Why Manuscripts are Not Acceptable for Publication

Abstract

As editors, we often are asked why some manuscripts are not considered acceptable for publication.
Writing a scholarly piece of work is not a skill that people automatically acquire simply by obtaining an
advanced academic degree. Being capable of producing a manuscript of publishable quality takes time, effort
and, generally, numerous rewrites and revisions.

There are a number of reasons manuscripts are not considered acceptable by the editors of the Pacific
Rim International Journal of Nursing Research, as well as by other reputable nursing research journals. These
reasons include, but are not limited to:
• the topic is not suitable for or of interest to the journal;
• the content lacks depth and breadth or contains incorrect information;
• the content is poorly structured, difficult to follow or makes no sense;
• there are numerous grammatical and English language errors;
• relevant terms are not defined or explained;
• the review of literature fails to present sufficient background for the research;
• the description of how the sample was obtained is poorly described or not described;
• the sample characteristics are missing or poorly presented;
• a weak research design is used;
• the research procedure (data gathering process) is either lacking, poorly described or presented in a
confusing manner;
• information on the research instruments used is inadequate or lacking;
• in qualitative research, insufficient data are presented to support the themes or categories identified;
• in quantitative research, the statistical analyses are poorly explained or their use is questionable;
• the discussion section fails to address all significant study findings and/or fails to relate the findings
to prior research;
• conclusions are ill-founded and not based upon the actual study’s findings;
• the manuscript exceeds the length specified in the journal’s Instructions or Guidelines to Authors;
and,
• all or part of the manuscript is in non-compliance with the journal’s Instructions or Guidelines to
Authors.

As editors of the Pacific Rim International Journal of Nursing Research, we have found many of the
manuscripts submitted are, initially, not acceptable for publication because of any number of the reasons stated
above. Thus, manuscripts deemed to possibly be acceptable for publication are returned to the author(s) for
major revisions prior to being further considered for publication.

When an author prepares a manuscript, he/she needs to pay close attention to the journal’s Instructions
or Guidelines to Authors so as to avoid having their work considered unacceptable for publication.
Manuscripts that contain fewer flaws require less time to review and edit, thereby decreasing the cost of editing
to the author and deemed acceptable for publication sooner. Thus, it always is advisable for authors to adhere to
the journal’s Instructions or Guidelines to Authors, as well as to review articles that recently have been
published in the journal to see the editors’ expectations for manuscripts considered acceptable for publication.