Expedited editorial decision in COVID-19 pandemic

Area of Science:

• Bibliometrics
• Scientific Publishing
• Sociology of Science

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns significantly altered scientific workflows.
• An unexpected consequence was a notable increase in the speed of academic editorial processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To causally determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the editorial decision time for scientific publications.
• To quantify the change in editorial decision duration before and after the pandemic's onset.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a quasi-experimental regression discontinuity (RD) design.
• Analyzed a large dataset of 339,199 papers submitted pre- and post-pandemic onset.
• Compared editorial decision times for revised papers.

Main Results:

• Found a significant reduction in editorial decision time post-pandemic, averaging 8.9 days faster.
• Observed differential impacts: larger time reductions for editors of high-tier journals, social science fields, and those with heavier workloads.
• Editorial decision time for revised papers decreased by an average of 8.9 days.

Conclusions:

• The pandemic accelerated editorial decision-making processes in scientific publishing.
• Findings suggest potential for sustained increases in editorial speed and policy reform in scientific enterprises.
• The study highlights the pandemic's varied effects on different editor groups.