Q: Can a mistake in reference lead to rejection of my paper?
I have submitted a major revision in a reputed journal. But after submission I found that one reference I had mentioned for answering a query of a reviewer was wrong. I immediately contacted the editorial office. They informed as the paper was under review it could not be edited. I am very worried about it. Though there are no other mistakes in the manuscript, is it possible that the paper may be rejected?
If all the other revisions are done in a statisfactory manner, this one mistake might not impact the manuscript in a negative way. However, you can write to the journal once again explaining the error and providing the correct reference and request them to pass on this information to the reviewers. Try to find out the handling editor's contact address and write to the editor if possible, rather than to the editorial office. The emails sent to the editorial office are often dealt with by editorial assistants, who might not be able to contact the reviewer. However, the Associate Editor or handling editor for your submission would be in touch with the reviewers and might be able to convey the information to them.
This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage