Q: Should I transfer my manuscript as suggested by the journal editor?
I submitted my manuscript to a renowned journal (Impact factor is 5 to 6). Three days after submission, the Editor-in-chief informed me that my manuscript was rejected and suggested that I transfer it to an open access journal under the same publisher. According to the Editor-in-chief, the rejection rate of this journal at the initial screening stage is 50 to 60%. This open access journal was started in 2017, and 200 articles have been published in PubMed over 1.5 years. The journal to which I initially submitted, publishes 600 to 800 articles per year. Should I transfer my manuscript to this open access journal, or should I choose another journal?
The quality of the published articles in this open access journal does not seem to be bad.
During the 3 days from the first submission to the rejection, it seems that the Editor checked my manuscript 5 times or so, since the viewing time was updated several times with the status “with editor.” I assume the transfer might be recommended due to any special reason. But as the rejection was decided in only 3 days, I'm wondering if all the rejected manuscripts are suggested for transfer?
Rejection at initial editorial screening can happen either because of scope mismatch or because the manuscript does not meet the required quality & standard of the manuscript and therefore does not have higher priority in the journal.
In your case, the Editor-in-chief might have suggested the open access journal maybe because your paper would be better suited there and might have a chance of a positive peer review. But please be aware that transferring the manuscript does not guarantee publication. The manuscript would anyway undergo a round of peer-review and the decision to revise & resubmit, rejection or acceptance will depend up on the reviewer’s comments and final editorial discretion.
Also, please do not forget to check the indexation of the open-access journal suggested by the editor-in-chief. Ensure that the indexation meets the requirements of your university/institution. Read and understand the aims/scope of the open-access journal to make sure your manuscript falls within the scope of the journal. Adhere to the structure of the manuscript as mentioned on the guidelines of this journal; do see the open access charges to know if you would like to pay the stipulated fee. Kindly take into consideration these factors before transferring your manuscript.
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This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage