Editorial Process and Timeline

JOMS works to the following maximum times for each stage of the editorial process. All times are in calendar days.

Stage What happens Target maximum
1. Desk screening and editor assignment Check of scope, formatting, similarity and ethics declarations. The manuscript is then either assigned to a handling editor or declined without review. 3 days
2. Peer review Double-blind review by at least two independent reviewers. 14 days
3. Editorial decision Accept, minor revision, major revision or decline, with reviewers' comments sent to the author. 2 days
4. Author revision The author returns the revised manuscript with a point-by-point response. 15 days
5. Final editorial approval The editor checks the revision and accepts the manuscript. 2 days
6. Production and proofing Copyediting and layout, followed by the author's approval of the proof. 4 days
7. DOI assignment and online publication DOI registration with Crossref and online publication. 1 day

With one round of revision, the target from submission to online publication is 41 days:

  • A desk decision is made within 3 days.
  • A first decision after peer review is made within 19 days.
  • An accepted article is published within 5 days of acceptance.

In practice, most manuscripts that need one revision are published within 35–40 days of submission.

Times can be longer in some cases:

  • Reviewers are difficult to find, or ask for more time.
  • More than one round of revision is needed.
  • Authors ask for an extension.

Authors who need more than 15 days to revise should contact the handling editor. The journal's measured performance is reported each year on the Journal Metrics page. The review process itself is described in the Peer Review Policy.