🚫 Shotgun Submissions to Academic Journals: The Hidden Victims of Your 'Clever' Tactic

It might seem logical – submit your paper to ten journals, and your chances of publication increase. But behind each such action stand real people forced to work in vain.

Why this is more than just "bad manners"?

1️⃣ Editors waste their time:
✔️ checking compliance (dozens of formatting requirements);
✔️ manually searching for reviewers (sometimes for weeks!);
✔️ coordinating correspondence between authors and experts.

2️⃣ Reviewers work for free:
✔️ spending 5-10 hours analyzing your paper;
✔️ formulating detailed comments;
✔️ do you really think their time is worthless?

3️⃣ Technical staff do double work:
✔️ Preparing materials for publication;
✔️ Verifying metadata and references;
✔️ Formatting text to editorial standards.

...And all this – for NOTHING, if the paper is already accepted elsewhere.

💰 The financial impact:
✔️ journals pay staff for this work;
✔️ some order translations of abstracts/papers, even reviews;
✔️ plagiarism check systems require license fees.

Your "time-saving" tactic causes real financial losses for publishers.

⁉️ What about your colleagues?

The ugliest consequence – innocent co-authors get caught in the crossfire. Upon encountering dishonest authors, journals may:
✔️ reject all listed authors – even those unaware of multiple submissions;
✔️ blacklist the entire research group/institution;
✔️ scrutinize future submissions from the same university/lab.

You're risking not just your reputation, but the careers of those who trusted you as co-authors.

⁉️ Will your employer find out?

❗️YES! Many journals upon detecting shotgun submissions:
✔️ officially notify the author's institution;
✔️ include violation details in rejection letters;
✔️ publish retraction notices specifying the reason.

Consequences for the author:
⚠️ reputational damage among peers;
⚠️ PhD defense issues;
⚠️ grant application problems (funds check publication history);
⚠️ workplace disciplinary actions.

How to proceed ethically?
✅ One journal, one submission!
✅ If urgent – email the editor BEFORE submitting:
"Are you willing to consider this paper under accelerated review?"
✅ After rejection – revise and submit anew.

P.S. Some publishers now impose penalties for shotgun submissions – up to complete publication bans in the journal or entire publisher portfolio.

🔗 Helpful links:
COPE on multiple submissions

Did you know...
Some editorial boards now share information about such cases? Gambling with your reputation is a bad idea!

Share your thoughts in the comments!

Subscribe to our Telegram channel:
👉 t.iss.one/MinSciTech 👈

#InEnglish #MST #ScientificEthics #ResearchIntegrity #DuplicateSubmission