Module 4: May 19 to June 1

Lecture:

Running the Gauntlet: The Manuscript Review Process

 and

Special Editor-in-Chief and Senior Editor Roundtable

Faculty:  Alison Huang, MD, MAS; Carolyn Gibson, PhD; and editor panelists

Journal editor roundtable: Sandy Feng, MD, PhD; Deborah Grady, MD, MPH; Christopher Hess, MD, PhD; S. Andrew Josephson, MD; Kanade Shinkai, MD, PhD; Ellen Weber, MD

This module will address the manuscript submission and review process, including expectations for acceptance versus rejection for initial and resubmitted manuscripts, insights into the perspective of reviewers who critique manuscript submissions, and strategies for responding to reviewer critiques in order to increase the likelihood of acceptance.

This module will feature a special, interactive "editor-in-chief roundtable" in which a panel of UCSF professors who are also editors-in-chief or senior editors at major peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals will be asked to speak briefly in response to several pre-established questions (see below), in addition to taking additional questions from students.

  Possible questions:

1. "In your experience, what is one of the most common mistakes made by authors in preparing or submitting research manuscripts that result in their manuscripts not being given the consideration they deserve?"
2. "Can you think of an example of a manuscript that was turned down by your journal that you feel should have been accepted, or an example of one that was accepted that you think should have been rejected, and explain why?"
3. "Aside from the reviewers' critiques, what other factors do you as a journal editor weigh in deciding whether to accept or reject a manuscript?"
4. "Are there circumstances in which it may be appropriate or feasible for an author to appeal a decision to reject made by a journal; if so, what are they, and how should authors go about this?"