106 PRS Proofreading and Editing Service PhD Experts • All Academic Areas • Fast Turnaround • High Quality cHAPteR 7 After submission: Acceptance, Rejection and Revision Waiting for a response from a journal to which you’ve submitted the paper that has cost you so much hard work and careful attention can feel like a time of limbo, so patience is required. You can use this time, however, to reflect on and record any alterations that come to mind as you agonise over whether you really did get everything right or not. Avoid changing any of the documents or files you actually sent to the journal, because they represent the versions of your work that you and the journal will be working with in the future if the response you receive is positive. Recording any ideas for changes in a separate note file associated with your original files can, however, be a useful way of keeping yourself in touch with your paper and preparing yourself for any revisions that may be necessary. 7.1 ‘Just what we’re looking For’: the successful Publishing Relationship This is, of course, the response that every scholar would like to receive each time he or she submits a paper for publication. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, but for those fortunate enough to find a suitable home for their work at once, celebration is in order, so do take the opportunity to give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back – it’s not a small accomplishment to successfully publish your work in a reputable journal in today’s highly competitive publishing environment. Do not, however, consider your work done. Even when a journal immediately accepts a paper for publication, the acceptance is often accompanied by requests for revisions. These tend to be minor, but that doesn’t mean they’re unimportant PARt III: commUnIcAtIng wItH JoURnAl edItoRs: sUBmIssIon, AccePtAnce, RevIsIon And ReJectIon