Q: Can I submit my manuscript to another journal?

Detailed Question -

I received the following message from Journal A: “I regret to tell you that it has been decided not to process this manuscript through our review cycle.” Does this mean a rejection? Now, can I submit my manuscript to another journal without telling this Journal A? Wouldn’t that be regarded as a duplicate submission?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Unfortunately, yes, this seems to be a desk rejection. I am not sure if they have provided any specific reasons for the rejection. But yes, you can submit the same manuscript to another journal without informing the first journal as they have already rejected it. And finally, no, it won’t be a case of duplicate submission. Duplicate submission occurs if you send the same manuscript to two or more journals at the same time.

Here, as you plan to send to the second journal after having been rejected by the first journal, there is no case of duplicate submission. What I would suggest though is to go through your manuscript again and see if there is any scope for improvement. Perhaps you can share it with a colleague or supervisor, get their inputs, and improve it any way possible. This would increase the chances of acceptance with the other journal. Do also check for match with the journal’s scope.

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