Submission statistics:
We opened for submissions in September. The initial response was fantastic — clearly there was pent-up demand for a journal like Sociological Science. The headline numbers are as follows
- 46 Total submissions (including revisions after conditional acceptances). The graph below shows the distribution of submissions over time.
- 37 of these are original/first round submissions. Of these 37 first round submissions,
- 3 were accepted on the first round
- 11 were conditionally accepted on the first round
- 21 were rejected
- 2 manuscripts are still in process
- 9 conditionally accepted papers have been resubmitted and accepted, 2 are outstanding.
- No revise and resubmits. Zero!
- Based on 33 ultimate decisions, our acceptance rate to date is 36%
- The average number of days to a decision is 11 days. The following figure shows the distribution of days to a decision. Over 90% of decisions were made in less than three weeks.
- Based on 33 ultimate decisions, the 12 acceptances represent a 36% acceptance rate. This is somewhat higher than we might like it to be in the long run, but given the small sample size and the quality of the submissions we do not see cause for concern at this point.
We are very encouraged by these numbers. The submission volume is healthy for a new, yet-to-appear, journal, especially since we did very limited marketing and outreach prior to the launch (primarily through word of mouth and Twitter), and do not have the sponsorship of a major press or professional association. We think that when papers begin to appear, and the quality of the papers becomes apparent, submission volumes will increase.
Next steps
We are currently moving forward on a number of dimensions, including:
- A redesign of the sociologicalscience.com website, so that it can host accepted articles, ensure inclusion of articles in Google Scholar, and serve as a forum for discussion and debate
- Registration with CrossRef and archiving services in order to ensure permanent access to published articles.
- Establishment and routinization of post-acceptance publication procedures.
- Initiatives to build publicity around papers in the journal, and build a community around Sociological Science.
- Fundraising to put the journal on a sustainable financial footing.
Thanks again for your interest in and support of Sociological Science!