Article processing procedure

The article processing procedure in SIM follows the following scheme: the editor-in-chief or the deputy editor-in-chief, or the section editor where the article is submitted, has two weeks to review a submission and make an initial editorial decision, which can either result in rejection of the article or its assignment to an editor.

The "desk reject" process at SIM journal follows the principles outlined in the editorial by Régis Meissonier (2015), then Editor-in-Chief of SIM, titled "Critical Points of a Desk Reject" This editorial specifies the importance of the following elements: "the scientific nature of the manuscript, precision of the argumentation, clarity of writing style, structure, and level of French or English, as well as other points specified in the author guidelines". It has formalized four additional critical for the journal:

1. To what extent does the article fall within the field of information systems?
2. What justification for the research is provided?
3. What is the originality of the article?
4. Is the methodology sufficiently rigorous?

Furthermore, a desk reject can be justified because of scientific misconduct, as already observed in the past (Honig 2018; Tourish 2020). SIM journal has clarified the ethical principles it upholds and that authors must follow: the National Charter for Research Integrity of the CNRS, the European Charter for Researchers, and the AIS (Association for Information Systems) policy. Finally, all submissions are now subject to authenticity and plagiarism checks using dedicated software.

References

Meissonier, R. (2015), “Les points critiques d’un desk reject”, Systèmes d’information & management, ESKA, Paris, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 3–7, doi:10.3917/sim.153.0003. 

Honig, B., Lampel, J., Baum, J. A. C., Glynn, M. A., Jing, R., Lounsbury, M., Schüßler, E., Sirmon, D. G., Tsui, A. S., Walsh, J. P., & van Witteloostuijn, A. (2018). Reflections on Scientific Misconduct in Management: Unfortunate Incidents or a Normative Crisis? Academy of Management Perspectives, 32(4), 412–442. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2015.0167

Tourish, D., & Craig, R. (2020). Research Misconduct in Business and Management Studies: Causes, Consequences, and Possible Remedies. Journal of Management Inquiry, 29(2), 174–187. https://doi.org/10.1177/1056492618792621

———

Actual figures up to July 18, 2024:

Approximately 80% of submissions receive an initial editorial decision, such as rejection in pre-evaluation (desk-reject) or their transfer for evaluation within a 7-day period. This percentage is based on the editorial activity since January 2024. It indicates that a large majority of authors submitting to the journal will receive an initial response within this timeframe.

———

After that, the editor has two weeks to select reviewers. Reviewers then have six weeks to submit their evaluations to the editor. Once the evaluations are received, the editor has two weeks to communicate the decision to the authors. This decision could be either a rejection of the article or an invitation for revision. In the case of revision, the editor sets a deadline for the authors, typically three months for major revisions (what the website indicates as “Resubmit for review”). Authors may request an extension of this deadline with justification. The editor may grant an additional extension of up to three months. Any submission after the deadline will typically be treated as a new submission.

 

 

Step	Round	Responsible	Step duration (months)	Cumulative duration (months)	Exit of process
Submission	1st	Author	0	0
Submission processing	1st	Editor-in-chief or deputy	½ month	½ month	Desk reject
Transmission to reviewers	1st	Editor	½ month	1 month
Evaluation	1st	Reviewer	1 month & ½	2 months and ½
Feedback to authors	1st	Editor	½ month	3 months	Reject
Article revision	2nd	Author	½ month min / 3 months max	3 months and ½ min / 6 months max

 

 

———

Actual figures up to July 18, 2024:

After submission, if the editorial decision is a rejection, in 80% of cases it will be announced within a 99-day period. This means that after this period, authors will mostly see their article accepted even if several rounds of revision are sometimes necessary to meet the expectations of the editor and reviewers. However, rejection of the article remains possible throughout this time. This figure is calculated based on the editorial activity of the last 12 months.

———

When the editor considers that the reviewers are no longer necessary to continue improving the submission and finalizing the article, the editor directly manages minor revision requests with the author (what the application call “Revisions Required”.

The editor has two weeks to respond to the author, systematically giving a deadline of two weeks. Authors may request, with justification, an extension of the deadline. The editor may agree to an additional maximum extension of two weeks.

When the editor considers that the article is ready for the editorial board to decide on its acceptance, the editor shares with the editorial board, no later than two weeks before the editorial board meeting: (1) the article, (2) a proposed acceptance letter to the authors including any final modifications to request, and (3) a presentation of the history and critical assessment of the article, to alert the board to any critical issues to be discussed.

The Editorial Board accepts (or not) the article for publication and enhances the content of the acceptance letter with additional modification requests.

 

———

Actual figures up to July 18, 2024:

The acceptance rate of submissions over the last 24 months is 12%.

———

The editor has one week to respond to the author, systematically providing a two-week deadline for implementing any final adjustments requested by the editorial board. Authors may request an extension of the deadline, providing justification. The editor may grant an additional extension of up to two weeks.

The editor then proceeds with copy-editing the article, after which the editor-in-chief / deputy editor-in-chief forwards the article for publication.