Screening a Submission

During screening you check whether a submission is ready to go to reviewers. A new submission arrives with the status Submitted. When you send it to peer review, its status changes to Under review.

Starting screening

1. On the Editorial → Editor queue screen, open the submission.
2. On the Next step card of the Overview tab, press Start screening.
3. In the confirmation dialog, press the same button again.

The status of the submission changes to Screening. The author sees the new status on the page of their submission. This step is optional. You can also send a suitable submission straight to peer review.

Cards to check

Check the following cards on the Overview tab:

• The Metadata card shows the title, abstract, keywords and type-specific details. If the submission is written in two languages, you switch between them with the language tabs.
• The Authors card shows the authors in order with their institutions and ORCID iDs. The corresponding author is marked separately.
• The Declarations card shows the declarations the author confirmed and the answers they gave.
• On the Files card, the Anonymous files are the files the reviewers will see. A file whose metadata was removed carries the Metadata removed label. A file whose text contains an author's name, e-mail address or ORCID iD carries the The text of the file names an author label, with whose details appear where below it. Reviewers do not see this result. The Identified files are open only to editors.

Requesting missing documents

1. On the Next step card, press Request missing documents.
2. Optionally, fill in the Subject field.
3. In the Message to the author field, state clearly what is missing. The text must be at least 10 characters long.
4. Press Request missing documents in the dialog.

The status of the submission changes to Documents missing and an e-mail goes to the author. Your message also appears on the Messages tab of the submission. When the author completes the missing items and submits again, the status returns to Submitted and you get a notification.

Missing documents can be requested only for a submission whose status is Submitted or Screening.

Uploading an anonymous copy

If the anonymous manuscript still contains the name or institution of an author, you can upload a cleaned copy for the reviewers. The The text of the file names an author label appears when an author's name, e-mail address or ORCID iD is in the text. Institution names and self-citations such as "Author, 2024" are not searched for; look out for them as you read.

1. Go to the Upload an editor file section at the bottom of the Files card.
2. In the File type list, select Anonymous manuscript.
3. Optionally, fill in the Description field.
4. Drop the PDF, DOCX or ODT file on the upload area.

The new file replaces the author's anonymous manuscript. The old file stays in the list with the Replaced by a newer file label. The file you upload carries the Uploaded by an editor label and opens after the virus scan. Author details in the file properties are removed during the upload. The reviewers also see the files you upload as Supplementary file.

When the submission has the status Revision requested, the copy you upload goes to the new round the author is preparing and replaces the author's revised manuscript there. The text the reviewers of the previous round read stays as it was.

Sending to peer review

1. On the Next step card, press Send to peer review.
2. In the confirmation dialog, press the same button again.

The status of the submission changes to Under review and the author gets a notification. From this stage on, the author cannot change the files. You can now invite reviewers. The steps are in Inviting Reviewers.

To reject an out-of-scope or unsuitable submission without sending it to reviewers, see Desk-Rejecting a Submission.