All ASHA journals conduct their review processes through an online system called ScholarOne Manuscripts, formerly known as Manuscript Central.
Our system provides features to make your job easier, including:
To learn about navigating the system and see even more benefits, go to the author and reviewer quick-start guides. View the guides on-screen or print them out for future use!
Plus, you can improve your chances of being invited to review ASHA manuscripts! View the Information for Reviewers section to learn how easy it is!
All registered users on ScholarOne Manuscripts can use the site to submit new and revised manuscripts for review as well as to submit reviews of other authors' manuscripts when invited.
If you have never submitted or reviewed a manuscript for ASHA online, you must create a new account. Links to ensure you don't have an existing account or to create a new account are on the login page. (See the section below on logging in for more information.)
These are the instructions for submitting a new manuscript to an ASHA journal via ScholarOne Manuscripts.
How to Get Help using ScholarOne Manuscripts
All screens in ScholarOne Manuscripts have an orange "Get Help Now" link in the upper right-hand corner. This link brings up a new window that has instructions, answers to Frequently Asked Questions, and ways to ask a tech support question. You can e-mail, chat live with tech support, or call their phone number during business hours.
Tech support is very helpful, but if your question is journal specific (like "Should I submit to JSLHR-Hearing or to AJA?" or "Who's the associate editor for neurogenic communication disorders for AJSLP?"), you may want to contact one of the editorial offices.
When in doubt, feel free to contact aja{at}asha.org, ajslp{at}asha.org, jslhr{at}asha.org, or lshss{at}asha.org with your questions.
It is important that you read the Instructions for Authors thoroughly; we suggest that you print out these instructions and fully prepare your manuscript before proceeding further with your submission.
Prepare your manuscript using a word processing program and save it as a .doc or .rtf file. Both of these file types will be converted automatically to .pdf format for review when you upload them.
While we understand that many authors are using a variety of word processing and image creation software programs, we have found that those authors using Microsoft (MS) Word .doc files (not .docx files, which aren't uploadable) experience the fewest technical problems using ScholarOne Manuscripts.
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft .docx, Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF, EPS, and LaTex files are not to be uploaded to ScholarOne Manuscripts. Using these formats will either create conversion problems in ScholarOne Manuscripts or create delays during production, if your manuscript is accepted.
Make sure that you have followed the requirements for submission found in the instructions for authors. Not doing so will create delays in the peer review process.
We recommend that the body of your manuscript, including a title page with full author names and affiliations, be in Microsoft Word 97-2003. If a table, figure, or appendix is not editable within Wicrosoft Word without special software, then include image captions in your manuscript file, but separate the actual images into .tif or .jpg in the preferred size of 300 dpi.
NOTE: If you are using phonetic fonts, currently you must use Microsoft Word to save your document and SIL fonts, which you can download for free.
You must embed the symbols into your document to ensure they are converted correctly. It's very easy to embed text: In your Word document, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Save tab. Select the Embed TrueType fonts check box. Save the document.
The ScholarOne Manuscripts Web site has been optimized for Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x and above, Netscape 7.0, 7.1 and 7.2, FireFox 1.0.4 and Safari 1.2.4. For some of these programs, if you have an earlier version, you can download a free upgrade by clicking the System Requirements link on the ScholarOne Manuscripts login screen.
The login page gives you three options:
If you are uncertain whether you have an account or if you have forgotten your User ID or Password, enter your e-mail address into the Password Help box; the system will send you an e-mail with your account information and a temporary password, or it will tell you that you don’t have an account on the system.
If you do not have an account, go to "Create Account," follow the instructions, and then log in. If you have difficulty of any kind with your account, do not create another account. Please contact an editorial office using the above links.
Select the journal to which you want to submit and press the Log In button.
NOTE: ASHA journals' database is only as robust as the users make it. Please add and/or correct your "keyword" and "specialty/area of expertise" fields in your account as often as necessary. This helps the editorial staff find the most appropriate reviewers and contributes to a viable and healthy journal program.
After logging in, you'll see the Main Menu page. Click the Author Center link or blue button to enter your Author Center whenever you want to begin a new submission, check a previous submission, continue a submission begun earlier, or submit a revised manuscript.
The manuscript categories you will use most often are:
The following screens ask you to enter the data associated with your manuscript. Most of this data will be included in the text of your manuscript, but also needs to be entered here in a particular format in order to make the system searchable by these fields and facilitate the review process. The information you enter will be used for screen display and e-mail notifications only, not in the print version, should your manuscript be accepted.
As you move through the screens, you can see where you are by looking at the Progress Chart along the left side of the screen. Click the orange Next button at the top or bottom of each screen in order to save all of your work. If you press the "Back" or "Forward" button on your browser, your work will not be saved.
Correct mistakes by clicking the orange Previous button until you find the screen with the mistake, or you can select the step you want to correct on the left Progress Chart.
You can log out of the system and return to work on your manuscript later later. Just click the Next or Previous button before you do to be sure that your latest changes were saved. When you are ready to work again, log in, go to your Author Center, and look for this manuscript in the section "Unsubmitted Manuscripts" (instead of clicking the star button for a new submission). The screen will reload, and you can click the blue Continue button in the table that appears.
