9 peer review email templates every journal should have and why (with examples)

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As a scholarly journal editor, you likely go through a weekly (or perhaps daily!) circuit of emailing out review requests, manuscript decision letters, submission status updates, and other common peer review correspondences.

With how often you and your team are drafting near duplicate messages for authors and reviewers, have you thought about creating peer review email templates for the manuscript requests and updates you most frequently send to save time? Or, if you already have email templates, have you considered whether there may be opportunities for you to make more to streamline your peer review processes even further?

Whether you’re new to email templates or looking to expand your collection, this blog post breaks down everything you need to know to create effective ones, including examples you can customize to fit your needs.

Let’s get to it!

Peer review email templates: the what, why, and how

The timesaving benefits of peer review email templates are pretty plain to see — but you may be wondering when to use templates, what to include in them, and how to strike the right balance between email automation and personalization.

Before we dive into examples, here are a few tips for developing peer review email templates based on FAQs we hear at Scholastica.

When should journals use peer review email templates (and when shouldn’t they)?

First things first, let’s talk about email template use cases. The key to crafting effective email templates is to focus on making them for the most common peer review correspondences your journal sends. Templates work best for emails relaying standard journal updates and requests that rarely change and, as such, could likely benefit from more uniformity.

For example, you can save email writing time and potentially improve the quality of the peer reviews you receive by creating a review request email template that outlines your journal’s reviewer guidelines and includes links to related resources such as a reviewer checklist. Remember, once you draft email templates, you’ll be able to keep getting value from them indefinitely. So it’s worth putting some extra time and care into template development to communicate key information as clearly and concisely as possible with all necessary context to stay ahead of common questions or sources of confusion that could result in publication delays.

To start, we recommend creating email templates for the following:

• Manuscript acceptance letter
• Desk rejection letter
• Manuscript rejection letter following peer review
• Revise and resubmit request
• Referee request

Once you have templates for the recurring correspondences above, meet with your editorial team to consider other frequent communications for which you may be able to use templates. We include some ideas in the examples below.

As a general rule, we recommend only creating templates for emails you send at least three times a month on average (to ensure you’ll use them) and emails that require minimal customization. Remember, if you have to spend a significant amount of time editing or adding to email templates before sending them, it will defeat the purpose.

What’s the best way to make and store email templates to ensure editors actually use them?

After taking the time to make peer review email templates, you’ll want to be sure your editors are using them. Among common challenges to implementing email templates are editors either forgetting (or not knowing) about them or saving scattered versions on their devices.

Ultimately, your goal should be for all editors to send the same email templates to ensure uniformity in peer review communication and make it easier to optimize emails over time. When all editors use the same email templates, they can compare responses at scale and more quickly pinpoint potential causes of confusion and address them. For example, if all of your editors keep getting similar questions from authors about how to send manuscript revisions following Revise and Resubmit (R&R) request decisions, it may be time to update your R&R email template with more detailed instructions.

As you develop email templates, aim to store them in a central place in the cloud that all editors can access regardless of their location. That way, editors will be less likely to forget about the templates or start saving their own versions. Using peer review software with built-in email templates, like Scholastica’s peer review system, will make this a lot easier.

Most peer review systems provide functionality for setting up decision letter templates. Scholastica’s peer review system also features the option to create custom templates for general emails (e.g., thank you letters, answers to FAQs) via our integrated email feature, Discussions. You can learn more about Discussions and how to create custom Discussion templates in this blog post.

If you’re not using peer review software and have to store email templates in a document, that’s OK. Just be sure all your editors always have access to the latest version. An easy way to do this is to use a shared file system, such as Google docs.

How can journal teams ensure their templated emails don’t appear impersonal?

We commonly hear this question at Scholastica, and we get it. Journals want to ensure that authors feel their work is getting the individual attention it deserves and that review requests don’t come off as generic email blasts, which scholars may be more likely to ignore.

The key to keeping the personal in email templates is incorporating space for customization, so editors can quickly and easily insert information specific to recipients as needed (and so they remember to do so!). For example, every rejection letter template should include a designated place for editors to input the reasons for the particular rejection they’re sending (see example below).

Additionally, it helps to use a personal but professional tone in email template writing. Just because an email is coming from an automated system doesn’t mean it has to sound like it’s from a robot. Taking the time to thank authors and reviewers for their contributions and emphasizing that they’re welcome to respond to your automated emails with any questions (when possible) are two ways to make templated emails more personal.

