How to Write Letter to Editor of Journal Asking to Become a Reviewer

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If you manage peer review at one or more than academic journals, you lot're likely always on the scout for ways to speed upwardly your procedure. Any gamble to shave off fifty-fifty a few minutes from peer review can help reduce your overall manuscript decision timeframes and editorial workloads, making both authors and editors a lot happier. One often-overlooked fashion to save time during peer review is using email templates. About editors get through a weekly (or perhaps daily!) circuit of emailing out review requests, review reminders, manuscript decision messages, and the list goes on. Journals tin save a lot of time by simply cut down on email writing using templates.

An email template is a model email that contains the bones information an editor should include in an email on a particular topic. For case, your journal tin can draft e-mail templates for manuscript decisions that contain the adjacent steps editors should send all authors of accepted, rejected, or revise and resubmit submissions. With templates, rather than having to keep rewriting most-duplicate emails, editors tin can simply pull upward the template they need, add together any necessary customization, and send it off.

Ideally, your peer review software should include built-in email templates with the option to add merge tags. Merge tags will permit you lot to take certain data, like a recipient'southward proper name, merged into your e-mail automatically upon sending it. If you manage peer review manually, y'all tin nonetheless create templates by keeping a document with template text that editors can paste into emails equally needed.

In this blog post, we break down how to develop effective electronic mail templates for the journals y'all work with, including seven examples. You're welcome to repurpose and reuse these example templates to fit your needs.

Let's go to it!

How to create effective email templates

The timesaving benefits of e-mail templates are pretty plain to encounter, but y'all may exist wondering the best way to go about composing them. The key to crafting effective e-mail templates (equally exhibited in the title of this weblog) is to focus on making templates specifically for the most common peer review correspondences your journal sends — recollect manuscript decision letters, review reminders, and frequently asked questions. These are the emails relaying basic journal information or expectations that rarely change and could oftentimes be improved by greater uniformity. For instance, journals tin can salvage time on email writing, and potentially improve their overall reviewer performance, past having all editors use the same review asking email template containing reviewer guidelines and any other helpful data.

To start, nosotros recommend creating e-mail templates for the following:

• Manuscript Credence Letter
• Manuscript Rejection Letter Following Peer Review
• Desk Rejection Alphabetic character
• Revise and Resubmit Asking
• Referee Request

One time you have templates for the above mutual periodical correspondences, meet with your editors to consider other frequent communications that could potentially be templated.

One business organization that many journals grapple with when considering adopting email templates is whether they will seem too automated. While templates may audio less personal, the truth is, a well-crafted email template can actually arrive easier for editors to take the fourth dimension to accost private author concerns. All email templates should include congenital-in customization opportunities, and then your team can insert information specific to recipients as needed. For instance, all rejection letters should include a space for details on why an author's manuscript was not a proficient fit for your periodical.

Make sure every editor knows how to access your electronic mail templates

When developing a collection of email templates, it's important to ensure that all editors know how to admission them (and know about them in general!). This is where using peer review software that includes email template functionality tin can be especially useful. Nigh peer review systems provide the functionality to set up decision letter of the alphabet templates, and some also include the selection to create custom email templates. For example, Scholastica'south born manuscript Discussion feature includes the option to create Discussion templates.

If y'all have to store email templates in a certificate, that'south okay as well. But be sure that all editors ever have access to the latest version. An easy way to do this is to utilise a shared file arrangement, such equally Google docs.

Case peer review email templates

To aid yous become started, we've drafted some templates for mutual correspondences that you tin customize to run across your periodical's needs. We've also created a Google doctor with Markdown versions of these templates, which tin be copied and pasted right into Scholastica.

Manuscript Acceptance Letter

One of the highlights of being a journal editor is getting to inform scholars who've authored loftier-quality manuscripts that y'all would similar to publish their piece of work. Yous'll take even more time to enjoy this moment when you accept an credence letter template to start with! The goal for your credence email should be to include equally much upfront information as y'all can regarding side by side steps the author must have in club to move their submission to publication, likewise as to address whatever common questions authors tend to ask at this point in the submission procedure.

