Final recommendation

Reviewers' final recommendation

Reviewers have three recommendations that they can make about the submission:

• Accepted, contingent upon approved revision
• Declined, but recommend to rework and resubmit
• Declined

Note: there is no “Accepted outright” option. The online system offers only three recommendations, and “outright acceptance” by all reviewers was probably the least frequent result. If all of your reviewers accept the submission outright (a rare occurrance), you can easily edit the final “Accept contingent on approved revision” email.

1. Once you are ready to notify the author of the peer review results, go to the Submission Summary box and find “Editor Options.” Underneath you will see the three decision options. (Remember, the “Accept submission” is really the “Accept contingent upon approved revision” template but space was tight here, evidently.)
2. Select the appropriate email template, and it opens up in a preview form. Note: ALL email decision templates include the reviewers’ answers to the review questions and their recommended decision. If you do not want these to be included in the question/answer format, you have the opportunity to delete these in the email.
3. Having said that, be careful about what you delete from the templated email. For instance, the “Accept, contingent” email has live links to the MF-21 Submittal Form and the Communication Services Submission Instructions (formerly “Guidelines to Authors”), and you don’t want to delete those.

The “Accept, contingent...” email template reads:

Dear [author name],
Your manuscript {Title} {ID#} has gone through the ANR peer review process, and I am pleased to inform you that reviewers have recommended that it be accepted with revision. [Optional: I am also including some suggestions of my own that you should consider in your revision.] 

Attached to this email are the reviewer comments that need addressing and a blank MF-21 Submittal Form [link to online MF-21]. Once you have completed your revision, send the manuscript back to me along with your written response to reviewers’ comments. (If you disagree with any of them, please explain why.) Lastly, please complete the MF-21 Submittal Form as far as your electronic signature and return this as well. With these three documents, I will then consider the manuscript for acceptance as an ANR publication.

Return to me within three months of this email:
•    Your revised, final manuscript
•    Your response to reviewers’ comments. 
•    The completed MF-21 Submittal Form 

If extenuating circumstances will prevent you from completing this within three months, please notify me. After three months, the manuscript will require a new peer review or it will be considered withdrawn.

I will electronically sign the MF-21 Submittal Form to indicate to Communication Services that your manuscript has passed peer review and is ready for publication production. Please note—production on your publication will not begin without this signed MF-21.

Your last step is preparing your final manuscript and all accompanying charts, graphs, illustrations and photographs for production at Communication services. Please refer to the Communication Services’ Submission Instructions [link to Submission Instructions]. Specific questions about manuscript format or publication production should be addressed to Steve Barnett, CS project manager, swbarnett@ucdavis.edu or 530-754-3929.

Congratulations on your successful submission!

Best regards, 
{AE Name},
{sys_SystemName} Associate Editor

The “Decline but Resubmit” email template reads:

Dear [author name],
Thank you for the opportunity to review your submission {Title} {ID#}. I regret to inform you that the reviews did not accept the manuscript in its current form. 

I would welcome a revised draft that fully addresses the concerns and suggestions of the reviewers, which I have listed below. If you are willing to revise your manuscript in response to these comments, please let me know and resubmit your revised manuscript your earliest convenience.

Best regards,

{AE Name},
{sys_SystemName} Associate Editor

The “Decline” email template reads:

Dear [author name],
Thank you for your patience while your manuscript {Title} {ID#} went through the UC ANR peer review system. Having a manuscript reviewed by people who are knowledgeable in the subject helps assure us that the manuscripts published by the University of California make the strongest possible contribution to the field. It also may help you get an impartial idea of the quality of your manuscript judged against the standards set by other published work.

We regret to inform you that the reviews do not support publication of the manuscript in its present form. 

If you disagree with this decision, you may appeal it to Communication Advisory Board chair David Lewis within six months. 

If you have any questions or comments about this review process, please contact me.

Best regards,

{AE Name},
{sys_SystemName} Associate Editor

1. If you want to use the appropriate templated email, hit “Send message.”
2. If you want to tweak the letter and add your own suggestions, or perhaps, in the case of a Decline, some of the reasons why the reviewers rejected the submission, click “Preview letter” and then “Make changes.” Then do your changes onto the letter. When you are satisfied that you have adequately communicated the overall decision and specifics of the peer review, hit “Preview” and then “send.”