If you use peer review software, you may also be able to add merge tags (also known as “personalization fields” or “data tags”) to your email templates to automate some personalization steps. Merge tags allow you to insert (“merge”) data from your peer review system into the body of emails you send from it. For example, journals using Scholastica’s peer review system can add merge tags for the name of the journal and manuscript they’re writing about and the first, last, or full names of email senders and recipients.

Example peer review email templates

Now that we’ve gone over some basics, let’s get into the nitty gritty of writing peer review email templates.

To help you get started, we’ve drafted some templates for common correspondences that you’re welcome to reuse and customize to meet your journal’s needs. We’ve also created a Google doc with Markdown versions of these templates that can be copied and pasted right into Scholastica’s peer review system.

In the templates below, text in {curly brackets} like this represents merge fields. Text in [regular brackets] like this indicates spaces where you should input information specific to your journal, such as a link to your copyright policies.

1. Manuscript acceptance letter (pending any necessary revisions)

The highlight of being a journal editor is getting to inform authors of high-quality manuscripts that you’d like to publish their work. You’ll have even more time to enjoy this moment when you have an acceptance letter template to start!

When drafting acceptance letter email templates, your goal should be to outline all the steps authors need to take to move their submission to publication. Answering common questions up front can help save a lot of time spent on back-and-forth communication.

Here’s an example acceptance letter:

Hello {recipient name},

Thank you for submitting "{manuscript title}" to {journal name}. I am pleased to inform you that we would like to move forward with publishing your manuscript [specify whether you'll publish the manuscript in its current form or pending minor/major revisions here...].

In order to proceed with publishing your submission, we will need you to do the following by [insert hard deadline date/time...]:

* Submit a signed author agreement [add a link to the agreement or note to see attached file and explain where/how the author should send it...]
* Complete the manuscript edits outlined in the attached file and [insert details on where the author should send/upload their edited manuscript...]
*[Insert if applicable: Select the copyright license you would like applied to your article from the options outlined on the journal's copyright policies page linked/attached...]
* [Insert any additional items your journal requires here...]

At this time, we also want to remind you of our copyright and open access policies [Add links to relevant informational pages or note attached files with more details here. Also, specify any next steps you require of the author (e.g., if they have to choose a copyright license for their article and/or pay any OA publishing fees)...].

Once you've completed the steps above, our production editor will reach out to you with more information about next steps in our publishing process, including copyediting and proofing. You will have the opportunity to review your article proof before publication.

[Insert if applicable: if your journal has a production process overview or FAQs page for authors, note that here and include a link or attached file...]

We're excited to move forward with publishing your submission. Please feel free to email me with any questions.

Sincerely,

{sender name}

2. Revise and resubmit request (for major revisions)

Somewhere between the joys of sending acceptance letters and the woes of sending rejection letters lies the Revise and Resubmit request (R&R). The most important thing to remember when crafting R&R decisions is to include all the context authors need to make revisions confidently. One of the best ways to do this is by sharing peer reviewers’ comments with them.

Journals using Scholastica’s peer review system have the option to edit reviews before sending them to authors to clean up overly harsh or less than constructive feedback. Learn more about how to edit review comments in Scholastica here.

Here’s an example R&R email:

Hello {recipient name},

Thank you for submitting your manuscript "{manuscript title}" to {journal name}. Following careful assessment of your submission, our editorial team and a group of expert reviewers feel that it has potential for publication, so we would like to invite you to revise the paper and resubmit it for further review.

We appreciate that your paper [insert positive qualities about the paper...], but there were some concerns raised with regard to [insert key concerns...]. We would like you to address the following areas in revisions:

- Insert key revision point one here
- Insert key revision point two here
- Insert key revision point three here

Please see the attached reviewer comments for further details about necessary revisions.

We ask that you submit the revised version of your manuscript by [insert explanation of where to upload/send R&R manuscript...]. Your revised manuscript should be accompanied by a summary of how you responded to the reviewers' comments.

You have [insert number...] days to respond to this revise and resubmit request ending on [insert hard deadline...], after which point we will presume that you have withdrawn your submission from {journal name}.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Sincerely,

{sender name}

3. Manuscript rejection letter following peer review (with no potential for resubmission)

As much as you enjoy sending manuscript acceptance letters, crafting dreaded rejection letters is likely ten times worse. No editor likes to be the bearer of bad news. But, we promise, there are ways to lighten the blow of rejections by making them as constructive as possible, and having a rejection letter email template will help you do so.

