Some authors submit their manuscripts to several different journals at the same time so as to have their papers published in the most possibly short time.

For those who want to graduate timely it seems understandable. But it's also a dangerous way to do so.

Today one reviewer wrote to tell us that he received two manuscript review invitations respectively from our journal (JMS) and Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS), and asked us to have a discussion with NHESS about this.

Then I wrote a letter to the reviewer to thank him for his information and told him we'd tell him our decision later. Then I wrote a letter to the authors to ask for their explanation and decision.

 

 

Dear Editors of two journals, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS) and Journal of Mountain Science (JMS), I have recently been asked to review manuscripts submitted your journals and accepted to review them. I found today, however, that the two manuscripts were the same in Title and Abstract each other. Co-authors are a bit different. I don't know your policies with respect to double submission but I don't think I can proceed my review process on these manuscripts.

I appreciate if you, editorials of two journals, contact each other, confirm the manuscript statuses, discuss how you deal this trouble (I think this is "trouble") and mail me again what I should do (proceed
review or not). I don't attach the manuscripts because I'm not sure whether I can transfer the manuscripts to the different editorials and you have original files.

I list the date of contact from your side

26 Sep first referee call from JMS
29 Sep first referee call from NHESS
6 Oct reminder from NHESS
9 Oct I returned from my field trip and contact to NHESS and JMS

With kind regards,

XXX

 

Dear Prof. XXX,
    Thanks for your information. We'll write to the authors to ask for their explanation and decision, and then write to you.
    Best regards,
    JMS

Dear authors,
    You have sumbitted one manuscript with ID 11-XXXX to the Journal of Mountain Science but also to another journal at the same time. Please explain it and tell us whether you will withdraw this manuscript from the Journal of Mountain Science.
Regards,   
JMS