Respecting the Policy of the Journal A Factor for Timely Publication

Abstract

Authors require timely peer review and publication for papers they send forpossible publication. Especially when the manuscript is needed for upgrading purpose,the demand for timely publication rises. Many manuscripts are sent to The EthiopianJournal of Social Sciences and Language Studies (EJSSLS) for quick and possiblepublication. The editors of the journal are working hard to satisfy the demand of theauthors. However, we the editors of the journal, during the last three years, have foundthat many authors do not strictly follow the policy of the journal in general and the“Information to Contributors” in particular. Consequently, timely publication hasbecome a challenge. Some areas that presented challenges to the editors are as follows.Language: When we call for paper, we always inform authors that theirmanuscript must be edited for language. However, the language used for composingmost of the manuscripts we have received so far is below the required standard–it doesnot well communicate the subject matter. Even after a manuscript is edited for language,incorporating the given comments in to the manuscript is time demanding for the editors.References: The journal follows a referencing style of American PsychologicalAssociation (APA) for any manuscript from different disciplines submitted to the journal.But authors send their manuscript with different citation and referencing styles. This alsohas presented challenges to the editors to release issues timely.Abstract: Problems related to abstract writing are twofold as far as the editors’experience is concerned. The “Information to Contributors”, which is given on the innerback page of the journal and posted on the journal’s webpage reads: “This [the abstract”should be a single paragraph standing alone (not italic), and not exceeding 250 words.The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, instruments used to collectdata, methods of analysis, the principal results and major conclusions as well asrecommendation/implication”. The problem is that many authors do not obey the giveninformation. For one thing, they write more than 250 words. For the other thing, they donot include the basic components of an abstract. A few authors may be because of theirbusy schedule ask the editors to write and to shorten the abstract for them. Imagine theburden it adds to the editors.Article Length: According to the policy of the journal, “original manuscriptsshould not exceed 15 pages. Book review and Article Review should not exceed 2000and 8,000 words respectively. Editorial preferably consist of no more than 1,000 to1,500 words and usually do not have subheadings. Short communication should notexceed 4 pages”. Yet, many of the manuscripts sent to the journal are beyond therequired length. Shortening the length to the required size takes longer time; hence delayof publication.Submission: The policy of the journal requires authors to sign and submitmanuscript submission form along with the manuscript as an email attachment.However, some authors do not do so. This delays the review process because the editorsdo not initiate the review process without getting guaranty from a corresponding authorthat the manuscript has not been published or has not been considered for possiblepublication somewhere else. After passing through review and editorial process, justbefore their release/publish, a few manuscripts have been found plagiarized. Hence, theeditors of the journal have the right to request corresponding authors to submit signedmanuscript submission form. The “Information to contributors” reads: “Signedmanuscript submission form should accompany the manuscript (it can be copied from thejournal’s Wabe page)”. Not doing so also delays timely publication.So far we have spent great deal of sacrifices to maintain quality of publicationsand time of issue releases. However, after now, though we do love helping our dearmanuscript contributors, we editors cannot give such services for varies reasons such aslarge number of submitted manuscripts, work burden and family responsibilities. Now,since the journal by default has reached the stage of reputability, the editors would beforced to prioritize manuscripts with very important issues and strictly follow the policyof the journal. Hence, dear respected manuscript contributors, to get your manuscriptspublished timely, please follow strictly the policy of the journal.

Regards,

The editor-in-Chief