Criteria for Cochrane’s ‘reject and resubmit’ process

Cochrane’s ‘reject and resubmit’ process allows authors associated with Cochrane Groups (eg. Cochrane Review Groups) to revise high-priority manuscripts that would otherwise be rejected. These manuscripts can then be resubmitted for publication consideration.

A new criteria for rejecting manuscripts

At the moment, we are following more rigorous criteria for rejecting lower-quality manuscripts, leading to potentially more reject decisions and potentially including projects that have been submitted to us a while ago. Central Editorial Service (CES) will reach out to you to determine if these rejected manuscripts qualify for the ‘reject and resubmit’ option.

Please also take a look below for more information, including a reminder about manuscript resubmission criteria for ‘reject and resubmit’ and the general editorial process.

‘Reject and resubmit’ eligibility criteria:

Manuscripts eligible for this process must meet all the following criteria:

  1. Upon resubmission, the previously rejected manuscript must pass our initial quality assurance checks.     

  2. The Cochrane Review Group has identified the manuscript as a high priority and explained their decision.

  3. The Cochrane Review Group will actively support the authors in the revision process.

A couple of important things to note:

  • Authors will have to confirm the support of a Cochrane Review Group when resubmitting a previously rejected manuscript. Upon resubmission, all substantive comments provided with the reject decision must be adequately addressed or rebutted.

  • Please also note resubmission does not guarantee publication. A resubmitted manuscript must successfully complete the editorial process, or it will be rejected without the option to resubmit.

A few general process reminders:

  • All new submissions ready for peer review are now processed centrally by CES.

  • When a manuscript has been transferred from a Cochrane Review Group to CES, work by authors and the group needs to pause until an editorial decision is shared by CES. This means we avoid duplication of efforts and version control issues.

  • With the switch to the Focused Review Format, we now need overview tables and the completion of conversion checks with submission.

  • Authors and CRGs supporting them are strongly encouraged to use our pre-submission checklist prior to sending their work to CES to ensure it is ready for the editorial process and peer review. Successfully completing the checklist will allow for a faster and more efficient process.

Why have we changed the criteria?

  • High Submission Volume: In 2023, CES received more than double the expected 300 yearly submissions, leading to a workload that outstripped our capacity and longer turnaround times.

  • Maintaining High Standards: By being more selective, we ensure that only manuscripts meeting our high standards proceed, preserving resources for high-priority work.

  •  Improved Efficiency: Shorter turnaround times and manageable workloads will alleviate staff pressure and improve our processes and content quality.

  •  Enhanced Author Experience: Early rejections and shorter turnaround times will better serve our author community.

Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at editorial-service@cochrane.org.