How to Respond to a Desk Rejection (and What to Do Next)
A desk rejection is an editor's decision on fit, not a verdict on your research. Learn how to read the letter, when to appeal, and how to pick the next journal.
The best response to a desk rejection is usually to read the editor's reason and fix what you can. Then send the paper to a better-fitting journal within a week or two. An appeal is the right move only when the editor made a factual mistake, and several publishers do not accept appeals against rejections made without peer review. A desk rejection is a decision about fit and priority at one journal, so it says little about whether your research is sound.
A desk rejection means the editor declined your manuscript without sending it to external peer reviewers. It is common. The editor-in-chief of The Plant Cell wrote in 2022 that the journal declines about 50% of submissions without external review. That is one journal's figure, and rates differ between journals, but it shows the scale. At that journal, about half of all submissions get this decision.
What a desk rejection means
A desk rejection is an editorial decision made on the manuscript as submitted, before any reviewer sees it. At many journals one or two editors read the abstract, the cover letter and parts of the paper, then decide whether it fits the journal and is ready for review. The decision tends to arrive faster than a rejection after peer review, because no reviewers are involved.
It is not a verdict on you or on the quality of your research. Reviewers are a limited resource. The Plant Cell editor-in-chief says that before the journal introduced a prereview consultation in 2015, roughly 90% of manuscripts went to external review, a level that risked reviewer fatigue. A paper can be sound and still be declined because the journal publishes a different kind of work.
It is also not the same as a rejection after review. A rejection after review comes with reviewer reports, and you can learn from them. A desk rejection often comes with two or three sentences, and the rest you have to work out yourself.
Why editors desk reject papers
Most desk rejections come from a short list of reasons. Elsevier's guidance for editors names several standard decision terms, which shows how editors think about them. The table matches each reason to what you can do.
| Reason | What the editor means | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Out of scope | The topic or type of study does not fit the journal | Choose a journal whose recent papers resemble yours |
| Insufficient impact or below publication standards | The contribution looks too small or too incremental for this journal | Frame the contribution more clearly, or aim at a journal with a lower novelty bar |
| Methods concerns | The design, sample or analysis does not support the conclusions | Fix what you can, add analyses, and state the limits |
| Not following instructions | The paper ignores the journal's format, length or reporting rules | Reformat to the author guidelines |
| Language | The writing is unclear enough that the editor cannot judge the science | Edit and proofread before you resubmit |
| Missing statements | Ethics approval, data availability or AI-use disclosure is absent | Add the statements the journal requires |
| Ethics concerns | The editor suspects misconduct such as plagiarism or simultaneous submission | Respond to the specific concern with evidence |
| Unable to secure reviewers | The editor did not find reviewers in time | Submit elsewhere, and ask whether the journal offers a transfer |
Elsevier's page on decision terms lists out of scope, insufficient impact, below publication standards and a separate "Reject - Potential Ethics Concerns" term. It also names "unable to secure reviewers" and "poor language" as common reasons for rejection. An ethics-flagged rejection also blocks the article transfer option.
Our journal submission checklist covers the fit checks to run before you submit,.
How to read the editor's letter
Start with what the letter says, then separate the reason from the courtesy. Most desk rejection letters open with thanks and close with good wishes. The reason is in one or two sentences in between. Read those sentences twice and write them out in your own words.
These phrases are typical, and each points to a different next step.
| Phrase in the letter | Likely meaning | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| "Does not fall within the scope of the journal" | Wrong audience | Find a journal with a closer match |
| "Better suited to a more specialized journal" | The finding is real but narrow for this readership | Move to a specialist journal |
| "Not of sufficient general interest" | The journal wants broader significance | Move to a journal with a narrower readership |
| "Does not meet our priorities at this time" | A judgment about priority, often unrelated to quality | Resubmit elsewhere without major changes |
| "We were unable to find suitable reviewers" | A logistics problem | Ask about a transfer, then submit elsewhere |
| "Concerns about the methodology" | An editor sees a design or analysis issue | Check the methods before sending the paper anywhere |
| "The manuscript requires substantial language editing" | The writing blocks the review | Get the paper edited and proofread |
If the letter gives no reason, you can write a short, polite reply asking whether the editor can suggest a better-fitting journal. Some editors answer in a sentence, and that sentence can save you a round of guessing. Do not ask the editor to re-read the paper, since that sounds like an appeal.
