What Happens to Your Manuscript: Characteristics of Papers Published in Volume 160
The Editors
A total of 177 contributions and two errata were published in volume 160 of the American Journal of Epidemiology, which covered June through December of 2004. The countries from which these 177 contributions were submitted are shown in table 1. As in prior volumes (13), approximately two thirds of the published contributions were submitted by authors residing in the United States.
Table 2 provides the distribution of the 177 contributions according to article type and subject area of research. Original contributions remained the leading type of article, although the entries in table 2 have changed since volume 140 (3), with the addition of Human Genome Epidemiology (HuGE) reviews in the Reviews section and Practice of Epidemiology manuscripts. Chronic noninfectious diseases remained the leading subject area in volume 160.
Table 3 shows the median number of weeks from manuscript receipt to date of initial decision, from date of initial decision to date of final decision, and from date of final decision to date of publication, by type of contribution (except for the three book reviews). In comparison with volume 140 (3), there is a notable 8-week decrease in the amount of time from receipt to publication for original contributions (the median time from receipt to publication for the 93 original contributions in volume 140 was 50.4 weeks). This 8-week decrease is largely accounted for by the decrease in time from receipt to initial decision (table 3). In comparison with volume 140 (3), there is an 11-week decrease in the amount of time from receipt to publication of letters to the Editor (the median time from receipt to publication for the 60 letters in volume 140 was 33.7 weeks), which again is largely accounted for by the decrease in time from receipt to initial decision.
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TABLE 3. Median number of weeks from receipt to publication (and 5th95th percentiles) in volume 160 of the American Journal of Epidemiology, by type of contribution
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Table 4 summarizes the decisions made for submissions to the Journal between January and June of 2004. Of 596 submissions, only 40 (7 percent) still have a decision pending. Nearly three quarters of the submitted papers still pending are original contributions. As would be expected on the basis of Journal policy, letters to the Editor have the highest acceptance proportion (with the exception of book reviews, which are typically solicited). Approximately 15 percent of both original contributions and Practice of Epidemiology papers were accepted. Depending on the acceptance rate of the articles for which decisions have not yet been made, this would represent a notable decrease vis-à-vis volume 140 (where 24 percent of the original contributions were accepted).
In summary, volume 160 of the American Journal of Epidemiology received scholarly contributions from several continents, with the bulk of contributions emanating from the United States, as has been the case in prior volumes (13). The majority of ink printed in the Journal is spent on original contributionsa full 72 percent when Practice of Epidemiology papers are combined with original contributions. The leading subject matter of the Journal remains chronic noninfectious diseases, with other subject areas being fairly equally represented (except psychiatric contributions). The times from receipt through final decision are largely under the direct control of the Editors, and this is where reductions in manuscript processing times are observed. Perhaps the advent of electronic submission and review is the reason for the decreased times from receipt to decision; however, the use of historic controls (i.e., volume 140) is always tenuous because of other possible changes occurring concomitantly during the same time period.
The Editors make every attempt to expedite manuscript review. Regardless, delays continue, partly because of the increasingly large number of quality contributions that must be considered, as well as the abiding difficulty in obtaining outside reviews.
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REFERENCES
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- The Editors. What happens to your manuscript: characteristics of papers published in volume 138. Am J Epidemiol 1993; 138:110810.[ISI]
- The Editors. What happens to your manuscript: characteristics of papers published in volume 139. Am J Epidemiol 1993; 139:12235.[ISI]
- The Editors. What happens to your manuscript: characteristics of papers published in volume 140. Am J Epidemiol 1994; 140:11468.[ISI][Medline]