Top 5 Reasons for Desk Rejection and Simple Solutions for Authors
While no one likes rejection, almost every author has had to deal with it at some point in their academic publishing journey. Data collected by studying submissions from over 18 countries shows that rejection rates range from 22.6% to 73.4% across journals1, while top journals are known to routinely reject over 90% of the manuscripts submitted2. Rejection, especially desk rejection, happens to the best of us. But it is not the end of the road for researchers. Small changes in how you approach manuscripts and submission can alter your fate. In fact, American inventor Thomas Edison said, “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time.” This belief is echoed by a heartening study that showed 62% of published papers had been rejected at least once by other journals before eventually being accepted3.
When it comes to scholarly publishing, the reasons for desk rejection are predominantly within your control and can be easily avoided with a comprehensive manuscript submission readiness check. Take a look at some of the most common mistakes that lead to rejection, along with expert tips and smart solutions to help you avoid desk rejection and maximize chances of publication success.
5 Problems That Lead to Desk Rejection – And How to Avoid it
Problem 1: Mismatch with journal’s aims and scope
Problem 2: Lack of clarity on the originality, novelty, or significance
Problem 3: Poor language and manuscript presentation
Problem 4: Ethical issues like plagiarism and simultaneous submission
Problem 5: Flaws in research methodology or study design
Problem 1: Mismatch with journal’s aims and scope
Imagine working extremely hard on conducting your research only to choose a wrong target journal! It might sound silly, but you will be surprised how often researchers fail to identify the correct target journal. This especially happens when the research topic involves overlapping subject areas. If your study does not align with the journal’s aims, the editor is likely to reject your paper at desk without a peer review. So, what can you do to avoid this mistake?
What You Should Do
Always read the journal’s aims and scope on the website before shortlisting target journals. This section gives you an overview of what the journal expects. Furthermore, read the abstracts of the articles published by the journal. They will help you understand whether your study relates to the research topics that have been published by the journal in the past. Also, determine your target audience and ask yourself whether the journal’s audience match your intended readers.
Problem 2: Lack of clarity on the originality, novelty, or significance
As researchers, you should always aim to contribute to enhancing existing knowledge in your research field. Any study that does not offer new insights or a novel perspective is not likely to be accepted for publication. But what authors neglect is highlighting the significance of their work sufficiently in the abstract or cover letter.
What You Should Do
Remember that journal editors receive thousands of submissions in a day, and it is not humanly possible to read all these papers in their entirety! Therefore, editors simply focus on the cover letter and the abstract of a submission to glean whether the paper is worth exploring. So, clearly highlight in your cover letter as well as your abstract regarding the knowledge gap or shortfalls in existing research that were investigated in your study. Be specific about how your study addresses this gap, and why your research can offer the correct solutions for the problems identified.
Problem 3: Poor language and manuscript presentation
A research paper that is not easily consumable or a manuscript that is haphazardly formatted can make reading a tedious experience. Editors like to read manuscripts by skimming through certain sections rather than dive deep into the complete paper. So, if your language is not up to the mark, if your writing has many grammatical errors, or if the paper is not well-formatted, it is likely to be desk rejected.
What You Should Do
Scientific writing warrants a certain style, tone, and format. Follow this. But ensure that you do not include excessive jargon in your paper and present your content in a way that’s easy to consume. Get your manuscript checked by professional editors or use English editing and proofreading services to eliminate critical grammar and syntax errors.
Also, read the submission guidelines or instructions for authors carefully before formatting your manuscript. Present all major sections (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) with content structured in appropriate paragraphs divided into well-defined sub-sections. Convey what each section covers with clear, well-defined sub-headings as editors are most likely to read them first.
Problem 4: Ethical issues like plagiarism and simultaneous submission
Journals follow strict ethical guidelines for publishing research papers, and not adhering to these guidelines could land you in trouble! Plagiarized content gets flagged when journals run your submitted manuscript through plagiarism checkers. And a high similarity score (more than 20% to 25%) is often returned to authors for revision. Other issues like submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to two journals is also considered unethical behavior. And with the rampant application of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the scientific field, non-disclosure of AI usage can also be deemed unethical.
What You Should Do
Each journal has their ethical guidelines outlined on their website, be it regarding animal/human trials, clinical registrations, or AI usage guidelines. Always read them carefully and ensure that your study adheres to all requirements. If you have used content (e.g., figures or graphs) from other sources, include copyright statements in the required format and cite the original work correctly in the reference list. Disclose use of any AI tools during the preparation of your research paper. Remember, using AI tools is not unethical. But failing to disclose where and how these tools assisted you in manuscript preparation is!
Another mistake that authors make is submitting to two journals at the same time in the hopes of increasing their chance of acceptance. This could lead to duplicate submission problems. So, once you submit to a journal, wait for the editorial process to complete, or write to the editor querying about the manuscript status if there’s a substantial delay before approaching a different journal.
Problem 5: Flaws in research methodology or study design
One of the key reasons for manuscript rejection is implementing a flawed study design to obtain research findings. These incorrect research methodologies generate inaccurate results, which could mislead future research directions. Therefore, journal editors and peer reviewers check for the accuracy of methods and steps in experimental analyses to ensure that no incorrect research findings get published.
What You Should Do
Do not make the mistake of identifying the wrong research methodology to perform your research. For instance, if you employ an outdated technique or method to evaluate your hypotheses while a more recent and highly accurate one exists, your research paper is likely to be rejected.
Another example is using a mismatched approach. If your research question can be better evaluated using a quantitative approach and you follow a qualitative approach, reviewers might highlight this during manuscript assessment. So, perform a thorough literature review of the works in your field and ensure that only scientifically verified state-of-the-art methodologies and relevant approaches are employed for the analyses.
Bonus Tip: Sometimes, authors overlook fundamental guidelines like the recommended length of the manuscript. Pay attention to any word count or page count limits suggested by the target journal. If a formatting template is provided, do not manipulate line spacing, fonts, or number of columns. Always avoid minor flaws by checking your manuscript for any inconsistencies between figures, tables, text, and reference numbering.
Final Thoughts
There can be many reasons for desk rejection, but these are some of the most common problems journals cite for manuscript rejection. Remember: By putting in time to select the right journal, identifying the basis of your study, polishing the format and content of your manuscript, and following journal guidelines, you can maximize your chance of acceptance. If you think you’ve made all the right moves, but want to be sure, choose Editage’s Desk Rejection Shield service and submit with confidence!
References
1. S. Ehara, K. Takahashi – Reasons for rejection of manuscripts submitted to AJR by international authors. AJR Am J Roentgenol, 2007. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17242215/
2. S. Goldfinch, K. Yamamoto – Peer review, refereeing and their discontents: a failed model or simply the least worst option? Prometheus Assessed? Research Measurement, Peer Review, and Citation Analysis. ScienceDirect, 201 Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781843345893500033
3. S.A. Hall, A.J Wilcox – The fate of epidemiologic manuscripts: a study of papers submitted to epidemiology. Epidemiology. 2007. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17301708/
Originally published on September 9, 2020. Revised on January 19, 2026
