Most Common Reasons for Rejection of the Research Paper

Publication Date: 20 Jun 2018
Author: Ben Parker

Reasons for Rejection of a Research Paper and Ways of Solution

Rejection of a research paper by a journal is a common thing in the publishing world. Even papers which brought Nobel prize to their writers once were also rejected. All these facts, though, do not decrease the amount of disappointment after the realization that your work was not approved.

The situation can be fixed though by looking through possible reasons why the rejection took place and what can be done in order to have your work accepted.

Why Your Research Paper Could Be Rejected

1. The idea is not fully presented. The data and evidence in your work are not sufficient to properly support the conclusion which you came up with.
2. Wrong choice of journal. Your idea is not of interest to readers of the journal which you sent your work to.
3. Plagiarism. One of the most common reasons of the rejection is plagiarism. Moreover, citing yourself from your previous works can also cause the fact that your paper is not approved.
4. Formatting demands. Your work lacks some sections which are obligatory for publishing in this particular journal.
5. Language usage. The language used may be inappropriate, too simple or too complex.
6. Lack of originality. The novelty factor is often something that gives huge chances for the research paper to be published.

What Can Be Done for Your Research Paper to Get Accepted

1. Revise the presentation of your idea so that it is clear and the results that you came up with are statistically valid.
2. Make sure you choose the journal correctly. Reconsider whether your findings can be beneficial for the audience of the journal.
3. Check out whether data that you presented in support of your thesis are complete and reliable.
4. Ensure that you use appropriate words and your language is clear enough for the main message to be conveyed successfully.
5. Look through whether you followed all publisher’s instructions fully and correctly.
6. Use several plagiarism checkers. Your work must be original otherwise you may fail at your research paper being accepted.
7. Try to get good co-authors. Many writers prefer to write alone, however, engaging a co-author may increase your chances for your research paper to be recognized.
8. Read research papers of your colleagues who got successfully published and check what they have done in order for their pieces of writing being approved.

Having your research paper rejected is an unpleasant experience. However, by putting some effort to look through the reasons of rejection, the situation can be improved. Figure out at what stage you failed, make the necessary adjustments and the success will be inevitably yours.