Ethical concerns in manuscript rejections by medical journals: the need for transparency, timely decisions, and specific feedback

"We recently submitted an original research manuscript to an international medical journal, hoping for publication. After enduring an 8-month-long review process, we received the disappointing news that the journal had rejected our manuscript. The email contained a standard template response stating that our manuscript did not align with the journal’s focus and that the high volume of submissions prevented its acceptance. However, no specific reasons were provided, either in the email or through the journal’s submission platform." – write Babu Thirunavukkarasu Arun and Sharmila Vijayan in their article.
"This is a common problem faced by authors across all disciplines globally. To address this issue, journals should prioritize enhancing communication with authors. By providing constructive feedback and criticism, journals assist authors in improving their work and contributing to the advancement of their field. Moreover, the lack of specific feedback can be detrimental to the peer review process. If a journal consistently rejects articles without providing specific feedback, it can create a culture of superficial review and low-quality standards."
Another high-profile case has interested scientists. Read now


