My Peer Review Experience

(I started this post in May 2018. It is being updated as relevant.) Below I share the review process for each of my peer-reviewed articles, along with the time frame from first submission to acceptance for publication. I am putting this account on here after numerous discussions with graduate students and in academic groups. In writing it, I was inspired by Nate Jensen’s blog and several scholars' similar posts on Twitter.
 
The peer review process that is essential in academia is rather difficult to master. Journal editors have a lot of discretion (and justly so), and making an article ‘hit’ might take years, or it might get placed quickly. As many would tell you (and many others might disagree), “if you are not getting rejected, you are not trying hard enough”. Further, these are two very useful accounts on the role of the peer review process by Tom Pepinski and Jeffrey Isaac.
 
Graduate students reading my account below should notice (1) how many projects are juggled at the same time; and (2) the rather quick turnaround, esp. from receiving an R&R to sending in a revised submission.
 
14.        PPQ - R&R in 2018; published 2019. The original idea was the paper in item 12 that kept getting rejected; until we wrote a different article - in EUP; then re-submitted the improved original analysis to PPQ.
13.         EJPR - Feb 16: desk reject; BJPS - Feb 2016 - reject (May 2016); CPS - May 2016: desk reject; EPSR - June 2016: reject (Nov 2016); Political Communication - Jan 2018: R&R in May (3 R&Rs in June, July, August): acceptance in Sept 2018.
12.        BJPS – July 2017: desk reject; WEP – July 2017: desk reject; EUP – Sept 2017: major R&R which we returned in a month; followed by an invitation to write a different paper with the same data; wrote the new paper in December 2017, and it was accepted to publication in Jan 2018; the original paper was eventually published in PPQ - item 14 on this list)
11.       APSR – Sept 2014: rejected March 2015; AJPS – Sept 2015; four (or five) rounds of R&R; accepted Feb 2017
10.       PPQ – Jan 2015: R&R July 2015; accepted Sept 2015
9.         PPQ – Dec 2011: rejected April 2012; EJPR – Jan 2015: desk reject; P&P – Feb 2015: R&R July 2015; accepted Nov 2015
8.         ES – Jan 2015: desk reject; G&O – Jan 2015: rejected March 2015; P&P – May 2015: R&R received August 2015;  Sept 2015.
7.         JEI – Sept 2013: desk reject; EUP – April 2014: desk reject; JEPP – April 2014: desk reject; EPSR – March 2014: desk reject; JCMS – April 2014: R&R Sept 2014; accepted Nov 2014
6.         (in response to CfP) EEPS – Sept 2014; accepted Feb 2015
5.         (in response to CfP) CIFE – March 2014: accepted July 2014        
 4.         PRQ – Dec 2010: desk reject; CPS - Dec 2010: desk reject; EEP – Oct 2011: R&R Feb 2012; accepted Nov 2012
3.         JMCQ – Sept 2011: R&R Jan 2012; accepted April 2012;
2.         EJC – Oct 2010: R&R July 2011; accepted Oct 2011
1.         CEJC – July 2011: accepted Jan 2012