Wiley Journals: How to Submit a Research Paper (2026 Guide)
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Shruti Sharma
Academic Writing Coach & Research Communication Specialist
- Guided 100+ PhD scholars through successful submissions to Wiley journals across disciplines
- Expert in ScholarOne submission workflow, cover letter writing, and peer review response
- Familiar with Wiley's open access options, APC policies, and journal finder tools
Wiley is one of the world's largest academic publishers, with over 1,700 peer-reviewed journals covering science, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine, social sciences, and humanities. Submitting to a Wiley journal requires careful preparation — from choosing the right journal and formatting your manuscript correctly to navigating ScholarOne and responding to peer review. This step-by-step guide covers everything you need.
Top Wiley Journals by Discipline
| Discipline | Key Wiley Journals | Impact Factor Range |
|---|---|---|
| Business/Management | Journal of Management Studies, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Organizational Behavior | IF 5–10 |
| Psychology | Journal of Applied Psychology, British Journal of Psychology, Journal of Clinical Psychology | IF 4–8 |
| Engineering | Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering | IF 3–7 |
| Environmental Science | Global Change Biology, Ecology Letters, Journal of Ecology | IF 8–15 |
| Medicine/Health | Journal of Internal Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics | IF 5–10 |
| Education | British Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Research in Science Teaching | IF 3–7 |
Step-by-Step Submission Process
Step 1: Select the Right Journal
Use Wiley's Journal Finder (wiley.com) and check Aims & Scope carefully. Confirm the journal is indexed in Scopus/SCIE. Check recent acceptance rates and review timelines via Scimago or published editorial reports.
Step 2: Prepare Your Manuscript
- Read the Author Guidelines on the journal's homepage — Wiley journals have different formatting requirements
- Typical requirements: double-spaced manuscript; 12pt font; line numbers; anonymised for double-blind review (remove author names and affiliations from the main file)
- Prepare a title page separately with author details, affiliations, ORCID IDs, and corresponding author contact
- Prepare figures at the required resolution (typically 300 DPI minimum for print)
- Prepare all required declarations: conflict of interest, funding, data availability, ethical approval
Step 3: Write Your Cover Letter
One page. Summarise what the paper does, why it is novel, why this specific journal is the right venue, and confirm all required statements. See FAQ above for full structure.
Step 4: Submit via ScholarOne
- Create account at the journal's ScholarOne portal (linked from journal homepage)
- Start new submission → complete all required fields step by step
- Upload files: main manuscript (anonymised), title page, figures, tables, supplementary materials, cover letter
- Review the PDF proof generated by the system before final submission
- Submit and note your manuscript reference number
Step 5: Navigate Peer Review
Track status in ScholarOne. Typical statuses: Submitted → Under Editorial Review → Under Review → Decision Pending → Decision Made. When you receive a revision request, respond within the journal's stated deadline (usually 4–8 weeks for major revision). Write a detailed point-by-point response to reviewer comments.
Wiley Open Access
Wiley has both subscription journals and fully open access journals (Wiley Open Access series). If your funder (Wellcome Trust, UKRI, Gates Foundation, or SERB if required) mandates open access, check whether your target journal offers a hybrid OA option (pay APC for your article to be open access in a subscription journal) or whether a full OA Wiley journal is appropriate. APCs range from $1,500–$5,000 USD depending on the journal. Many institutions have read-and-publish agreements with Wiley — check with your library whether your submission fee is covered.
Related Reading from Thesis Ace Writers
Need help preparing your manuscript, cover letter, or response to reviewer comments for a Wiley journal? Thesis Ace Writers provides expert journal submission support from manuscript preparation to final acceptance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click a question to expand the answer.
Steps to find the right Wiley journal: (1) Use Wiley's Journal Finder at wiley.com/en-us/journals — paste your abstract and it suggests matching journals; (2) Check the Aims & Scope of candidate journals — your paper must clearly fit the journal's stated scope; (3) Compare Impact Factor and CiteScore — higher IF means more competition; check acceptance rates if available; (4) Check whether the journal is Scopus and/or SCIE indexed — important for Indian grant applications and UGC recognition; (5) Review recent issues — do published papers resemble your work in approach and topic? (6) Consider turnaround time — some Wiley journals have average review times of 3–4 months; others take 8–12 months; check Scimago or recent author reports; (7) Wiley Open Access journals are an option if you need gold open access — check the APC (Article Processing Charge) against your budget or funding mandate.
ScholarOne (formerly Manuscript Central) is the online submission system used by most Wiley journals. How to submit: (1) Go to the journal's homepage → click 'Submit a Paper' or 'For Authors' → 'Submit Your Manuscript'; (2) Create a ScholarOne account using your institutional email; (3) Start a new submission — you will be guided through: manuscript type selection, title and abstract entry, keyword entry, author information, reviewer suggestions, conflict of interest declaration, cover letter upload, and file upload (manuscript, figures, tables, supplementary materials); (4) After submission, you receive an acknowledgement with a manuscript ID; (5) Track your submission status in your ScholarOne dashboard. Note: some newer Wiley journals use Editorial Manager instead of ScholarOne — check the journal's specific submission instructions.
Wiley journal review timelines vary significantly by journal and discipline: Fast track journals: 2–4 weeks review; 6–8 weeks from submission to first decision. Standard journals: 4–8 weeks review; 2–4 months to first decision. Slow journals: 3–6 months review; 4–8 months to first decision. Wiley's average across all journals is approximately 90–120 days to first decision, though this varies widely. Factors affecting timeline: number of available reviewers in your specialty; reviewer availability (especially December–January and summer months); complexity of the paper; special issue versus regular issue submission. Use Publons or the journal's own transparency reports to check historical review times before submitting.
Wiley peer review decisions: (1) Accept — very rare on first submission; paper is accepted as submitted or with only minor copy-editing; (2) Minor Revision — paper is good; a few specific issues need addressing; turnaround typically 2–4 weeks; high probability of acceptance after revision; (3) Major Revision — significant concerns about methodology, analysis, or framing; requires substantial rework; turnaround typically 4–8 weeks; not guaranteed acceptance after revision; (4) Revise and Resubmit — similar to major revision but the paper goes through a new full review after revision; (5) Reject with Invitation to Resubmit — significant revision needed; treated as a new submission; (6) Reject — paper does not meet the journal's standards; cannot be resubmitted to the same journal.
Cover letter structure for Wiley journals: (1) Opening — name of the journal, manuscript title, manuscript type (original research article, review, etc.); (2) Summary — 2–3 sentences on what the paper does and its key findings; (3) Novelty — why this paper is new and significant; what gap it fills; (4) Fit — why this specific journal is the appropriate venue; mention its scope or a recent relevant paper published there; (5) Compliance statements — confirm the paper is not under consideration elsewhere; all authors approved submission; no prior publication of the data; ethics approval obtained if applicable; (6) Potential reviewers — some Wiley journals request 3–5 suggested reviewers (provide names and email addresses); (7) Closing — professional sign-off with corresponding author contact details. Keep to one page (300–400 words).