How to respond to a desk rejection in the first two days
Wait a day before you reply or resubmit, and use the time to decide whether you are dealing with a fit problem, a quality problem or a mistake. The right response depends on which one it is, and a message written the next day is usually calmer and shorter.
- Save the letter and the submission files. You will need the manuscript ID, the date and the exact wording later.
- Tell your co-authors. All authors should agree on the next step, and Elsevier's appeal policy requires that all authors agree to an appeal.
- Sort the reason into fit, contribution, methods, presentation or ethics, using the table above.
- Decide whether an appeal is reasonable. The next section explains when it is.
- If you plan to appeal, do not submit the paper to another journal while the appeal is open. Elsevier's policy says the corresponding author must not submit the manuscript to another journal, or start a transfer, while an appeal is under consideration.
Can you appeal a desk rejection?
You can ask, but publishers differ, and Elsevier's appeal policy excludes rejections made outright by the editorial team. Check the journal's own page before you write anything, because the rules differ between journals even inside one publisher.
| Publisher | What its pages say about appeals |
|---|---|
| Elsevier | Appeals are considered only for manuscripts that were peer reviewed, not for those rejected outright by the editorial team. They must come within 1 month of the decision, from the corresponding author with all authors agreeing, and only one appeal per submission is considered. |
| Taylor & Francis | Journals welcome genuine appeals backed by strong evidence or new data, and editors rarely reverse decisions. Editors consider one appeal per article, and all decisions on appeals are final. T&F says submitting elsewhere is generally advised, because rejections often rest on priority judgments that an appeal usually cannot change. |
| Springer Nature | Journals in the BMC family point authors who want to appeal to the BMC Editorial Policies. For other Springer Nature journals, check the journal's own page for its procedure. |
| Wiley | A Wiley spokesperson told Retraction Watch in 2017 that journals commonly have appeal mechanisms and that the process differs from journal to journal. |
The pattern across these pages is the same. Appeals can succeed when you show a concrete error, such as an editor who misread the scope, a factual mistake about your methods, or a conflict of interest. They rarely succeed when you disagree with a judgment about novelty or interest. Elsevier's policy says so directly, and it lists a difference of opinion about the interest, novelty or suitability of a manuscript among the grounds that are not eligible.
For a desk rejection, that leaves a narrow path. If you believe the editor made a factual mistake, write a short, polite message that names the mistake and gives the evidence. If you only disagree with the editor's judgment, move on, because your time is better spent on the next submission. Even where a journal does not run a formal appeal process for desk rejections, you can still send the editor one factual correction.
A short appeal email you can adapt
Keep the email to one page, with one specific point. This template is for the case where you believe the decision rested on a factual error.
Subject: Appeal - Manuscript ID [number] - [short title]
Dear Dr [Editor's surname],
Thank you for considering our manuscript and for your decision of [date]. We would like to ask you to reconsider one point.
The decision letter states that [quote the reason in a few words]. We believe this rests on a misunderstanding. [One or two sentences with the fact. Example: the study includes a validation cohort of N = 240 (Section 2.3, Table 2), which addresses the sample size concern.]
We understand that editorial decisions involve judgment and that you may keep your decision. If you agree that this point changes the assessment, we would be glad to send any clarification you need.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, [Name], on behalf of all authors
Send it from the corresponding author's address, copy no one else, and put the manuscript ID in the subject line. Elsevier asks for the word "Appeal" and the manuscript reference number in the subject line, and the same format works at most journals. Do not appeal and submit elsewhere at the same time.
