Main Reasons Why Scientific Articles Are Rejected by Journals

1. The article does not match the journal’s aims and scope

The research topic does not align with the selected journal’s profile. For example, an article on education submitted to an economics journal or lacking novel information in the relevant field (i.e., lacking scientific novelty).

2. Non-compliance with the journal’s structural requirements

Absence of mandatory structural elements such as the article’s title, authors and their affiliations, keywords, main text, references, tables, and figures. The English language used in the article is insufficient for the peer review process. Visual materials (figures, images, formulas, calculations, etc.) are incomplete or not clear enough to read. Methodology, discussion, or conclusions are missing. The discussion section is often missing, even though it is the most crucial part of the article.

   For information on how to write a proper discussion section, read our article.

3. Outdated or insufficient source base

Most reputable journals usually require at least 30-40 references for an original article and 60-70 for a review article. Moreover, 80% of the sources should be no older than 3-5 years and from authoritative publications. We advise taking this section very seriously, as it is one of the most important parts of the article.

   For information on where and how to find sources for a scientific article, read here.

4. High percentage of plagiarism

Typically, journals accept articles with 80-90% uniqueness. If this percentage is lower, the article may be rejected. If the plagiarism level in the article is 20-35%, authors are given the opportunity to improve the uniqueness and resubmit the article. If the plagiarism level exceeds 40%, the article is rejected without the possibility of resubmission.

   For the best plagiarism-checking programs, read our article.

5. Poor quality of English

For reputable international journals, clarity and language presentation are among the main factors. If the article is not written in academic language, the theses and hypotheses are formulated unclearly, and the material presentation is incomprehensible, creating barriers for the reader who is not an expert in this field, it will be rejected. We recommend using Grammarly to avoid this mistake.

6. Problems with methodology and research results

Without a clear methodology and research results, an article has no chance of successful publication in a reputable journal. For example, if the research lacks clear control groups or other indicators for comparison, does not adhere to recognized procedures or methodologies, or if the analysis is not statistically valid.

7. Use of artificial intelligence

In 2024, this issue became critical for most journals. Services have emerged that allow checking whether an article was written by AI. The allowable percentage of AI use in an article is 20-25%. In some editorial offices, this percentage should not exceed 10%.
In some editorial offices, this percentage should not exceed 10%. Try not to overuse AI when writing your articles.