfortunately, your manuscript is not suitable for publication in our journal, which focuses on {insert specific journal data...}. Even so, the Editors' stance is that your manuscript is worthy of consideration and would like to suggest that you transfer it to {alternate journal}, where it will have an appropriate audience. Please notation that acceptance of this offering to transfer does non guarantee credence of your manuscript as the Editors of {alternate journal} will still need to evaluate the manuscript. If yous would like to have your manuscript transferred to {alternating periodical} for consideration at that journal please [insert specific steps...]. If y'all prefer to submit your commodity to a different publication, delight let the Editors know by [insert specific steps...]. In one case you have, your submission volition be rejected and you will receive an email confirmation. Once y'all accept received this confirmation, you will be free to submit to the publication of your choice. We thank you lot for submitting your manuscript to {Insert journal proper noun} and we expect forwards to receiving your decision on this transfer opportunity. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Another common correspondence for editors at many journals is responding to author inquiries about the status of their submission. You can speed up replies to status inquiry emails with a template that includes a status update pick for each of the major phases of your peer review procedure. The below template includes a list of possible status options that you lot can modify or add to as needed.

Here is a sample submission progress update email:

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Howdy {Insert author name}, Thanks for submitting your manuscript "{Insert championship}" to {Insert journal name}. We are in the process of evaluating your manuscript. At this point your manuscript: - Has been assigned to an editor and is awaiting reviewer confirmations - Is nether external review with [number] of [number] required reviews submitted - Has all external reviews submitted and is awaiting final editorial review We evaluate all manuscript submissions as expeditiously as possible and capeesh your patience throughout the peer review process. [You can track the status of your manuscript within our peer review system by navigating to ...]. Sincerely, {Insert editor proper noun}

Another tip to cut back on submission status request emails is to enable manuscript status updates inside your peer review software. For case, Scholastica features a submission status progress bar that authors can reference to know where their manuscript is in peer review. If your journal has this characteristic, exist sure to include it in submission status research emails like the above.

Referee Request

We've spent a lot of time looking at writer correspondences, but what virtually those review requests you lot're always writing? The ideal review request should exist friendly and to the indicate, including links to your journals peer review documents for those interested in learning more about your specific review process.

Here's 1 approach:

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Hello {Insert referee name}, {Insert journal name} has just received a manuscript entitled "{Insert manuscript name}," which I believe is your area of expertise and thought you might be interested in peer reviewing. I am including the article abstract in this email for your reference. Would you exist willing to submit a peer review for this article? I would need your review comments within the next {Insert number} weeks by {Insert hard deadline}. [INSERT Abstract Here...] If y'all're willing to review this submission, I'll need you to: {Insert adjacent steps}. For more data on {Insert periodical name's} peer review policy you can {Explicate webpage link to visit or attach PDF with farther information}. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Putting it all together

Nosotros hope you find these sample peer review email templates useful! Creating email templates for common correspondences is a great way to speed upward peer review and also foster more standardized editorial workflows. These examples encompass the most mutual uses for email templates that we've seen. Be sure to also meet with your editors to discuss where and how yous may benefit from additional email templates for other mutual journal correspondences.

Markdown version of templates for Scholastica users:

Nosotros've also put Markdown versions of these e-mail templates into a Google Md for Scholastica users. Markdown is the formatting syntax Scholastica uses to ensure your text is ever formatted as you intend information technology. You lot tin can hands re-create and paste these templates right into your Scholastica account!

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Source: https://blog.scholasticahq.com/post/peer-review-email-templates/