Reviewing process steps:
1. Article to selected reviewers;
2. Reviewers criticize/suggest;
3. Editor reinforces "2" to authors;
4. Revision/review cycle(s);
5. Accepted paper sent to publisher;
6. Delays: copy-editing, galley proofs.
Journal selection criteria:
Authors select journal for impact publication there
will have on their scientific reputation for
academic promotion and
grant-application success.
Publication speed can be a factor.
Editors select reviewers for
1. scientific expertise,
2. past performance,
3. open-mindedness, and
4. timely response
in unrewarded anonymity.
Source: Floyd E Bloom, "Human Reviewers: the Achilles Heel of Scientific Journals in the Digital Age," Science 283, 789 (1999).