Journal of Marketing receives several manuscripts every month that are not entered into the review process because the chance of their eventual publication is very low. Among these manuscripts, there are some that can potentially be developed into weightier contributions, albeit for another journal. The desk rejection process is designed to remove these manuscripts from the review process to avoid utilizing scarce reviewer resources. However, the authors that receive these desk rejects might have never submitted an article to a premier journal, thereby never learning what it will take to meet the threshold. These authors also generally reside in countries that typically see a low share of published work in JM.
Thus, we are introducing a new Developmental Editor initiative. For a small set of papers, the Editor will assign the manuscript to a Developmental Editor with the expectation of a two-page report that could help the authors obtain guidance on how to elevate the quality of the substantive, theoretical, and empirical contribution of the manuscript. Although the outcome of such papers might be a rejection decision, it will give JM a chance to reach out to authors who have never submitted an article to a top journal so that they will at least understand the threshold. While the impact of this strategy is likely to only be seen in the long run, we think the seeds to arrive at a future where JM authors are truly global must be sown today.
JM would like to thank the inaugural Developmental Editors for their commitment. Through their service, JM can have an impact on the future scholarship and aspirations of inexperienced authors around the world.
Developmental Editor Team
University of Georgia
Singapore Management University
KU Leuven
Baruch College
Florida State University
University of Georgia
University of Notre Dame
Bocconi University
Goethe University Frankfurt
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