Success story
From a Rejected Manuscript to a Published Article
Principal investigator
Cardiology / clinical research
From two editorial rejections to an accepted publication
One Principal Investigator of the Cardiology Department he arrived at OMEDICS with a manuscript that had already been rejected by two journals. In both cases, the decision had been editorial and the work had not even reached external peer review.
After two years of trying, the author considered that the data perhaps did not have enough scope and was considering archiving the project. However, the problem was not in the quality of the data, but in how it had been analyzed, structured, and presented.
Current need
The challenge was identify why a paper with solid data failed to pass the editorial filter and reframe it to increase its real chances of publication.
To this end, it was necessary:
- Independently review the methodology and approach of the work.
- Determine whether the statistical analysis was correctly answering the research question.
- Identify the finding with the highest scientific value.
- Restructure the manuscript so that message was clear from the beginning.
- Select a journal suitable for the actual profile of the study.
- Properly prepare the communication with the editor and reviewers.
How do we approach it?
From OMEDICS We are reviewing the project from scratch to understand what was limiting their publication possibilities and which aspects could be improved without changing the scientific basis of the study.
Our work included:
- Complete and independent methodological review of the manuscript.
- Statistical reanalysis using a more suitable model for the data.
- Restructuring the article around the main finding.
- Reduction of the weight of secondary results that were detracting from the clarity of the message.
- Review of the publication strategy and selection of a journal better aligned with the study.
- Preparation of the letter to the editor.
- Support in responding to reviewers during the editorial process.
Results
- The manuscript finally achieved editorial acceptance.
- Process resolution with minor revisions.
- Publication achieved after two years of previous unsuccessful attempts.
- Seven months from the first meeting with OMEDICS to acceptance.
- Recovery of a job that was about to be archived.