Here's an example acceptance letter of the alphabet:

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Hello {Insert author name}, I am pleased to inform you that {Insert periodical name} would like to publish your manuscript "{Insert article name}" in our adjacent consequence. I am attaching a document with some basic required edits that need to exist applied to your manuscript before it's published. In order to proceed to publish your submission we will need you lot to submit the post-obit: * A signed author agreement: [Add LINK HERE...] * Your edited manuscript - please include all of the edits outlined in the fastened file * [Insert any additional items your journal requires here...] At this fourth dimension nosotros too want to remind you of our copyright and open access policies, [Add together LINK Here...]. One time your manuscript is moved to publishing, our production editor will keep you informed of your article'southward progress in the production procedure. Y'all volition also receive a proof of your manuscript for final review. Nosotros're excited to move forward with your submission. Delight feel gratuitous to email me with any questions. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Manuscript Rejection Letter of the alphabet Following Peer Review

Every bit much as you relish sending manuscript acceptance letters, crafting dreaded rejection letters is likely ten times worse. No editor likes to be the bearer of bad news. But, we promise, at that place are means to make your rejections more constructive, and having a template will help you ensure you're e'er including all of the information yous should.

Below is an example:

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Hello {Insert author proper noun}, Thank you for submitting your manuscript "{Insert title}" to {Insert journal proper noun}. Following careful consideration by the journal'south editorial board and a group of expert reviewers, I regret to inform you that nosotros are unable to accept your submission. Although {Insert positive qualities near the manuscript here}, our editorial board and skilful reviewers determined that the paper {Insert high-level explanation of why the paper doesn't see your publication standards}. Primary concerns expressed were that: - [Insert specific concern...] - [Insert specific business organisation...] - [Insert specific concern...] I am including the reviewer comments in this electronic mail for your reference. I hope you detect this data helpful for submission at another periodical, and we hope to encounter more of your work in the future. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Desk Rejection Letter

There volition be times when you receive a manuscript that is clearly not a good fit for your periodical, either considering it is not a sound submission or because information technology falls beyond the grounds of your journal'south item aims and scope. In this instance, information technology's important to exist able to quickly send a desk-bound rejection to the author, both to avoid delaying your journal's manuscript time to conclusion and out of courtesy to the author so he or she can re-work the submission where needed and ship it out to a dissimilar publication.

Here's a sample desk rejection:

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Hello {Insert author name}, Thanks for submitting your manuscript "{Insert championship}" to {Insert journal proper noun}. After careful consideration by our editors, we regret to inform you that we must decline this submission on editorial grounds and subsequently have declined to ship the newspaper out to external peer reviewers. We constitute that {Insert explanation of why this particular manuscript is not fit for your publication...}. This paper may be a better fit for {Insert proper noun(s) of other journals)}. We cheers for your interest, and hope you choose to submit another commodity for review in the time to come. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Revise and Resubmit Request

Somewhere in-between the joys of sending acceptance letters and the woes of sending manuscript rejections lies the revise and resubmit request. Your journal will probable transport out ane of these to an author before you take his or her submission. Peradventure fifty-fifty more important than the email torso of your revise and resubmit request is that you ensure the reviewer comments yous send the writer are reasonable and indicate actionable steps for comeback. Once you've done this, be certain to attach them to your email and explain all next steps the author must take to proceed with the necessary revisions.

Hither's an example:

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Hullo {Insert writer name}, Thank you for submitting your manuscript "{Insert title}" to {Insert periodical proper name}. The editorial team and a grouping of proficient reviewers accept assessed your submission and feel that it has potential for publication, and then nosotros would similar to invite you to revise the paper and resubmit for further review. We capeesh that your paper addresses {Insert positive quality about the newspaper'due south fundamental objective}, only in that location were some concerns raised with regard to {Insert central concerns}. Please see the attached reviewer comments for further details about necessary revisions. We ask that you lot submit the revised version of your manuscript by {Insert explanation of how to do this}.Please note, your revised manuscript should be accompanied by a summary of your responses to the reviewers' comments. You have {Insert number} weeks to answer to this revise and resubmit asking ending on {Insert hard deadline}, afterward which signal we volition presume that you take withdrawn your submission from {Insert periodical proper noun}. Delight feel costless to contact me with whatever questions. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Cascading or transfer manuscript desk reject decision

At organizations that publish multiple journals within the same discipline, at that place may exist instances where a manuscript submission to one journal is not the best fit for that publication but could potentially be a fit for a related publication. In this instance, the editor may choose to send a refuse manuscript conclusion with the selection to pour or transfer the manuscript to the other journal.