Number 5 on the Progress Chart is File Upload. Here you will upload all files associated with your manuscript submission. Those files may include the following:
To upload your files:
NOTE: For revisions, in addition to a cover letter that describes the changes made in the revised manuscript, authors are asked to submit both a clean copy of the revised/resubmitted manuscript and also a copy that shows the substantive changes made in the manuscript and referred to in the cover letter. These changes can be shown through track changes, by highlighting, or by placing the changed portions in colored or bold font.
It's critical that you carefully view the proofs of your manuscript by clicking on the green HTML button and/or green PDF button. Look very carefully at all special characters, phonetic fonts, figures and tables. Make sure that your documents are ordered correctly.
If you find errors, close the window, make adjustments on the File Upload page, and click one of the green buttons again. (Refer to Step 1: Prepare your manuscript for instructions on using phonetic fonts.)
Until you click the orange Submit button, the manuscript will not be sent to the editorial office and will not enter the review process. If you do not receive an e-mail confirmation after submitting, then your manuscript was not submitted correctly, or there may be a problem with your account. Contact the appropriate editorial office for assistance.
You can check the review status of your manuscript at any time by logging into your Author Center and clicking on Submitted Manuscripts. Contact the person marked ADM with technical and review process questions. Contact the Editor or Associate Editor with questions specific to your manuscript content.
These are the instructions for submitting a revised manuscript to an ASHA journal via ScholarOne Manuscripts. This includes manuscripts which received a decision of "revise," "resubmit," or "further revision needed" in the initial review.
Follow steps 1 through 3 in the How to Submit a New Manuscript section above. Once you've completed steps 4 and 5 below, return to step 6 above.
Existing manuscripts are found in one of three areas:
To begin a revision, click on "Manuscripts with Decisions." The page will reload and you'll see your manuscript listed at the bottom of the page. You can click on "View Submission" to see your previous manuscript including line numbers referred to by reviewers. You can also view the decision letter e-mailed to you by clicking on the corresponding link. To begin your revision, click "create a revision."
If your revision option has only recently expired, contact the editor. It will save time for your submission to continue as a revision instead of a new manuscript. So the editor may be able to grant permission for the system to be reopened for your revision. Otherwise, you'll have to submit your revision as a new manuscript. In this case, the editor will attempt to preserve consistency and recruit the same AE and reviewers.
You are now in Step 1 of a revision. First submit your response to the comments of the editor, associate editor, and reviewers. Enter your detailed response to the decision letter in the space provided at the bottom of the screen.
Most authors prepare a letter in Microsoft Word that lists each change made to the manuscript or gives a reason why a particular change wasn't made. Then the author copies and pastes this text from Microsoft Word to the text box.
Other authors enter a brief statement to the editor, AE, and reviewers. Then they copy and paste the comments from the decision letter and go through each comment indicating if a change was COMPLETED or giving a reason why a suggestion wasn't followed.
Either choice is fine. When you are finished, click through the remaining steps using the orange Next button and update any information that has changed.
Like new manuscripts, revisions can be completed in multiple sittings, and the system will save your work. If you must come back later, click the orange "Save and Go Back" or "Save and Continue" button, then log out. Once you're ready to move forward, log back into the appropriate journal Author Center. Next, click on the “Revised Manuscripts in Draft” link. The page will reload and show you the revision you started along with a blue button to continue that submission.
NOTE: When you get to the step to upload your revision, the system will have forwarded all documents you submitted for the previous round of review to this next round. Therefore, you must delete files for which you'll upload a revision. Otherwise, both your revised and your original files will be submitted for review. This is where your saving tables, figures, and appendix separately in your original submission will come in handy. Because now, you don't need to replace the files that haven't changed.
Now you can return to step 6 in the How to Submit a New Manuscript section above.
ASHA's journals are always seeking qualified, dedicated reviewers to assist with the manuscript review process. The vitality of the journals program depends on the willingness of volunteers to serve in this important role. Below you'll find information about becoming a reviewer, reviewing online, and giving a quality review.
If you have never reviewed or submitted online before, create an account on ScholarOne Manuscripts.
Improve your chances of being invited to review a manuscript by completing the areas of expertise and keywords fields. Doing this will help Associate Editors find your profile!
Already created an account? Keep it up to date with current address information and areas of expertise by logging in and updating your account information. If you have an ASHA member account, remember that the ScholarOne Manuscripts database is separate and must be kept up to date as well.
As a reviewer for an ASHA journal, you will use the online system, ScholarOne Manuscripts, to read and review the manuscript. The steps you will take to complete your online review are listed below:
The quality of the journal is directly linked to the quality of the reviews. Here are some guidelines to providing thorough, constructive input to the editors and authors, ultimately adding substantive scholarly work to the journal. You will have three parts to fill out in an online review.