Below is an example manuscript rejection letter:

Hello {recipient name},

Thank you for submitting your manuscript "{manuscript title}" to {journal name}. Following careful consideration by the journal's editorial board and a group of expert reviewers, I regret to inform you that we are unable to accept your submission.

Although [insert positive qualities about the manuscript here...], our editorial board and external reviewers determined that the paper is not a good fit for {journal name} primarily because [insert high-level reasons for rejection...]. Specific concerns expressed during peer review were:

- [Insert specific concern...]
- [Insert specific concern...]
- [Insert specific concern...]

I am including the reviewers' comments in this email for your reference. I hope you find this information helpful should you choose to submit your paper to another journal.

Sincerely,

{sender name}

4. Cascading or transfer manuscript desk rejection letter

At organizations that publish multiple journals in the same or related disciplines, there may be instances where a submission to one journal is not the best fit for that publication but could be a fit for one of the other journals in the publisher’s portfolio. In such cases, editors may want to send a rejection decision with an invitation for the author to cascade or transfer the manuscript to one of the publisher’s more appropriate titles.

The below template is for a desk rejection decision with an invitation to transfer to another journal. You can also create a variant of this template for a rejection decision and invitation to transfer following formal peer review.

Below is an example rejection letter with an invitation to transfer

Hello {recipient name},

Thank you for submitting your manuscript "{manuscript title}" to {journal name}. Following editorial board review, we have determined your manuscript is unfortunately not suitable for publication in the journal primarily because [insert high-level reasons...].

However, our editors believe your manuscript may be a better fit for [input your publisher's name...]'s other journal [input recommended journal name...]. So we've decided to offer to transfer your submission to that journal.

Please note that this transfer offer does not guarantee acceptance of your manuscript at [input recommended journal name...] as the editors of that journal will still need to evaluate your submission. If you would like to transfer your manuscript to [input recommended journal name...], please respond to this email to let our editors know no later than [insert date/time...], and we will initiate the transfer.

If you do not opt to transfer your submission to [input recommended journal name...], we will send you a formal rejection letter, at which point you will be free to submit your manuscript to other publications of your choice.

We thank you for submitting to {journal name} and look forward to receiving your decision on this transfer opportunity.

Sincerely,

{sender name}

5. Pure desk rejection letter

Sometimes manuscripts that come in will obviously not be a good fit for your journal and, therefore, not appropriate to send out for external peer review, either because they are clearly not based on sound research or because they fall beyond your journal’s aims and scope. That’s where desk rejection letters come in. When sending desk rejection letters, it’s essential to strike the right balance between brevity and clarity. You want to make clear to the author that the decision is not up for discussion but also provide them with the appropriate context needed to rework their paper and/or send it to a more relevant publication.

Here’s a sample desk rejection letter:

Hello {recipient name},

Thank you for submitting your manuscript "{manuscript title}" to {journal name}.

After careful consideration by our editors, we regret to inform you that we must decline this submission on editorial grounds and subsequently have declined to send the paper out to external peer reviewers. We found that [insert explanation of why the manuscript is not fit for your journal...]. [Insert if applicable: We believe this paper may be a better fit for name(s) of other appropriate journals...].

We thank you for your interest in publishing with {journal name}, and hope you'll choose to submit another paper for review in the future.

Sincerely,

{sender name}

6. Submission progress update to author

Another correspondence your journal’s editors likely commonly send is submission status updates to authors. You can save time sending submission status updates by creating a customizable email template with update options for each of the primary phases of your peer review process. The template below includes a list of possible status update options that you can modify to fit your needs.

Sample submission status update email:

Hello {recipient name},

Thank you for submitting your manuscript "{manuscript title}" to {journal name}. We are in the process of evaluating your submission. At this point, your manuscript [*choose the appropriate submission status option below*]:

Option 1: has been assigned to an editor and is awaiting reviewer confirmations. Please note, {journal name} requires at least [insert number of external reviews you require...] for each submission.

Option 2: is under external review, and [insert number of reviews you've received...] of the [insert number of reviews you require...] external peer reviews we require before making a decision have been submitted.

Option 3: Has undergone external peer review with all necessary reviews submitted and is now awaiting final editorial board review. You can expect to receive a decision within [insert projected timeframe...].

We evaluate all submissions as expeditiously as possible and appreciate your patience throughout the peer review process. [Insert if applicable: You can track the status of your manuscript within our peer review system by navigating to...].

