Editorial Workflow

This section will explain the editorial workflow that all manuscripts submitted to Future Natural Products will undergo. The editorial workflow is done entirely through an online tracking system. After a manuscript is submitted, all authors will be informed about the submission, and the corresponding author is allowed to check the status of the manuscript on his/her private page he/she has already created on the Future Natural Products' website. Editor-in-Chief, and probably the section editor or one of the co-editors, on the Editor-in-Chief’s request, will briefly examine the manuscript.

If their final decision is that the manuscript is not qualified to go through the main review process or if its subject does not conform to Future Natural Products’ scope, the manuscript will be rejected. If the final decision is that the manuscript fulfills adequate prerequisites, including conformity to the journal’s scope, it will be sent to one of the members of the editorial board depending on the availability of the editors, the manuscript’s subject, and the lack of any potential conflicts of interest. If the editor’s decision is that the manuscript meets the necessary requirements and its subject falls within the Future Natural Products’ scope, it will be sent to 2-4 external reviewers to be peer-reviewed.

After the reviewers send their comments to the editor, the editor will accordingly make one of the following editorial decisions:

1. Acceptance: The manuscript could be e-published.  We will do our best to publish these manuscripts within at most two months. Prior to that, the corresponding author must approve the manuscript’s proof copy. Following e-publication, the manuscript will be in a queue for publication in one of the upcoming issues.

2. Minor Revision: Authors will receive comments and a request to submit a revised version of the manuscript along with a cover letter stating authors’ replies and a marked version of the manuscript prepared by Track Changes in the Review menu of Microsoft Word Documents.  The revised manuscript must be submitted within two weeks following the comments are sent to the author(s). Otherwise, authors must submit the revised version as a new submission.

3. Major Revision: It means giving an opportunity to author(s) to reorganize the manuscript so that their manuscript will fulfill the scientific criteria sufficient for another review process. Authors should seriously consider the reviewers’ comments and concentrate on their essential points. The editor may or may not ask the authors to resubmit the revised manuscript along with a cover letter and a marked version of the manuscript. The revised manuscript must be submitted within two weeks following the comments are sent to the author(s). Otherwise, authors must submit the revised version as a new submission.

4. Reject: Mostly, methodology-related and scientific considerations are the main reasons for rejection. The reasons will be revealed to the authors so that they are allowed to increase the likelihood of publication of their manuscript in other journals.

5. Withdraw: If the submitted manuscript’s subject does not fulfill the scope of Future Natural Products, it will be withdrawn with the recommendation to submit it to another journal.