Comments for the Author
Provide the bulk of your review here. Include all comments which might help the author(s) improve the manuscript. You can copy & paste your comments from a saved word processing file into the Comments for the Author box. Correct any formatting changes that may have taken place before submitting.
Comments for the Associate Editor
The other box is for confidential comments to the AE (please be advised that the editor and the administrator will be able to read your comments in both boxes). The AE will be able to read all of the Comments for the Author. In the AE box, you may include a statement about your recommendation, or something which would not be constructive for the author, such as "I was really leaning towards reject, but I feel like there's something valuable there. If the author were to significantly rewrite the paper I think it could be publishable at some point." Many reviewers include a brief note for the AE in this box. Others leave it blank. Either one is fine, but please do not copy your comments to authors into this box.
Recommendation types
Accept paper in its present form. Some minor copy-editing may still be required, but it will be caught at the copyediting stage so the authors need not submit a revision.
Revise paper. The manuscript is generally good but requires minor content and/or editorial changes before its suitable for publication. Revised manuscripts do not require another review by the editorial consultants.
Resubmit paper. The paper contains one or more serious problems in substance or form, whose resolution might result in a generally acceptable manuscript. Resubmitted manuscripts typically are reviewed again by the associate editor and editorial consultants. This category applies only to manuscripts that contain important information to begin with, whose flaws might be correctable.
Reject paper. The content, style, and/or preparation of the manuscript are flawed to the extent that it is unlikely that revisions can render the manuscript suitable for publication. The content of the manuscript is unsuitable or inappropriate for the journal (in which case the editor may determine to withdraw the manuscript).
Evaluate a manuscript for:
Clinical studies appearing in ASHA journals must meet recognized standards for reporting. Articles reporting randomized clinical trials must follow the Consolidated Standards for Reporting Trials (CONSORT), nonrandomized clinical evaluations must follow the Transparency of Reporting Evaluations of Nonrandomized Designs (TREND), and studies of diagnostic accuracy must meet the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD). Authors should find these standards useful as guides in designing and implementing their studies; however, it is recognized that the standards apply directly to the reporting of studies rather than to their implementation.
Manuscripts submitted to ASHA journals are privileged information. They are confidential and must not be discussed with anyone other than the journal editor and the assigned associate editor. Occasionally, a reviewer must consult with colleagues on some aspect of a paper, such as the statistical analysis. Such consultations should occur only with the editor’s or associate editor’s permission and without providing the author’s identity or details of the manuscript’s content. After the final publication decision has been made, reviewers should destroy their copies of the manuscript.
For the purpose of training PhD students in the peer review process, a manuscript reviewer/mentor may engage a PhD student in the review process under the mentor’s guidance. The mentor bears full responsibility for the review. The PhD student will be bound by the same principles of confidentiality that govern the review process as a whole. It is the responsibility of the mentor to inform the journal editorial administrator, the Editor, and AE of the mentee’s identity. The editorial administrator will enter the information into the manuscript administrative record.
When reviewing supplementary material provided with a manuscript, editors, associate editors, and reviewers should consider the material’s significance, relevance, and clarity. The material should enhance the published article in a meaningful way, without being necessary for the article to be understood. Supplementary materials should not be used as a way to provide extraneous or unnecessary details about participants and methods.
When reviewing an example provided on video or audio, check whether a statement has been provided about the representativeness of the example (e.g., "in this ideal case...." or "in this case selected because it represents the mean performance of the group..."). Just as there are standards for published figures, there should be some level of quality expected for video examples.
If you cannot open a supplementary material file to review it, mention this fact in the confidential comments to the associate editor upon returning manuscript feedback.
Review organization
You may choose to organize your review into three major areas.
Brief Summary. Briefly summarize the main argument, evidence and conclusion of the paper. This may help to clarify the issues in your own mind, and it often helps illuminate disagreements on factual matters among the reviewers. End this section with a brief statement about an overall impression, but do not provide a specific recommendation with regard to publication (i.e. do not make a statement like "this paper should be accepted" in the comments to the authors).
General Comments and Overall Evaluation. Say whether you find the topic to be an interesting and important one, whether the background review of the literature is sufficient and accurate, whether the methods are sound (appropriate research design, procedures, and data analyses), whether the results are compelling, and whether the conclusions are warranted. Comments on overall clarity and organization of the text can be included as well.
Line-by-line Comments. This section is for corrections or comments on specific points. Such comments are often very helpful to authors in their revisions. Do not bury any major issues in this section; that information should be in the comments section. If your recommendation is to reject the paper, this section should not be lengthy.
Constructive criticism
Constructive criticism and suggestions for changing the paper to improve the manuscript are welcomed. Please make any recommendation for acceptance or rejection in the comments to the associate editor area, not in your comments for the author. Please maintain a tone of professional respect in your review. Criticisms should be put forth in positive ways, accompanied by specific suggestions for improvement whenever possible. Personal or derogatory language is to be avoided.
Revealing your identity
ASHA journals offer both reviewers and authors the option of revealing their identity. Reviewers who wish their identities be made known to the author may type their names in the Comments for the Author box. Please include your name only if you wish to reveal your identity.