Sincerely,

{sender name}

7. Production process next steps for authors of accepted manuscripts

Once you’ve sent a decision letter to authors of accepted manuscripts and they agree to your publication offer, you’ll need to shepherd their submission to the next stage of the publishing process, production.

Even if all your editors are not involved in your journal’s production process, it’s critical for everyone to have a basic understanding of it so they can provide authors with a heads up about what they’ll need to do, namely in terms of proof review. Creating a standard email template for sending production process next steps to authors of accepted papers will help ensure your editors are giving authors all the information they need, which will help prevent publishing delays.

Below is an example production process next steps email:

Hello {recipient name},

We are pleased that you've decided to accept our offer to publish your manuscript "{manuscript title}" in the [insert specific issue..] of {journal name}. Your manuscript will now move into production, which includes copyediting, typesetting the article into [insert formats you publish articles in (e.g., PDF, HTML)...], and proof review. You will have the opportunity to review your article proof before publication.

 Here's what we'll need you to do during the article proofing stage:

- Answer any questions on the proof
- Note any necessary corrections to the text of your article (e.g., misspelled or missing words)
- Return your proof to us within [insert required number of working days...]

Our production team will reach out when your article is ready for proofing. You should expect to hear from them within [insert projected time frame (e.g., X business days)...].

PLEASE NOTE: The proof stage is the *only* opportunity for authors to review their article before publication, so please check your proof carefully. Proof edits should be reserved for necessary corrections to article text to ensure the accuracy and flow of information. Substantive changes to the contents or structure of the article cannot be made at this stage. Once your final proofed article is published, it will remain the version of record with no opportunity for post-publication changes unless the publication record is seriously affected.

We look forward to publishing your manuscript! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

{sender name}

8. Review request

We’ve spent a lot of time on frequently sent author emails, but what about those review requests you’re always writing?

The ideal review request should be friendly and to the point, including links to your journal’s peer review policies and reviewer guidelines so new reviewers can quickly and easily learn about your specific review process and expectations. In particular, be sure to explicitly state the review deadline.

Here’s an example review request email:

Hello {recipient name},

I hope this email finds you well. I'm writing because I thought you would be interested in serving as a peer reviewer for a new manuscript {journal name} received entitled "{manuscript name}" that falls within your realm of expertise. Below is the manuscript abstract for your reference.

[INSERT ABSTRACT HERE...]

Would you be willing to submit a peer review for this manuscript? I would need to receive your review comments by [insert hard deadline...].

If you're willing to review this submission, I'll need you to: [insert next steps...].

For more information on {journal name}'s peer review policies and reviewer guidelines, you can refer to [input web page(s) or document(s) reviewer can refer to...].

If you're unable to take on this review assignment but know of other scholars who may be interested and have the necessary expertise, we would greatly appreciate you sharing suggestions for alternate peer reviewers.

We appreciate you considering this review assignment and look forward to hearing from you. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

{sender name}

9. Reviewer thank you letter

As you find quality peer reviewers, you’ll want to retain them. One of the best ways to keep reviewers engaged is taking steps to recognize their contributions to your journal, including sending thank you emails. Everyone likes to know that their efforts are appreciated!

You can send reviewers thank you emails following each review they complete or at regular intervals (e.g., every six months or a year) thanking them for all the reviews they’ve done within that time frame.

Below is a sample reviewer thank you email:

Hello {recipient name},

I'm writing to thank you for taking the time to serve as a peer reviewer for {journal name}. The efforts of reviewers like you make it possible for us to publish [insert the number of issues/articles your journal publishes every year...] annually. And your review comments are helping authors to hone their manuscripts and advance their research efforts.

[Insert if applicable: add information on any reviewer recognition steps your journal will take, such as publishing an annual list with the names of all reviewers who served the journal throughout the calendar year...].

We greatly appreciate your contributions and look forward to working with you in the future!

Sincerely,

{sender name}

Putting it all together

We hope you find these peer review email templates helpful! Creating email templates for common correspondences is a great way to speed up peer review and foster more standardized editorial workflows. These examples cover the most common uses for email templates that we’ve seen. Be sure to also meet with your editors to discuss where and how you may benefit from additional email templates for other common journal correspondences.

Markdown version of templates for Scholastica users:

We’ve also put Markdown versions of these email templates into a Google Doc for Scholastica users. Markdown is the formatting syntax Scholastica uses to ensure your text is always formatted as you intend it. You can easily copy and paste these Markdown templates right into your Scholastica account!