What Authors Need to Know to Navigate the Review Process Successfully: Understanding and Managing the Editor’s Dilemma

After 30 years of experience publishing articles in scientific journals and service on editorial boards of leading journals, I accepted appointment to a three-year term as associate editor of Academy of Management Journal (AMI). Because of the trailing pipeline, the job actually extended beyond four years, during which I served as action-editor on over 300 submitted manuscripts, over 60 of which went through revision. As I became immersed in the role, I was surprised myself at some basic things I had not known about the refereeing process despite having published dozens of articles. This essay is intended to help young colleagues learn these things earlier than I did. I’m assuming the reader has read some of the basic books (e.g., Huff, 1999) and edited volumes (e.g., Cummings & Frost, 1995; Baruch, Sullivan, & Schepmyer, 2006) regarding the publication process, and especially specific chapters focused on the relationship between editor and author from both points of view (e.g., Daft, 1985; Zahra & Neubaum, 2006). Indeed, the availability of so much useful material gives me the feeling of, “Here we go again, one more time: How does one navigate the review process successfully?”