Proofread your manuscript before the next submission
ProofreaderPro.ai edits grammar, clarity and academic tone in your manuscript, so the next editor judges your research and not your sentences.
Proofread my paperHow to choose the next journal
Choose the next journal by what it published in the last two years, not by its name or metrics. A journal whose recent papers resemble yours has shown that it takes your type of work. Open the last four issues and check three things: the topics, the study designs and the typical length.
The ProofreaderPro.ai journal finder can speed this up. You paste your title and abstract. It shows which journals published the papers closest to yours, with citation metrics, open access status and article processing charges from open scientific databases. It is free to use. Treat the list as a starting point and then read each journal's aims and scope page.
Check four more things before you pick:
- Aims and scope. Compare the journal's own description with your paper's central claim.
- Article types. Make sure the journal accepts your type of paper, whether original research, short report or review.
- Fees. Look at the article processing charge and whether your institution covers it.
- Review speed. Many journals publish their time to first decision, and a long wait costs you months.
Transfer services
Many publishers offer a transfer after a rejection. A transfer sends your manuscript to another journal in their portfolio. Transfers save time because you do not re-enter the submission details. A transfer doesn't mean acceptance, since the new journal judges the paper on its own criteria.
| Service | What the publisher's page says |
|---|---|
| Springer Nature Transfer Desk | The editor-in-chief recommends the manuscript to the Transfer Desk, which suggests journals within one working day. The service is free, nothing is transferred without your approval, and reviewer reports from the first submission are not transferred. Destinations come from a portfolio of over 2,600 BMC, Palgrave and Springer titles. |
| Wiley Refer and Transfer | An editor referral or the Transfer Desk Assistant offers journals, with up to 8 suggestions from the assistant. Editor referrals are valid for 120 days. The manuscript, files and any reviewer reports move with you, and the new editor decides whether to send it for further review. |
| Elsevier Article Transfer Service | Available only at journals set up for it. You decide whether to transfer and can cancel before the final submission. Reviewer comments move with the paper only if the originating journal is configured that way. |
If you receive a transfer offer, read the destination journal's scope before you accept. A transfer offer usually shows that the editor thinks the paper fits there, and it is still worth checking yourself.
What to change before you resubmit
Change what the editor's reason points to first, and then fix the usual small weaknesses that cost papers at every journal. If you send the same file to the next journal with a new name on the cover letter, the editor's reason goes unused.
Fit and framing
Rewrite the cover letter and the first paragraph of the abstract for the new journal's readers. Name the journal's topic in your first two sentences and say what your study adds to it. Our guide to writing a journal cover letter has a template.
Methods and claims
If the letter mentioned methods, read your own methods section as an editor would. Check that the sample, the analysis and the limits are stated, and that the conclusions do not go past the data. Add a limitations paragraph if you do not have one.
Language and formatting
Unclear English is a common reason for a quick decline. Proofread the whole paper, not only the abstract, and check the format against the new journal's author guidelines. ProofreaderPro.ai corrects grammar, spelling, tense and academic tone in one pass and exports a Word file with tracked changes on the Academic Plus plan, so you can review each edit.
Statements and AI-use disclosure
Check whether the new journal requires an AI-use disclosure, a data availability statement, an ethics approval statement or a conflict of interest statement. Requirements differ between journals, and a missing statement is an easy reason to be declined. Our guide to writing an AI-use disclosure statement and the per-publisher disclosure guide cover the wording.
References
Check that every reference exists and is formatted in the new journal's style. The AI Citation Checker checks each reference in a pasted list against Crossref and Semantic Scholar,. Our hallucinated-citation audit has the full pre-submission checks. Match your in-text citations to your reference list by hand, because those tools do not do that comparison.
