Frequently Asked Questions

General

Q: I've forgotten my password. What should I do?
A: You can go to http://jmlr.csail.mit.edu/manudb/resetpasswd and enter your e-mail address. Your username and a new password will be e-mailed to you for immediate use. If this does not work for you, send e-mail to the managing editors managing@jmlr.org

Q: I can't find a manuscript I'm supposed to be able to see. What happened?
A: To see the list of manuscripts, select "manuscript listing" from the main center. From there, make sure you select the correct "connection." Pick "author" if you are looking for a paper you authored. Select "reviewer" if you are looking for a paper you reviewed. For "author" and "reviewer" the default filter is "all" which means you should see all of your authored or reviewed manuscripts listed along the left side (if you are an action editor, then you will only see pending manuscripts, select "all" or "decided" to view finished manuscripts). If you don't see the tag of the manuscript you are looking for, make sure the "manuscript status" filter is set to "all" and select "refilter." You can also type the tag directly into the text box in the upper right and select "find." If the tag you are looking for isn't the only one listing on the left, you will need to select the tag of the corresponding manuscript. That will bring up all of the manuscript's details in the center of the web page.

Authors

Q: How long will it take to review my paper?
A: The time needed to review a paper varies from paper to paper and JMLR does not guarantee that it will make a decision in a given period of time. The current average time to decision is around 3 months, see the statistics section of the webpage for the most recent statistics.

Q: What's the status of my manuscript?
A: Please address any inquiries about the status of a paper under review to the Action Editor in charge of your paper. The name of your action editor will appear in the submission system once its assigned, which should happen no later than once month after submission.

Q: How do I submit a manuscript?
A: If you do not have an account, register for one. Any co-authors who would like to view the reviews and decision online will also need to register for an account. Then log in and select "submit manuscript" from the top. You should then enter in the title of the manuscript and the authors who wish to see the manuscript online. Finally select the manuscript's file and select "submit." Manuscripts should be submitted in PDF format.

Q: What if I need to submit multiple files?
A: You may submit multiple files on the submission page. Replies to prior reviews can be submitted this way. For each additional document, you may select whether reviewers can see it.

Q: How do I submit a revision?
A: You should submit a revised manuscript only if the action editor has specifically encouraged you to submit a revised manuscript. (If in doubt, please consult the action editor immediately after receiving your reviews.) If the action editor has encouraged a revised manuscript, then go to the manuscript listing for the manuscript you wish to revise. Use this page (as a normal submission) to submit your revision. It will automatically get linked in as a revision of the previous manuscript.

Q: How can I view the decision and reviews for my manuscript?
A: Go to the manuscript listing for the manuscript you wish view. If the reviewing process is complete, there will be "download" links for each of the reviews and the decision.

Q: Is my paper within the scope of the journal? A: See the journal scope.

Q: I would like to make a pre-submission inquiry to determine if my paper is a good fit.
A: As a policy, JMLR does not respond to pre-submission inquiries. If you believe your manuscript is in-scope for the journal, please submit it.

Reviewers

Q: I received an e-mail requesting I review a manuscript. However, I do not have an account?
A: In the e-mail, there should be a longish URL. If you use that URL, you do not need an account. If you wish for an account (so that all of your reviews will be under a common interface, for example), you can register for an account using the same e-mail address to which the request was sent. Then you can log in, view the manuscript, and give a response (whether or not you are willing to review).

Q: I have an account and have been asked to review a manuscript. What do I do now?
A: The longish URL given in the e-mail address will take you directly to the review and does not require you to log in. However, if you wish, you can log in and select "Manuscript Listing" followed by "Reviewer." You should then see a list of all manuscripts you have reviewed. You can select "new" (from the manuscript status filter) and select "refilter" to view only the new manuscript. Selecting the manuscript's tag number on the left will bring up the details on the mansucript. You can download the manuscript and decide whether or not you can review it. Once you've made your decision, please select "yes" or "no" under the reply section of the manuscript listing.

Q: I am receiving reminders about a manuscript I already declined to review. Why?
A: Most likely, you replied to the e-mail which requested your reviewing services, but did not go to the website to enter your "yes" or "no" reply. The action editor who requested you as a reviewer received your e-mail but forgot (or has not yet had a chance) to update the website. You have two options: 1. go to the web site (as per the instructions in the original e-mail) and select "yes" or "no" indicating your willingness to review. 2. send another e-mail to the action editor requesting that he/she do the same on your behalf.

Q: How do I submit a revision?
A: Go to the manuscript listing (just as before). Select (if necessary) the manuscript's tag from the left side. Then select the "submit review" link. You can also enter in a "private comments" file to be seen only by the editor. Press "submit" and you are done.

Action Editors

Q: I have already requested a reviewer via e-mail (outside of the system). What should I do?
A: You should definitely update the online database to reflect this. It is important to keep the database up-to-date, so that the chief, managing, and production editors know the true status of the manuscript. To do this, go to the manuscript's listing ("Manuscript Listing" and then "Action Editor" and select the corresponding tag number). Request this reviewer as normal. However, select "Request, do not send e-mail." Then, return to the manuscript listing and select "show" (under reviews) and select "yes" (under force reply for this reviewer). The database will now have the correct information.

Q: A reviewer sent me his or her review via e-mail and did not enter it into the system. What should I do?
A:: Enter the review into the system manually. As with the previous question, it is important to keep the online database correct. Go to the manuscript's listing and select "submit review" next to the review's name. You can then submit the review on the reviewer's behalf.

Q: I just sent the authors their decision via e-mail. Do I need to enter it into the online system?
A: Yes! Please keep the system up-to-date. After entering the decision, you will come to a page to send the authors an e-mail. As you have already e-mailed them, simply select "do not send e-mail" at the bottom.

Q: A reviewer agreed to do the review, but needs extra time. What should I do?
A: Please, go to the manuscript's listing and edit the due date for that reviewer. Otherwise, he or she will receive annoying e-mail from the manuscript tracking system bothering him or her for not turning in the review on time.

Q: I just received an e-mail reminder about a manuscript which has already been taken care of. How do I prevent further such annoying reminders?
A: If you can, add the missing information (review request, review, decision). If you already have it outside of the system, see the above questions for how to enter it. If you cannot, or the manuscript's status online is wrong, contact the managing editor (managing@jmlr.org).

Q: What are the reviewer guidelines of JMLR?
A: see the reviewer guide.