[The ultimate fate of articles rejected for publication in the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde].

OBJECTIVE

Determining the fate of articles rejected for publication by the Dutch Medical Journal (Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde, NTvG).

DESIGN

Retrospective.

SETTING

Editorial office of the NTvG.

METHOD

Using a Medline search and questionnaire for authors, the fate of 108 manuscripts, (definitively) rejected for publication in the second half of 1992, was determined. Articles were divided according to the various headings, which they received upon submission.

RESULTS

Of all the 108 rejected manuscripts, 14 were found in Medline, of which 5 had already been published, when submitted to the NTvG (4 of these were unannounced duplicate publications). The inquiry had a response rate of 84%; 93 manuscripts could be included in the study. The over-all publication percentage of rejected articles was 60% ((46/93 (49%) published, 10/93 (II%) accepted for publication)); 5 articles were published twice in different journals. The mean time lapse between rejection and publication of the articles published after rejection was II months. Of all articles published or accepted for publication (n = 62; duplicate publications included) 25 appeared in an English journal, 37 in a Dutch journal.

CONCLUSION

Of articles rejected by the NTvG 60% is eventually published in another journal.