[img]2022m3x/ct_ve01202001j_eillist_0131_220329[/img] [br] [originaltext]J: Now

J: Now, the submission process. How does it work exactly?
S: Well, the first thing is to just send it off. You’ve got to send in the manuscript before anything else can happen.
J: Sure. And then should I call to check if they have received it?
S: No need for that, no, all you have to do is just log onto your e-mail regularly because you will get a submission confirmation once they have processed the manuscript
J: And that will have comments on what they thought of it?
S: No, no comments yet — that e-mail is just to let you know they have received it. The next stage is what is known as peer review. This is when experts in the field review your manuscript and decide whether to accept it.
J: Ah, they’ll never accept me. I’m only a Master’s student!
S: Don’t worry about that, Jasmine. It’s all done through a double-blind method. That means that whoever reads your manuscript has no idea whether you are a grad student or a Nobel Prize laureate. They’ll only be judging your work, not you.
J: Well that’s good to hear. And then what, once they’ve made their decision?
S: Well, there are four possible outcomes. You might get an acceptance. But a first-off acceptance is very, very rare. Don’t pin your hopes on it. You could also get a rejection, but these don’t happen very often either. I don’t think this will be a problem.
J: What do you think I’ll get?
S: If you’re very lucky, you’ll get a conditional acceptance. This means that they’ve accepted the article and it will be published, but you need to tweak a few things first: a sentence here, a heading there, nothing major.
J: That sounds good.
S: But, to be honest, you will probably end up with a revise & resubmit. This means they are definitely interested, but you will need to rework the paper before it is accepted. The necessary changes will be outlined by the reviewers.
J: Okay, so I just fix the things that need changing and present it again?
S: Yes, but include a cover letter that discusses the changes you have made. The same goes for a conditional acceptance, actually. It helps the reviewers see that you’ve taken their criticism seriously.