Submitting Editorial Recommendations

Guest Editors typically recommend rather than decide. This is an important distinction: you record your assessment and notes for the managing editor, who then makes and records the official editorial decision.

Recommendation vs. Decision

Button	Who can use it	Effect
Record Editorial Decision	Section Editor, Editor	Creates a binding decision that moves the submission to the next stage
Recommend	Guest Editor (and Section Editor when configured)	Records a recommendation for the Editor to review and act on

info

If your journal has granted you full decision-making rights as a Guest Editor, you may see the Record Editorial Decision button instead of, or in addition to, Recommend. Contact your journal manager if you are unsure which button to use.

Navigating to the Recommendation

1. Open the submission from My Queue.
2. Click the Review tab in the workflow stage bar.
3. Scroll to the Recommendation panel near the bottom of the Review stage.
4. Click Recommend.

Recommendation Options

The Recommend dialog presents the following choices:

Recommendation	When to use
Accept Submission	The manuscript is ready for publication with no further peer review required
Revisions Required	The manuscript needs minor changes before it can be accepted; another round of review is unlikely to be needed
Resubmit for Review	The manuscript needs major revisions and a full additional round of peer review
Resubmit Elsewhere	The manuscript is not suitable for this journal but may fit another publication
Decline Submission	The manuscript is not suitable for publication in this journal
See Comments	No clear recommendation; the editor should read your notes before deciding

Choosing the right recommendation

Base your recommendation on the full set of peer reviews, the manuscript's alignment with the journal's scope, and the authors' revision history. Include specific reasoning in your notes so the managing editor can act confidently.

Writing Recommendation Notes to the Editor

After selecting a recommendation option, the dialog displays a Comments for the Editor text field:

1. Summarise the reviewer feedback.
2. Explain how you weighted conflicting reviewer opinions.
3. Note any concerns about ethics, scope, or quality not captured in the reviews.
4. If recommending revisions, list the key changes you expect from the authors.

These notes are not visible to the author — they are a private communication to the managing editor only.

note

If you also need to communicate directly with the author (for example, to explain the revision requirements in detail), do so via a Discussion thread after the editor records the formal decision. See Communicating with Authors.

Submitting the Recommendation

1. Select your recommendation option.
2. Write your notes in the Comments for the Editor field.
3. Click Submit Recommendation.

A confirmation banner appears and the managing editor receives an email notification that a recommendation is waiting for their review.

What Happens After You Submit

Step	Who acts	What happens
1	Guest Editor submits recommendation	Recommendation is saved; editor notified by email
2	Managing Editor reviews recommendation	Editor reads your notes and the full review file
3	Managing Editor records the Decision	OJS creates the official decision (Accept, Revisions, Decline, etc.)
4	Author notified	Author receives the decision email; revision files may be requested
5	Workflow advances	Submission moves to next stage or a new review round begins

You can view the recorded decision on the submission's Activity Log once the editor acts.

Revising or Withdrawing a Recommendation

If you submitted a recommendation in error or wish to change it before the editor acts:

1. Return to the Recommendation panel in the Review stage.
2. Click Edit Recommendation (available only while the editor has not yet recorded a decision).
3. Update your selection and notes.
4. Click Submit Recommendation again.

If the editor has already recorded a decision, contact them directly via a discussion thread to discuss any concerns.

Further Reading

• Learning OJS – Editorial Workflow — How decisions and recommendations work in OJS
• PKP Community Forum — Community Q&A on editorial recommendation configuration