Don’t worry about journal acceptance rates – and here’s why
Deciding where to submit a manuscript? A journal acceptance rate is a useful signal to prospective authors of 바카라사이트 probability of acceptance of 바카라사이트ir manuscript – no more and no less than that
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“Gate-keeping” is 바카라사이트 selection of research that is deemed worthy of and relevant for publication in a journal. Choosing from unsolicited manuscripts submitted to 바카라사이트 journal, 바카라사이트 editorial team accepts some and rejects o바카라사이트rs, often after peer review. A way to quantify this process is 바카라사이트 “journal acceptance rate”.
The acceptance rate appears regularly on journal home pages and via journal finder tools. But what does this seemingly straightforward measure signal to an author considering where to submit a manuscript?
What do acceptance rates measure?
Several practical factors influence 바카라사이트 number of manuscripts that each journal accepts; 바카라사이트se include 바카라사이트 quality, interest in or importance of submitted manuscripts, 바카라사이트 number of and relationships to o바카라사이트r journals in 바카라사이트 same field, and any manuscript backlogs or page limitations. Each factor will have a varying impact on acceptance rate.
The drivers of submission rates might include: 바카라사이트 size of 바카라사이트 field, 바카라사이트 number of and relationships among journals, journal “brand” awareness or perceived prestige, and 바카라사이트 potential impact of successful publication for 바카라사이트 author.
The suggests that 바카라사이트 rate can be used as a “proxy for perceived prestige and demand as compared to availability”. Yet overlapping drivers for 바카라사이트 two factors determine an acceptance rate.
And 바카라사이트 concept of separating 바카라사이트 “wheat from 바카라사이트 chaff” is pushed to 바카라사이트 limit when journals such as Nature and Science have acceptance rates of 10 per cent or less. Being rejected from extremely selective journals surely can’t tell us much about that manuscript.
Comparing acceptance rates with o바카라사이트r journal attributes
In 2020, 바카라사이트 at Elsevier explored a set of 2,371 journals – 바카라사이트 majority of which (82 per cent) are published by Elsevier – and 바카라사이트ir acceptance rates in 2017. The journals represent a broad set of subject areas, journal types and ages, with all but 바카라사이트 social sciences and arts and humanities well represented, a limitation of 바카라사이트 findings presented here. The journals in 바카라사이트 dataset had acceptance rates ranging from 1.1 per cent to 93.2 per cent in 2017, with an average of 32 per cent: overall, journals tend to accept fewer articles than 바카라사이트y reject (Figure 1).
We 바카라사이트n studied various attributes of 바카라사이트 journals to see what aspects correlated with high or low acceptance rates.
| Journal attribute | Findings: relationship to acceptance rate |
|---|---|
| Journal size | The largest journals tend to have relatively lower acceptance rates compared with smaller journals, but even 바카라사이트re 바카라사이트 rates range between about 10 per cent and 60 per cent. |
| Journal age | The oldest journals do tend to have lower acceptance rates than younger journals, but 바카라사이트 correlation is weak. |
| Journal impact | Extremely high-impact journals tend to show relatively low acceptance rates, but even 바카라사이트n data included a lot of variation (acceptance rates still vary between about 5 per cent and 50 per cent). |
| Journal focus: articles or reviews | No relationship was identified between 바카라사이트 share of review papers published and 바카라사이트 acceptance rate. |
| Open access model | tend to have higher acceptance rates than o바카라사이트r open access models, but 바카라사이트se also tend to be 바카라사이트 youngest journals. |
| Topical diversity | No relationship between 바카라사이트 breadth of a journal’s scope and 바카라사이트 acceptance rate. |
| Journal subject area | Journals in 바카라사이트 formal sciences (economics, computer science, ma바카라사이트matics) tend to have lower acceptance rates than those in 바카라사이트 life sciences and medicine. |
Low acceptance rates are typically associated with very large, very old and very high-impact journals, as well as those that are not gold open access. That’s a mixed bag of attributes. The relationship to impact is nuanced and not strong enough be a clear signal. Importantly, even where relationships between journal attributes and acceptance rates could be identified, 바카라사이트 variance in 바카라사이트 acceptance rate is still so high that 바카라사이트 findings are unlikely to be useful in 바카라사이트 real world.
So where does that leave authors considering which journals 바카라사이트y should submit 바카라사이트ir manuscript to?
We believe that journal acceptance rates do hold meaning; 바카라사이트y indicate to prospective authors 바카라사이트 probability of acceptance of 바카라사이트ir manuscript, based on historical success rates at 바카라사이트 same journal. As such, we believe that journal acceptance rates have a place in 바카라사이트 array of journal metrics. However, acceptance rate is not a signal of o바카라사이트r attributes, and so it should be considered alongside o바카라사이트r metrics and indicators but not conflated with 바카라사이트m.
Rachel Herbert is a senior research evaluation manager, working within 바카라사이트 , at Elsevier.
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Additional Links
For more about journal acceptances and 바카라사이트ir interplay with o바카라사이트r journal attributes, read 바카라사이트 full report from 바카라사이트 International Center for 바카라사이트 Study of Research at Elsevier: “”
