|
Simulation & Gaming:
An Interdisciplinary Journal of Theory, Practice and Research
http://sag.sagepub.com Reviewing & revising
|
|
This section tells you about the various stages through which your article goes on its way to publication. Draft & final In this Guide, the term draft refers to versions (v1, v2 or v3) of a manuscript that have been submitted for possible publication and that are going through the review process. Final refers to the version an article that is (to be) prepared for the publisher. If no distinction is made between these two versions in this Guide, then use the guide line for both types. The version of your ms is indicated in both the ms ID and the subject line of emails (eg, "000_v2_Yourname_..." or "000_f_Yourname_..."). Be sure to update the v number when you send in a new version. Author-suggested reviewers In the cover letter (email) for v1 (first version) of your draft, include three suggested reviewers. Provide the following information:
The editor (or guest editor) may or may not ask one or both of your suggested reviewers. Exclusive submission In the cover letter (email) for v1 (first version) of your draft, include a clear note that indicates (a) that your article is being submitted exclusively to S&G, and that it will not be submitted to another journal or edited volume during the review process, until such time that the article has been rejected by S&G, and (b) that you will not withdraw your article without prior and express permission being given by S&G Revisions It is extremely rare for a manuscript to be accepted outright. One or two revisions are the norm. The maximum number of times that a manuscript can be reviewed is three. If reviewers' evaluations of version 3 of the manuscript remain negative, the article will be rejected. The more closely you follow this Guide, the greater the chance of your article being accepted. In similar vein, the more you incorporate the suggestions made by the reviewers, the greater the likelihood it has of being published. Time Manuscript evaluators are normally given six weeks to review an article, but can take longer (especially over academic holidays). Other things (e.g., my absence) often add another month or so. In all, you can expect to get reviews back within three months. This time can be considerably lengthened if this Guide is not followed exactly. Of particular importance here is to use the correct ms ID on every email that you send. All submissions, drafts and evaluations are done by e-mail. Do not send your ms by ordinary post. Evaluations Your article will be reviewed by two or three evaluators. The ms evaluation criteria are available for you to see, so that you know on what basis your article is being evaluated. Once all evaluations have arrived, the editor will write to you, in one of five ways.
Versions 2, 3 and f - Revise well If you are asked to prepare a new version (v2, v3 or f) of the first version of article, you need to take full account of the commentaries provided by the reviewers and the editor. After you receive reviewers' comments on v1, it is probable that you will continue development of your article with the coaching review process. Author response and revision sheet When sending back your next version of the article, you must include an author response and revision sheet. This simply itemizes in summary form the major revisions that you have made. It also provides reasons why you did not follow certain of the reviewers' suggestions . It is good practice (substantively and respectfully) to make it easy for reviewers to understand why you have not followed their advice. It is perfectly legitimate for you not to agree with a reviewer, but it is also legitimate for a reviewer to expect some form of explanation. Place your author response and revision sheet at the start of your draft (v2 or v3) and final ms, inside your Word file attachment, so that reviewers can read it before they look at the revised version of your draft. Reviewers, quality, respect You should also remember that reviewers' work often goes goes largely unsung, without public recognition -- only the most enlightened universities fully recognize the invaluable work done by reviewers. Their main satisfaction comes from seeing authors revise their articles well. Reviewers generally put much effort and time into their evaluations; they try to be encouraging, concrete and specific. Their main concern is the quality of the journal, which derives essentially from the quality of your article. Sometimes reviewers may seem rather harsh. However it is wise to keep in mind that they do put in much time and effort, first to read your article, second the think about how it might be improved, third to write a commentary that will help you the author to improve. Be grateful for reviewers' help. In revising your article, therefore, it is in the interest of everyone to follow the advice of the reviewers and editor as far as possible. The prime objective is to improve the quality of your article (and ultimately that of the journal). You will not wish to have an article of yours published that is not of the highest quality possible. However, less academic and more relational issues are also at stake. One of these is respect for the hard work that the reviewers have put into supplying you with help, help from which you, not they, will benefit. Thus. if you chose not to follow their suggestions, then you need to justify this (see Response & Revision Sheet above). Final version At some point you will be asked to prepare a final version of your article. The editor may require certain revisions to be made from a previous draft version. Other formal changes (such as inclusion of bio-statement and publication agreement) are explained in the ms layout and the example ms sections in this guide. If any pieces are missing in the final version, you will be asked to supply a whole new package (not just the missing piece). Publication agreement With your final ms, you must include a publication agreement. Each author must sign an agreement. Your ms will not be processed further and sent in for typesetting until the publication agreement(s) has (have) been received. You (and your co-authors) must send your agreement(s) directly to the S&G Production Editor at Sage Publications, by post or by fax. Only send this at the time that Some while after your final manuscript has been sent to the publisher, you will receive page proofs. It is essential to correct the proofs within three days and return them to the editor or the publisher as indicated. If your contact details change or are likely to change during this period, it is vital to notify both the publisher and the editor. Your article will not be published until the corrected proofs are returned to the publisher. If necessary your article will be pulled from an issue and held over until a later date (which may be several issue later). Rejection About 40% of articles submitted to S&G are rejected, either at the outset (version 1) or at some point in the review process (versions 2 or 3). The main reasons for rejection at the outset are as follows.
Friendly advice Authors are thus strongly advised to do the following before submitting an article.
|