Many journals indicate word or page limitations for submitted manuscripts. However, upon requests for revisions often manuscripts must be expanded. The question is to what extent to the initial restrictions still spply upon submitting the revised version?
I think they want to keep the original word count - and yes, I know it's impossible to expand and stay within. You'll have to cut somewhere else, or keep your expansion pretty minimal.
Hi!
My experience is that the reviewers usually don´t mind too much about total word count, but sometimes about wordiness of course. Total word limits is a question for the editor, in communication with own rule-keeping and technical people handling print or digital formats (and they don´t care about content). If in the end if a manuscript has become just slightly longer than permitted after revision, it may go through anyway, as long(sic) it is good as it is. In other cases not...
So it depends on the editor, that is my experience. Usually it can be no so difficult to respect the word limit anyway as a writer when doing revisions, as one's distance to own work changes as time flows, and selfconfidence grows on the way to acceptance, so sometimes I just think; OK, the blame is on the format and the journal if a paper does not become as complete (in my eyes) as it could be.
In my experience, I've never had a revision sent back to me for word count revisioning. To me, that defeats the object of the review process. If 'expert' reviewers are requesting additional content - then the intention is on the basis of improving the manuscript for readership. I review for 40 or so international journals. As long as authors can justify their added content - then it is what it is. If an editor sent it back for word revision - they might as well perform the review themselves. Of course, I wouldn't accept a manuscript where the added content could not be justified - or appears 'made-up' and/or forced. That happens quite a lot. For instance, if reviewers are critical of a lack of methodological detail - it's usually quite easy to spot where they have 'pretended' to add a lot of previously missing detail to 'impress' or appease the reviewers.
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