Most of the time, when you are preparing to publish your study, you are in a hurry. Whether you are a student whose graduation depends on publishing a certain number of articles or a university faculty member whose academic promotion relies on publishing a certain number of articles, knowing the acceptance rate of the selected journal is crucial.
The acceptance rate is determined by dividing the number of articles a journal publishes each year by the total number of articles submitted to that journal in the same year. For example, if a quarterly journal publishes 40 articles in a year and receives 200 article submissions during the same year, then the acceptance rate is 20%.
Well-known journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine or JAMA have a very low acceptance rate. The actual acceptance rate of JAMA for 2022 was 11%. Such rates are even higher in prestigious specialist journals. For example, the acceptance rate for JAMA Oncology was 14% in 2022. The rate is even higher for other specialist journals.
New journals, journals without international recognition, or those that are not indexed in reputable databases such as Medline or Clarivate may have higher acceptance rates, sometimes up to 70%. Some non-selective journals may accept up to 90% of submitted articles.
In addition to the difference in acceptance rates among different journals, even within a specific journal, the acceptance rate for different types of articles might vary. For instance, the acceptance rate for research manuscripts in JAMA was only 4% in 2022, and the acceptance rate for original articles in JAMA Oncology was only 8% in 2022. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the acceptance rate of the journal not only overall but also specifically for the type of manuscript you are submitting.
Currently, many journals that follow standard medical journalism practices report their acceptance rate from the previous year in their “Instructions to Authors” or similar sections. Before submitting your manuscript to a journal, it is advisable to read these “Instructions to Authors” or search for information regarding the acceptance rate on other pages. This will help you determine whether the journal is a suitable medium for your manuscript or not.
If you are short on time to publish your article, selecting a journal with a 5% acceptance rate might not be wise because there is a 95% chance that your manuscript will be rejected unless you are confident about the novelty of your research question, the rigor of your study’s design and methodology, the clear presentation of the results, and robust arguments in the discussion.
Selecting the right journal for your manuscript is a task that requires many years of experience or the support of a professional team who can review all these aspects before submitting your article.
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