A two-week plan after a desk rejection
Most researchers can have the paper back in review within two weeks if they follow a plan. The plan below assumes you are not appealing.
| Days | Task |
|---|---|
| 1 to 2 | Read the letter, inform your co-authors, and sort the reason |
| 3 to 4 | Draft a shortlist of three journals using recent issues and the journal finder |
| 5 to 6 | Check scope, article types, fees and statements for your top choice |
| 7 to 9 | Fix the issues the letter raised, then revise the abstract and the cover letter |
| 10 to 11 | Proofread the whole paper and reformat to the new author guidelines |
| 12 | Run the reference check and match in-text citations to the list |
| 13 to 14 | Final read by a co-author, then submit |
If the next result is a rejection after peer review, the reviewer reports give you something to work with. Our guide to the response-to-reviewers letter covers that stage.
Desk rejection checklist
- I have saved the decision letter and the submission files.
- All co-authors know about the decision.
- I can state the editor's reason in one sentence.
- I have decided whether the reason is fit, contribution, methods, presentation or ethics.
- I appeal only if I can name a factual error and give evidence for it.
- I have not submitted elsewhere while an appeal is open.
- I have read the aims and scope and the last four issues of the next journal.
- I have checked article types, fees and review speed.
- I have rewritten the cover letter and abstract for the new readers.
- I have proofread the paper and matched the author guidelines.
- I have added every statement the new journal requires, including AI-use disclosure.
- I have checked that each reference exists and that in-text citations match the list.
Frequently asked questions
How do I respond to a desk rejection?
Wait a day, read the editor's reason, and decide whether it is about fit, contribution, methods, presentation or a factual mistake. Then fix what you can and submit to a better-fitting journal. Reply to the editor only to thank them, to ask for a journal suggestion, or to correct a specific factual error.
What does desk rejection mean?
It means the editor declined your manuscript without sending it to external peer reviewers. The decision is based on fit, priority and basic readiness. It is common, and The Plant Cell reports that it declines about 50% of submissions without external review.
How long does a desk rejection take?
It depends on the journal. A desk rejection skips peer review, so it tends to arrive sooner than a decision after review. Many journals state their typical time to first decision on their website.
Can I appeal a desk rejection?
At some journals you can ask, but several publishers limit formal appeals to peer-reviewed manuscripts. Elsevier's policy excludes manuscripts rejected outright by the editorial team, and Taylor & Francis says editors rarely reverse decisions. Check the journal's own page, and appeal only to correct a factual mistake.
How soon should I appeal?
Elsevier's policy sets a window of 1 month from the decision for appeals that it accepts. Other publishers and journals set their own limits, so check the journal's page. A short appeal sent within days is better than a long one sent weeks later.
Can I submit to another journal while I appeal?
Not at Elsevier journals. Its policy says the corresponding author must not submit the manuscript to another journal, or start a transfer, while an appeal is being considered. Check the policy of the journal you are appealing to.
Does a desk rejection hurt my chances at the next journal?
It should not. A new journal assesses the paper on its own criteria, and a transfer starts a fresh assessment at the receiving journal. A desk rejection is a decision about one journal's fit.
Should I use a transfer service?
Yes, if the offered journal fits your paper's scope. Transfers save re-entry of the submission details and are free at Springer Nature's Transfer Desk. A transfer doesn't mean acceptance, and reviewer reports may not travel with the paper, so check the destination journal's aims and scope.
What should I fix before resubmitting?
Fix the reason in the editor's letter first. Then rewrite the cover letter for the new journal's readers, proofread the whole paper, format it to the new author guidelines, add the required statements, and check your references. The checklist above lists each step.
How do I choose the next journal after a desk rejection?
Pick a journal whose last four issues contain papers like yours in topic, design and length. A tool such as the journal finder shows journals that published the closest papers to your abstract, and the journal's aims and scope page confirms the fit.
Correct grammar, tense and academic tone across your whole manuscript before you resubmit, and export tracked changes so each edit is easy to review.
Lisa holds a PhD in linguistics from NYU, and has always been curious about how computers can leverage applied linguistics to understand and communicate in human language and assist with editing human written content. She is currently the Chief Marketing Officer at ProofreaderPro, where she leads marketing across copy, social media, email, and offline channels.
