Q: Will a journal accept an article based on research that has been done 2 years ago?

Detailed Question -

I defended my master's thesis in February 2016 but the data gathering was done in October 2015 and the final revision was submitted to my university in March 2016. I thought of submitting my thesis for journal publication. Do you think they would still accept it when it's been done 2 yrs ago? I had been very busy after graduation and I never had the chance to submit my research paper for publication. Hope for your enlightenment.

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

I understand that you intend to publish your thesis as an article in a journal. Also, you are concerned if a journal will accept your article since the research was carried out 2 years ago. There should be no problem in a journal accepting your manuscript even if the research was carried out 2 years ago.

 

However, you should ensure that your work is novel before you proceed to submission. Hence, before you submit to a journal I recommend that you carry out an in-depth literature search to check if any similar work has been published within the last two years that compromises the novelty of your study.

 

If you find that a similar work has been published already, you might face difficulty in finding acceptance in a high impact factor journal.

 

Related reading:

 

How can I judge the novelty of my study?