Timing of submissions to The Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health: Associations with the COVID-19 pandemic and editorial decisions

Richard G McGee; Lara E Graves; Adrian Barnett

doi:10.1111/jpc.16242

Timing of submissions to The Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health: Associations with the COVID-19 pandemic and editorial decisions

J Paediatr Child Health. 2023 Jan;59(1):89-94. doi: 10.1111/jpc.16242. Epub 2022 Oct 7.

Authors

Richard G McGee^{1

2}, Lara E Graves^{3

4}, Adrian Barnett⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Paediatrics, Gosford Hospital, Gosford, New South Wales, Australia.
² Central Coast Clinical School, The University of Newcastle, Gosford, New South Wales, Australia.
³ The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Institute of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ Children's Hospital at Westmead Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁵ School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Abstract

Aim: To determine if the timing of manuscript submissions to The Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (JPCH) changed following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine if the timing of manuscript submissions influenced editorial decisions.

Methods: A retrospective observational study of submissions to JPCH from 1 January 2015 to 1 August 2022 was performed. Regression models were used to explore the change over time. Editorial decisions were examined using a multinomial regression model with the three-category ordinal outcome of reject, revise and accept. All statistical models were fitted using a Bayesian approach and show 95% credible intervals (CI).

Results: The analyses included 11 499 manuscript submissions between 2015 and 2022. The mean number of manuscript submissions increased by 17 papers per month (CI 15-19), with a larger 4-month long increase after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared of 86 submissions per month (CI 67-103). There was no clear effect of the pandemic on weekend submissions, mean difference in probability 0.003 (CI -0.021 to 0.026). Throughout the study period, the peak submission time was later in the day and was shifted +37 min later post-March 2020 (CI +22 to +52 min). Throughout the study period, submissions out-of-hours and on weekends were less likely to get an editorial decision of 'accept' or 'revise': odds ratio weekend versus weekday 0.87 (CI 0.78-0.97).

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had a limited effect on the timing of manuscript submissions to JPCH. However, the timing of manuscript submission impacted the likelihood of a more positive editorial decision. While the time of manuscript submission is only one part of the research process, it is postulated that it may be associated with research quality.

Keywords: COVID-19; peer review; periodicals as topic; personnel staffing and scheduling; publishing/standards; research.

© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).

Publication types

Observational Study

MeSH terms

Bayes Theorem
COVID-19* / epidemiology
Child
Child Health
Humans
Pandemics
Peer Review, Research
Publishing*