Editorial Policies and Procedures of the Journal Endocrinology

Purpose of the Journal

Endocrinology is a journal published by The Endocrine Society and functions under the auspices of the Publications Committee. The daily functions of the journal are managed by an appointed Editor-In-Chief, Editors and Editorial Board Members. The policy of the journal is to administer the peer review and publication process of submitted manuscripts that encompass studies directed at understanding various aspects of endocrinology. The mission of Endocrinology is to increase and broaden the scientific knowledge base of its readers by publishing papers that provide significant and novel information in the field of endocrinology.

To encourage the submission of high quality studies related to the mission of Endocrinology, The Endocrine Society does not have a submission fee and will only levy page charges after a manuscript has been accepted for publication. An application for the waiver of page charges can be made at the time of submission by the corresponding author (See Instructions to Authors).

The Editorial Board

Endocrinology is headed by an Editor-In-Chief, 8 Editors, and an Editorial Board. The Editor-In-Chief is appointed by the Council of the Society for a 5-year term and the Editors and Editorial Board members are appointed by the Editor-In-Chief in consultation with the Publications Committee. The Editors serve a 5-year term and the Editorial Board members serve 4-year terms. Selection of the Editorial Board members are based upon the need of scientific expertise in multiple areas of Endocrinology and a commitment of the Editorial Board member to provide prompt and quality reviews consistent with the high standards of the Journal.

The Review Process

All manuscripts must be submitted using the most current format, outlined in the Instructions to Authors printed in the January and July issues of each year. These instructions are also available on-line at http://endo.endojournals.org/. We strongly encourage manuscript submissions using the on-line Cadmus Rapid Review system that can be found at http://www.rapidreview.com/tes/CALogon.jsp.

Following receipt, the manuscript will be assigned to an Editor who will be responsible for managing the peer review process. Endocrinology policy requires each manuscript be reviewed by two to three individuals who are highly competent and recognized in the particular field of the submitted manuscript. The journal office contacts those potential reviewers that have been selected by the Editor-In-Chief and/or Editors. Authors are encouraged to submit the names of individuals whom they feel are appropriate and qualified to give a fair and unbiased review of their manuscript. Once potential reviewers have agreed to read and comment on a manuscript, they are given a 2-week deadline to complete the review.

After receipt of the reviews, a decision is made to either accept, give the authors an opportunity to revise or to reject the manuscript. This decision is based upon the criticisms and comments of the reviewers and the Editor’s opinion of the manuscript. The decision letter and reviewers’ comments are then sent to the corresponding author. Any questions or concerns regarding the editorial decision on any manuscript must be made in writing directly to the Endocrinology editorial office at endocrinology@endo-society.org

Revised manuscripts are typically re-evaluated by the same reviewers to determine IF THE AUTHORS HAVE SATISFACTORILY ADDRESSED THE CRITICISMS AND CONCERNS of the original reviewers and editors. Depending upon this evaluation, the manuscript may be accepted or rejected. If the paper is accepted, it will become immediately available on-line and sent to the publisher and slotted for the next available issue.

Endocrinology tries to complete the review cycle (submission to first decision) within 26 days. However, this time may vary. Authors whose papers are not rejected have 90 days in which to submit a revised version of their paper

Basis for Declining Publication

There are two mechanisms that can be used by Endocrinology to decline publication of a manuscript. The first is based upon the Editor’s preliminary review of the manuscript. A manuscript may be declined if the study was judged as too preliminary in nature or was in a scientific area inappropriate for Endocrinology. Our experience has been that it is in the best interest of the authors to have the paper quickly returned if the likelihood of eventual acceptance is very low. In addition, it is a policy of the journal to respect and not compete for types of articles that are deemed more suited for our other Endocrine Society journals.

The second manner in which Endocrinology will decline a manuscript is after completion of the formal review process. Grounds for rejection are established by the Editor-In-Chief, Editors and Editorial Board members. Manuscripts that do not meet the standards of the journal will be returned to the authors with comments describing the basis for the decision. Manuscripts may be rejected if the findings are not well-supported by the data, do not provide significant new insight, are not sufficiently novel, do not contain enough new information and/or are too preliminary to warrant publication.

All rejections are final and Endocrinology will not re-evaluate any rejected paper as a revised manuscript. Any concerns or questions about future submissions must be made in writing to the Endocrinology editorial office at endocrinology{at}endo-society.org