Society for Medical Anthropology: maq report 2004
Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Editor’s Report
Prepared for the SMA Board Meetings at the SMA Annual Meeting
San Francisco, CA, November 18-19, 2004
Submitted by Pamela I. Erickson, Editor
This report covers the period 11/12//03 to 11/11/04.
Manuscript Submissions and Disposition
Since November 2003, we have processed 109 manuscripts: 46 new submissions, 20 revised and resubmitted manuscripts, and 43 manuscripts that were still in process in 2003. The table below shows the number of manuscripts and their disposition. Of the 46 new submissions (column 2), 11 are in process (i.e., have not yet been read by the Editor) and 35 had dispositions: 27 were rejected (77%), two were publish with revisions (PWR, 6%), two were revise and resubmit (RR, 6%), four were withdrawn by the author (11%), and none were given the final clearance for publication. The acceptance rate for new manuscripts submitted this year will be about 14% (the sum of those that are PWR and RR). Past experiences suggests that most of these will eventually be accepted for publication.
Disposition of Manuscripts 11/12/03 – 11/11/04 |
New
N=46 |
% of New Decisions N=31 |
Carried- Over N=20 |
In-Process from 2003 N=43 |
Publish |
0 |
13 |
14 |
|
Publish with Revisions (PWR) |
2 |
7% |
2 |
5 |
Revise & Resubmit (RR) |
2 |
7% |
0 |
8 |
Rejected |
27 |
86% |
0 |
13 |
In Process |
11 |
N/A |
5 |
1 |
Withdrawn |
4 |
N/A |
0 |
2 |
Of the 20 revised manuscripts carried over from prior years (column 4), nine were PWR and were accepted for publication this year and 11 were RR manuscripts of which four were accepted for publication, two are currently PWR, and five are still in process (i.e., out for second review).
There were 43 manuscripts that were “in process” (column 5) during the previous reporting period (i.e., not yet read by Editor, out for review, or pending revision by authors). Of these, 41 had been original submissions of new work and two were resubmissions. Fourteen of these 43 were accepted for publication during this reporting period; five are currently PWR; eight are RR (two have been resubmitted and are in process and six are pending with the authors); 13 were rejected; two were withdrawn; and one is still in process (i.e., out for review).
For all of the manuscripts dealt with during this reporting period, the average turn around time from submission to decision was about 4.3 months. For manuscripts that went out for review, the average time from submission to decision was 7 months. The average age of manuscripts still in process is 5 months. The main problem in reducing the turn-around rate is in the process of finding reviewers, getting their commitment to review, and receiving reviews in a timely manner.
Production
The final issue of Volume 18 (2004) should be in your mailboxes soon. 19(1) is going to galleys. Production is on schedule.
Budget Issues
SMA provided MAQ with a budget of $44,109 to run the editorial office for calendar year 2004. These funds are mostly used to pay the salary of the Managing Editor, Carole Bernard (appointment at half time) and for her postage and telephone costs (she is not housed at the university), which are minimal, and for 10 hours/week for the Editorial Assistant, Mark Macauda (10 hours/week during the academic year and 13 summer weeks). The University of Connecticut (UConn) provided office space, utilities, computer facilities, Internet and email, telephone, photocopying, postage, FAX, and supplies in 2004 and will continue to do so in 2005. UConn also funded the Editorial Assistant 10 hours a week during the academic year. UConn will continue this funding for a half time (10 hours/week) for 2005.
Financial Status and Publication News
MAQ earned $5,109 in excess of the projected annual budget for calendar year 2003. As of May 31, 2004, the most recent financial report I have from AAA, MAQ was $3,391 above the annual projected budget.
The transition to publication by the University of California Press has proceeded smoothly.
Planned for 2005, is the implementation of an internet-based manuscript workflow/peer review system that will handle tracking, follow-up, and correspondence and will be implemented at no monetary cost to SMA or MAQ as part of the Mellon Foundation grant to AAA. However, the editorial office staff will need to invest the time to learn the software and set up the system.
Susan Skomal of AAA would like the SMA to consider charging a manuscript processing fee for authors who are not members of SMA and submit manuscripts to MAQ in 2005. Currently only two AA journals do so – AA and AE. AA will charge $100 per submission from non-members in 2005.