The process of evaluating new journal proposals can extend over several months as a press considers many different factors before launching a journal.
Contribution to scholarship: What gap in the literature is this journal trying to fill? Is there a community that is currently underserved by existing journals that would benefit from a new title? Publishers typically take a very close look at the journal landscape that the new launch would be entering and try to make sure that there is room for it to grow and thrive. If many journals already exist in a particular field or subfield, it may not make sense to add another.
Editorial office: Are the people working on the journal at the editorial office the right people for the subject matter? Are the journal’s editors well known and respected in their field? Can they attract a strong editorial board, build a peer review network, and develop quality content? Will they bring enough notice to the journal to ensure that article submissions will start to flow quickly? Working with strong editors is key to establishing a journal’s presence and credibility before other signals like impact factor come into play. Publishers want to see evidence that the proposed journal’s team will be an effective and reliable editorial partner.
Financial viability: Most journals take some time before reaching viability, so patience and effective financial modelling are key. When considering a new proposal, publishers may budget the first several years of a journal, including estimates on revenue, manuscript management, hosting, marketing, contribution to overhead, printing, warehousing, and many other factors. Doing so gives the publisher a sense of whether extra funding will be required beyond what the journal can derive from subscriptions, licensing, or article processing charges.
Other: What needs does the journal have that go outside the norm? Will it need, for example, multimedia options, or representation at academic conferences the press does not currently attend? These extra efforts can introduce both strain on the staff and extra expense if not planned for at the outset.
—MIT Press, March 2025
Also of interest: Why should I consider starting a journal with a university press?