Publication Steps

Publishing your research is a multi-stage journey. Understanding each step clearly helps you plan, stay organized, and avoid surprises. Below is a typical sequence of steps authors go through when publishing with us, with tips for each stage.

Research & Journal Selection

  • Explore journals in your field and compare their scope, audiences, prestige, and publish policies.
  • Use tools or journal suggesters to find good matches based on your abstract, keywords, or field.
  • Check publication models (open access, hybrid, subscription), APCs, and licensing options.

Drafting Your Manuscript

  • Write your paper using a logical structure (often using the IMRaD format: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion).
  • Follow journal guidelines on formatting, headings, reference style, figure and table presentation.
  • Make sure ethical statements, data availability, and author contribution declarations are included.

Adhering to Instructions for Authors

  • Carefully read your target journal’s Author Guidelines / Instructions for Authors.
  • Use the correct template (if provided), check word limits, allowable file formats, and supplementary file rules.
  • Ensure all required elements (title page, abstract, keywords, funding, conflict declarations) are present.

Submission

  • Register or log in to the journal’s submission system.
  • Provide metadata: title, abstract, keywords, authors, affiliations, ORCID IDs (if used).
  • Upload all files: manuscript, figures, tables, supplementary files, declarations, cover letter, etc.
  • Review your submission, confirm all components are complete, then submit.

Editorial & Desk Evaluation

  • Your submission first undergoes a technical check for completeness (missing files, format compliance, ethics statements).
  • The handling editor evaluates whether the manuscript fits the journal’s scope and has potential; some papers may be rejected without external review (desk rejection).
  • If suitable, the paper moves to peer review.

Peer Review

  • The manuscript is sent to two or more independent reviewers in your subject area.
  • Reviewers evaluate novelty, methodology, clarity, ethics, data robustness, and relevance.
  • You will receive reviewer comments and an editorial decision (accept, revise, reject).

Revision & Resubmission

  • Examine all reviewer feedback carefully.
  • Prepare a detailed response letter addressing each point (indicating page/line changes or reasoned justification).
  • Submit both a marked-up version showing changes and a clean version for production.
  • If additional rounds of review are needed, repeat this process.

Acceptance & Production

  • Once accepted, your manuscript enters production.
  • You’ll be asked to sign a publishing agreement, confirm licensing (especially if opting for open access), and perhaps pay APCs if applicable.
  • Typesetting, copyediting, formatting, and proofreading follow.
  • You’ll receive proofs to check for any final corrections (typos, layout, figure clarity).

Publication & Dissemination

  • Your article is published online (often ahead of issue assignment) with a DOI and full metadata.
  • The version of record is indexed, discoverable, and citable.
  • Later, the article may be assigned to a journal issue, gaining volume/page assignments.
  • After publication, authors are encouraged to promote their work via social media, institutional channels, press outreach, and academic networks.
  • Tip: Because you can submit in any format, focus your initial effort on content quality (research, writing, data, clarity). Leave layout stresses to us, we’ll handle the formatting, typesetting and hardbound printing so your work is presented in professional form.