Editorial Cite This: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 16431-16432
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Peer Review at the Journal of the American Chemical Society
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signature of the best science is the influence and impact it has on future scientific discoveries. This guiding principle is one that we apply in evaluating the significance of original, fundamental research submitted for consideration by the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), and informs the decisions we make in our roles as Editors. JACS seeks to publish not only novel, basic (not applied) work across diverse areas of chemistry, but also groundbreaking, interdisciplinary research discoveries that emanate from the intersection of two or more complementary scientific disciplines. While retaining a principal focus on chemistry, the journal aims to represent the global chemistry community in a balanced way, publishing research across the breadth of the field, and applying a consistent high standard based on scientific merit. The editorial decisions about what to publish in JACS are the result of a collaboration between our editors and anonymous volunteer peer reviewers, all of whom are active researchers and experts in their fields. Evaluation of submitted manuscripts is a team effort that involves the Associate Editors of the journal, who represent a diverse cadre of experts drawn from the international community. JACS Associate Editors facilitate the bulk of the peer review and work with authors to present their research in the most effective way. JACS benefits also from the wide-ranging expertise of an Editorial Advisory Board of renowned scientists whose guidance is often sought on matters of editorial policy, or to assist as ad hoc referees. The JACS editors are advocates for the journal’s authors and readership, and we take great satisfaction and pride in assisting authors through the process of review and publication of their work. Editorial triage is a necessary step in our review process, not only to save time for our authors as well as reviewers but also to ensure not only high quality but most importantly broad appeal to the diverse contemporary readership of JACS. Our current process entails an initial scrutiny by at least two JACS editors before a manuscript is declined. To give our authors and readers more insight into our approach, beyond the Information for Authors available online, the new editorial triage process is summarized here: • When we think that a submitted manuscript is not a fit with the acceptance criteria applied by JACS, we ask a subject expert Associate Editor to provide a second opinion. In many cases, the Associate Editor’s independent evaluation agrees with our own, and the manuscript is then declined following that second editorial review. In cases where the Associate Editor’s assessment does not agree, the manuscript is assigned to that editor to coordinate detailed peer review and comment with the help of external referees. Having a second editor consider each submission in this fashion ensures that a subject editor with familiarity of the field is always involved in the decision-making. We are seeking to minimize the likelihood of the most impactful research failing to progress to external peer review by fellow scientists. Occasionally, an Associate Editor will ask © 2017 American Chemical Society
another Associate Editor to weigh in on such decisions, assuring a highly informed process. • When we are less certain about the overall suitability of a manuscript for JACS, we encourage one of our Associate Editors to undertake their own assessment, without any preliminary judgment. We assign such submissions directly to an appropriate Associate Editor, who determines if the manuscript should be declined or referred for external peer review. JACS Associate Editors who work in similar fields may consult with each other before making a decision to decline a submitted work, which provides an additional opinion to inform such actions. • When a manuscript is declined by JACS on the basis of being of insufficiently broad interest for the journal’s very diverse audience, the author may be advised to submit to a more specialized journal. The ACS has a large portfolio of pre-eminent journals that encompass a wide range of core chemistry sub-disciplines, newly emerging areas of interdisciplinary research, and Open Access publishing options. ACS Publications has been working closely with all Editors-in-Chief of the Society’s journals to enable efficient transfer of submissions from one journal to another (subject to approval by the corresponding author of the manuscript), and JACS is pleased to be able to assist authors with the Manuscript Transfer Service, accompanied by referee reports where appropriate, to expedite consideration by another ACS journal. In all cases, the aim of the JACS editorial team is to ensure the fair and thorough assessment of all manuscripts submitted to the journal. In order to clearly communicate the rationale behind those decisions to authors, we have also begun to incorporate some additional comments in our decision letters. By providing more substantive feedback to authors, we hope they will understand better the rationale for a given editorial decision. It is important to note that if an author is dissatisfied with an editorial decision, a well-established appeals process exists, whereby the first appeal must be directed to the Associate Editor who made the original decision. When we receive an appeal, we carefully examine the author’s scientific justifications. If we overlooked a key point in making an initial decision, we are always prepared to reconsider the manuscript based on salient information we missed. In general, authors should make every effort to clearly describe all relevant details in their initial submissions, and appealing an unfavorable decision made by one of our editors should be the exception, not the rule. Every editor on the JACS team, including myself, has had manuscripts declined for publication in JACS and other leading journals. We understand that such decisions can at times be hard to accept, because each of us puts so much of our passion and creativity into our research. Over our research careers, we have come to appreciate the importance of communicating our Published: November 22, 2017 16431
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b11541 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 16431−16432
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Editorial
science to the appropriate audience, and JACS is a fitting venue for only a portion of our work. Some studies are better suited for a more specialized journal. The JACS team works tirelessly to ensure that your research is carefully evaluated and to select the most impactful work to publish. If a given manuscript is not appropriate for JACS, we will strive to help you identify the ACS journal that is best suited to consider your work. We are committed to ensuring that youour authors and readers regard JACS as the ultimate forum in which to communicate significant, original, and creative advances in the chemical sciences in the broadest sense.
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Peter J. Stang, Editor
AUTHOR INFORMATION
ORCID
Peter J. Stang: 0000-0002-2307-0576 Notes
Views expressed in this editorial are those of the author and not necessarily the views of the ACS.
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DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b11541 J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 16431−16432
