You followed the author guidelines carefully – every margin, reference, and heading in place – yet the rejection arrives quickly, with little explanation. For many researchers and PhD scholars, this leads to a familiar question: if the instructions were followed, why wasn’t the manuscript a fit? This blog will give you answers by unpacking the hidden journal expectations editors consider before peer review begins.
The Compliance Paradox: “But I Followed the Instructions!”
There is a specific kind of frustration reserved for the researcher who spends days perfectly formatting their bibliography, adjusting margins to the millimetre, and ensuring every heading matches “Instructions for Authors,” only to receive a journal rejection email 48 hours later.
The feedback is often vague: “The manuscript does not meet the current priorities of the journal,” or “The framing does not align with our readership.”
If you are feeling confused or even a little betrayed by the process, you are not alone. The truth is that following author guidelines is not enough. They tell you how to format, but not how to think like the journal’s editor. To get published, you have to decode the hidden journal expectations that live between the lines of “Instructions for Authors.”
The Three Hidden Layers Editors Use to Judge Journal Fit
Beyond the font size and citation style, editors look for three invisible markers of journal fit. These markers reflect deeper editorial expectations that are rarely stated but play a key role in early editorial screening.
- The “Recent Conversation” Layer – Are You Engaging with the Journal’s Current Priorities?
Journals are like ongoing dinner parties. If you walk into a room and start talking about a topic people moved on from three years ago, they’ll tune you out.
The Hidden Expectation: Editors want to see that your paper engages with the manuscripts they have published in the past 24 months and reflects the journal’s current priorities. If you haven’t cited the journal you are submitting to, you are essentially saying, “I want you to listen to me, but I haven’t been listening to you.”
- The “Methodological Bias” Layer: When the Approach Matters as Much as the Results
While a journal’s scope might say they accept “all scientific models,” every editorial board has a specific “vibe.” Some lean towards heavy mathematical proofs; others prefer policy-oriented, simplified models that take into account real-world applications.
The Hidden Expectation: If you submit a highly technical, math-heavy manuscript to a journal that prefers human-centric articles, your manuscript will be rejected not because the math is wrong but because your approach does not align with the journal’s editorial preference.
- The “So What?” Layer: Bridging Your Findings to Broader Impact
Most researchers spend 80% of their paper on the “What” (Data and Results) and only 5% on the “So What?”
The Hidden Expectation: For top-tier journals, the “So What?” is the most important part. Editors expect you to bridge the gap between your specific findings and a broader economic, theoretical, or policy framework – you should clearly demonstrate research contribution beyond the dataset.
How to Read a Journal Like an Insider (Beyond the Author Guidelines)
To decode these expectations, you need to move past “Instructions for Authors” and perform a journal audit that reflects how editors evaluate manuscripts.
- Audit the Editor’s Note: Look for recent editorials written by the Editor-in-Chief. They often explicitly state directions or priorities they want the journal to take.
- The Abstract Scan: Read the abstracts of the past two issues. Are they using certain keywords? What do they emphasize? Use their vocabulary to align with what editors look for in manuscripts.
- Check the “Cited-In” Factor: Look at the references of the manuscripts published in the journal. Where are they getting their data? What theories are they currently focussed on?
Choosing the right journal is less about scope and more about alignment. A thoughtful journal selection process can reduce early rejections and strengthen manuscript fit before submission.
From Frustration to Acceptance: How Tholga Publications Helps Decode Editorial Expectations
Navigating these editorial expectations is difficult when you are deep in the trenches of your PhD. It is hard to see the “forest” of journal expectations when you are focussed on the “trees” of your data.
At Tholga Publications, we specialize in “deep audit” that ensures your manuscript not just meets the guidelines, but satisfies the editor’s hidden criteria for journal fit.
How Tholga Bridges the Gap for You:
Deep Journal Analysis & Alignment
Our journal selection support goes beyond a Google search. We analyse the “editorial temperature” of your target journals to assess journal fit. We help you frame your research work in a way that resonates with the current conversations happening in those publications.
Narrative Restructuring
A common hidden expectation is a compelling narrative flow. Through our manuscript editing and language polishing, we don’t just fix grammar; we refine the logic and strengthen the research contribution, ensuring your argument appears where editors expect to see it.
Ethical & Credibility Check
Editors expect a high standard of academic integrity. Our sessions on research and publication ethics ensure your manuscript follows the latest COPE standards, meeting core editorial credibility expectations and reducing avoidable rejection risks.
Don’t just follow the guidelines. Master the expectations.
Following “Instructions for Author” ensures technical compliance, but editorial decisions are shaped by more than formatting alone. Editors look for alignment with journal priorities, methodological fit, and a clear contribution that resonates with their readership. These hidden journal expectations often determine whether a manuscript moves forward or gets rejected before peer review.
Struggling to figure out why your paper isn’t “clicking” with editors?
can perform a professional audit of your manuscript to assess journal fit and editorial alignment. We help you decode these hidden expectations so your research is positioned to receive the attention and recognition it deserves.
