How to Revise & Resubmit Academic Journal Articles
If you have received a request to revise and resubmit an article to an academic journal, then you are not alone. Most academic writers receive far more requests for revision, or even outright rejections, than they do acceptances. The request for revision and resubmission of an article by the editor of an academic journal may not guarantee that your article will be published in that journal, but it does clearly indicate that the editors or reviewers found your article worthwhile. Some requests for revision and resubmission are highly positive and suggest only minor changes, whereas other requests for revision and resubmission may ask for major modifications to your article.
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Instructions
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Set the article and the editorial or reviewer comments aside for a day or two. You want to allow yourself time to process your initial emotional response to the request before you begin to make any changes to your article, even if the editor has promised publication upon revision.
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Read the editor's or reviewer's comments carefully and make a list of the requested revisions. Evaluate each item on the list, analyzing whether or not the changes are minor ones, such as developing your methodology section, or major ones, like reorganizing the article.
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Begin with the revision items that require major modifications to your article, such as strengthening the central argument. Once you have addressed larger-scale issues, complete more minor revisions, like reworking the abstract and adding additional references.
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Review the editorial comments and suggested revisions, making sure you have addressed the primary concerns of the reviewers in your revised article. Take time as well to correct any factual and grammatical errors or to rectify any documentation problems.
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Ask a trusted professional colleague or outside reader to provide feedback on your revised article. You may want to identify the primary issues that you addressed in your rewrite so your reader can provide more in-depth feedback on those elements in your article.
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Resubmit the revised article as per any instructions on the part of the editor. If the editor requested a revision of your article by a specific date, then do your best to meet that deadline as it might indicate the editor's intention of publishing your article in a specific issue of the journal.
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Tips & Warnings
You can choose whether or not you make requested changes to an article and resubmit it to a journal. Keep in mind, though, that resubmitted articles have a greater likelihood of being published than do first-time submissions.
Do not abandon an article if you receive a request for major revisions. If you determine that the suggestions are sound, then take the time necessary to strengthen your article. If your ideas were initially worthwhile, then they likely still are.