The below template is based on a desk reject transfer decision. You can also create a variant of this template for a decision following peer review.

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Hello {Insert author name}, Thank y'all for submitting your manuscript "{Insert title}" to {Insert periodical name}. Post-obit editorial review nosotros have determined that, unfortunately, your manuscript is not suitable for publication in our journal, which focuses on {insert specific journal information...}. Still, the Editors' opinion is that your manuscript is worthy of consideration and would similar to suggest that you transfer information technology to {alternating periodical}, where it will have an appropriate audition. Please note that acceptance of this offer to transfer does non guarantee acceptance of your manuscript as the Editors of {alternate journal} will yet demand to evaluate the manuscript. If yous would like to have your manuscript transferred to {alternate journal} for consideration at that journal please [insert specific steps...]. If y'all adopt to submit your commodity to a different publication, please let the Editors know past [insert specific steps...]. Once you lot have, your submission will be rejected and you will receive an e-mail confirmation. Once you have received this confirmation, you lot will be free to submit to the publication of your choice. Nosotros cheers for submitting your manuscript to {Insert journal name} and we await forward to receiving your conclusion on this transfer opportunity. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Another mutual correspondence for editors at many journals is responding to author inquiries near the status of their submission. Y'all can speed up replies to status inquiry emails with a template that includes a status update pick for each of the major phases of your peer review process. The below template includes a list of possible condition options that you lot can modify or add to as needed.

Here is a sample submission progress update email:

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Hello {Insert writer name}, Thanks for submitting your manuscript "{Insert championship}" to {Insert journal proper name}. We are in the process of evaluating your manuscript. At this point your manuscript: - Has been assigned to an editor and is pending reviewer confirmations - Is under external review with [number] of [number] required reviews submitted - Has all external reviews submitted and is awaiting last editorial review We evaluate all manuscript submissions equally expeditiously as possible and appreciate your patience throughout the peer review process. [You can track the status of your manuscript within our peer review system by navigating to ...]. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Another tip to cut dorsum on submission status request emails is to enable manuscript status updates within your peer review software. For example, Scholastica features a submission status progress bar that authors tin can reference to know where their manuscript is in peer review. If your journal has this feature, be sure to include information technology in submission status enquiry emails like the above.

Referee Request

We've spent a lot of fourth dimension looking at writer correspondences, simply what nigh those review requests yous're always writing? The ideal review asking should exist friendly and to the point, including links to your journals peer review documents for those interested in learning more about your specific review process.

Here'southward one arroyo:

i 2 iii 4 5 6 7 8 9 x xi 12 13 14 fifteen xvi 17

Howdy {Insert referee proper noun}, {Insert journal name} has just received a manuscript entitled "{Insert manuscript proper noun}," which I believe is your area of expertise and thought yous might be interested in peer reviewing. I am including the article abstract in this e-mail for your reference. Would y'all be willing to submit a peer review for this article? I would need your review comments within the next {Insert number} weeks by {Insert hard deadline}. [INSERT ABSTRACT Hither...] If you're willing to review this submission, I'll demand you to: {Insert side by side steps}. For more information on {Insert periodical name's} peer review policy you lot tin can {Explain webpage link to visit or attach PDF with further data}. I await forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, {Insert editor name}

Putting information technology all together

We hope you observe these sample peer review email templates useful! Creating e-mail templates for common correspondences is a neat way to speed upwards peer review and besides foster more than standardized editorial workflows. These examples cover the most common uses for electronic mail templates that nosotros've seen. Exist sure to also encounter with your editors to discuss where and how you may benefit from additional email templates for other common journal correspondences.

Markdown version of templates for Scholastica users:

We've as well put Markdown versions of these electronic mail templates into a Google Doc for Scholastica users. Markdown is the formatting syntax Scholastica uses to ensure your text is ever formatted as you intend it. You can easily re-create and paste these templates right into your Scholastica account!

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Source: https://blog.scholasticahq.com/post/peer-review-email-templates/

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