Regrets! A summary of the rejected research and the reasons we could not publish them

Greetings!

Ascent in academic publishing is a difficult landscape to traverse. Many of us are lucky to have been guided by our teachers and peers as we enter our publishing space. We learn from each stumble (read rejection) and accommodate changes to have a so-called “perfect fit” for an article.

I believe all research projects have a heart that drives them to completion. The selection of any research topic is primarily driven by, or should be driven by, the insights of the principal guide, or the principal worker with special interest in that topic. Easy topic selection on the past research for the sake of completion of a project is essentially a failure from the start. Such a project is driven to rejection from the beginning till it gets swallowed by a predatory journal.¹

However, despite the best research being sent in for publication, sometimes, journals reject it. Reaching out to our authors, I felt it is essential to spell out why we reject submitted research.²

In the past 2 years, this journal has rejected approximately 50% articles in 2024 and 80% this year based on the number of submissions [Table 1]. Of these, original articles and case reports accounted for the majority.

Several articles submitted are out of scope. To reiterate, we welcome research on cutaneous and esthetic surgery. We continue to give preference to clinically oriented studies over experimental and animal studies. Articles pertaining to complex plastic surgery, maxillofacial surgery, vascular surgery, oculoplastic surgery, etc., are not accepted. Exceptional articles on core dermatology topics with surgical implications have been accepted.

Thesis-based research needs to be edited as per the journal’s instructions. We often receive an abridged version of a postgraduate thesis. These must be tailored as per journal instructions; otherwise, final acceptance is inordinately delayed. The selection of their topic may be based on the past research, but it must have new thought put in place, which seeks to improve our understanding of the subject or offers a variation in approach or treatment. Innovations are welcome. Please go through the published literature, as we often receive techniques quite similar or duplicate to published literature. Images must be of good quality, and comparative photographs should be taken with similar lighting and posture.³

We understand English may not be the primary language of some authors. Regrettably, some good research could not be accepted for these reasons despite numerous communications to the author. We urge you to take help from professionals suited to manuscript preparation and editing. Avoid any artificial intelligence (AI) use in manuscript writing. Editors, reviewers, and publishers are learning to recognize AI used in manuscript preparation. Till a formal recognition is accorded by consensus across editorial and publishing bodies,⁴ avoid it. Acknowledge it if used in any aspect of your research. Else, it casts a doubt on the authenticity of your research.

Our journal instructions are quite elaborate. Please go through them and reach out to us if there are still any doubts. Ensure your original research, if necessary, is Clinical Trials Registry - India registered.

We pride ourselves on accepting innovative research. Our motto of “Create new knowledge - publish the best research” ensures we do our best for each issue. For this, I acknowledge my editorial team and the publishers for giving their best. Our metrics reflect the journal’s improvement. Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery improved its CiteScore on Scopus. It has increased from 1.1 to 1.6 this year, thus giving a 31% rise for the journal! This is a huge leap, and it reflects the readers’ trust in our content. The journal has a SCImago Journal Rank Indicator of 2024 at Q2 (0.425), an increase from 2022, where we stood at Q3 (0.244).⁵

Hello world! Your contributions to cutaneous and aesthetic surgery are welcome!⁶