Manuscript review

A manuscript holds its title, author name, submission date, assigned editor and editorial status. These records let the Managing Editor see what arrived and who must make the next judgment. The statuses separate a newly submitted work from a manuscript under review, accepted for further work, rejected, or already moving through editing and production. The editor can focus on the assigned title without losing the original intake date.

• Editor assignment. Agree who selects the editor and how reassignment is handled when a manuscript changes hands.
• Decision point. Agree who records acceptance or rejection after review and when the next stage may begin.
• Intake convention. Agree how titles and author names are entered so duplicate submissions can be spotted during review.

Start with one real title and name the person who is responsible for the record. Decide who can revise dates or statuses, and when a change needs another person’s review. Check each actual project, manuscript, content or person reference before using that record in a handoff. The agreed practice should be visible in the record, not held only in an email thread.

For each handoff, identify the person expected to act next. Check that their user and People record are connected before relying on an approval decision. Keep the source attachment or agreement with the relevant record when the decision depends on it. This makes the working lists useful during a busy production week.

Imagine an author sends a revised manuscript while an earlier submission is already under review. The Managing Editor checks the existing title, author and submission date before adding another record. The assigned editor can then see whether the current work is still submitted, in review or accepted. When the editorial decision is made, record the status on the manuscript and tell the production team which project and content work should follow. A rejected manuscript remains visible as a distinct decision; it should not be counted as production work.

Before expanding to other titles, ask the people named above to walk through this case in the app. They should be able to point to the current record, explain the next decision and find the owner without reconstructing the history from messages.

• Manuscripts Awaiting Review — Submitted and reviewing manuscripts with editor and intake date.
• Manuscripts Review List — Manuscripts in review with the editor responsible for the decision.

See the related process and the data model for the records behind this handoff.