Part III: Query

The Waiting Game

Response Times and Next Steps

Editors vary in their response times to queries. Some reply by email within hours; others take days or weeks... If you haven’t heard on an email query within a week, it’s probably safe to call the journal and ask if the editor received your message and what the standard response time is.

One of the nice things about queries is that it’s generally accepted practice for you to submit queries on the same topic to multiple journals at once. You can efficiently approach several journals simultaneously and see who expresses interest. You can also tweak your approach to make your topic appeal to different journals – and possibly even end up with two or three different articles! (There’s that streamlining again…)

Eventually, you’ll get a response to your query – yea or nay. For the nays, consider the experience as a research opportunity, teaching you something about what isn’t of interest. In any research project, getting a negative result on your hypothesis is still a successful outcome, right?

For the yeas, it’s time to do some additional analysis of the journals that are still in the running.

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• Introduction
• Module 1
  Overview of Scholarly Journal Publishing
  Module 1
  Overview of Scholarly Journal Publishing
  Publish or Perish The Scope and Purpose of this Tutorial Taking Your Place in the History of Scholarship Self Assessment Description of a Scholarly Journal An Overview of the Scholarly Publishing Process Roles in Scholarly Publishing Conflicts Among the Players Changing Business Models in Scholarly Publishing The Open Access Model Open Access Business Models The Impact of OA on Authors Types of Articles You can Propose and Publish Collaboration and its Discontents The Responsibilities of Authorship Managing Your Citations Learning About the World in which You Write Get Yourself a Mentor and a Friend Scholarly Publishing is a Long-distance Run What do You Know?
• Module 2
  Laying the Groundwork: Ideas, Journal Research & Queries
  Module 2
  Laying the Groundwork: Ideas, Journal Research & Queries
  Objectives Preparing to Publish - Idea Generation KISS: Keep It Simple; Streamline! Quiz: Are you a KISS-er? Discover Your Next Article Focus Your Ideas Identify Appropriate Scholarly Journals Consult Disciplinary Journal Guides Review Reference Lists and Bibliographies Use Academic Journal Indices Talk to Your Colleagues Balancing Impact with Acceptance Rates Measuring Impact Circulation Figures The Nuances of Journal Characteristics Journal Queries Sending a Query Response Times and Next Steps Progress with Profiling Concept Review
• Module 3
  Deadlines & Details - Manuscript Prep & Submission
  Module 3
  Deadlines & Details - Manuscript Prep & Submission
  Objectives The Research Context Searching the Literature Resources for Searching the Literature The Literature Search as a Non-Linear Process Recording and Organizing Your Information The Writing Process: Overview and Tips Practical Elements of the Writing Process University of Colorado Writing Centers Writing Resources on the Web Understanding Your Disciplinary Style Ethical Issues in Research and Writing Avoiding Plagiarism Other Ethical Pitfalls Using Human Subjects and Animals in Research Attribution of Authorship Obtaining Permission to Use Copyrighted Material Following Instructions for Authors Next Steps: Colleague Review Submitting Your Manuscript Manuscript Checklist Summary and Review
• Module 4
  From Good to Great - The Editorial Process
  Module 4
  From Good to Great - The Editorial Process
  Objectives Submitting a Manuscript Types of Peer Review Masked and Open Reviews The Care and Management of Manuscripts Making the Cut Entering the Review Zone Peer Review Quiz Reviewer Considerations in Evaluating Manuscripts Waiting for Responses Making the Most of In-Between Times What to Expect When You're Expecting Feedback Rejection is Never Fun Requests for Resubmission with Revisions Revision, Revision, Revision Resubmitting your Manuscript You've Been Accepted! Now What? The Production Process Creating Your 'Need to Know' List The A to Z of the Review and Editorial Process
• Module 5
  Making it Yours - Customizing Your Publishing Plan
  Module 5
  Making it Yours - Customizing Your Publishing Plan
  Objectives From Overwhelmed to on Top of it All Identify Where You Want to Go Of Index Cards and Spiral Notebooks Low-Tech Solutions Going for Technology Best Practices in Sustaining Creative Development Continuing Your Education Mastering Scholarly Publishing