Manuscript Submissions Following Implementation of Guaranteed Peer Review

Yurong Fei-Bloom,¹ Matthew Welch² <h4>Objective </h4> <i>Molecular Biology of the Cell</i> (<i>MBoC</i>) serves as our community cell science journal for members of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) and cell scientists worldwide. ASCB members contribute high-quality research manuscripts to MBoC, enhancing its reputation as a platform for enduring work. Nearly half of the articles published in <i>MBoC</i> come from ASCB members, and most submissions from members are accepted. In our annual surveys, ASCB members expressed great value in having a community-led society journal where they can publish their research, which ensures that funds used to publish remain within our community to support meetings, awards, mentorship, and professional training. The objective of this study was to examine the implications of guaranteed peer review for submissions from ASCB members. <h4>Design</h4> Starting in January 2024, <i>MBoC </i>guaranteed that all newly submitted research manuscripts with current ASCB members as corresponding authors would undergo the peer review process.¹ It is important to note that guaranteed peer review did not imply guaranteed acceptance; editorial standards² remained the same for all submissions, whether from ASCB members or non-members. Editors were aware of which manuscripts were submitted by members, but reviewers were not aware of the member status. The Editor in Chief carefully assessed each nonmember submission to determine whether it should be desk rejected or moved forward to the peer-review stage. The peer-review process was overseen by dedicated monitoring editors with subject matter expertise. This structure enabled these editors to manage the peer review effectively, fostering a fair and unbiased system that upholds the integrity of the review for all submissions, including those from members. <h4>Results</h4> <i>MBoC</i> received 120 submissions (new or revisions) from ASCB members in 2023 and 204 in 2024, which is a 70% increase from the previous year. The total submissions rose by 13%, from 373 in 2023 to 421 in 2024. In 2023, the journal accepted 180 manuscripts, including 102 (57%) from members. In 2024, it accepted 165 manuscripts, with 140 (85%) from members. In 2023, the journal rejected 180 manuscripts, including 12 from members. In 2024, it rejected 233 manuscripts, including 12 from members. The rejection rate of the member manuscripts was 9% in 2023 and 6% in 2024, suggesting that our members consistently submit high-quality work.<i> </i>The average time from submission to the first decision for peer-reviewed articles was 34 days, 2 days fewer than in 2023 (36 days). <h4>Conclusions</h4> <i> </i>Findings of<i> </i>this study suggest that guaranteed peer review increased submissions from ASCB members while maintaining the quality and timing of the peer review process. The data also suggest that the community values straightforward and guaranteed access to constructive peer feedback.³ <h4>References</h4> 1. Fei-Bloom Y, Welch M. New ASCB Member Benefit—Guaranteed Peer Review in MBoC. ASCB Member News, Publishing, Society News. December 22, 2023. Accessed July 15, 2025. <a href="https://www.ascb.org/society-news/new-member-benefit-guaranteed-peer-review-in-mboc/">https://www.ascb.org/society-news/new-member-benefit-guaranteed-peer-review-in-mboc/</a> 2. Baum B. Reviewing papers as you would like your papers to be reviewed. <i>Mol Biol Cell</i>. 2019;30:3013-3014. doi.org/10.1091/mbc.E19-05-0273 3. Drubin DG. Any jackass can trash a manuscript, but it takes good scholarship to create one (how <i>MBoC</i> promotes civil and constructive peer review). <i>Mol Biol Cell</i>. 2011;22:525-527. doi.org/10.1091/mbc.e11-01-0002 ¹American Society for Cell Biology, Rockville, MD, US, yfeibloom@ascb.org; ²Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, US. <h4>Conflict of Interest Disclosures </h4> None reported.