“Submissions are up” has long been treated as good news in scholarly publishing. But in today’s environment, does more always mean better? Sparked by a recent Scholarly Kitchen article, this session will challenge the assumption that rising submission volumes signal journal strength. As editorial teams contend with increasing numbers of low-quality, AI-assisted, and potentially problematic manuscripts, the impact is being felt across workflows—from screening and desk rejection to peer review capacity and system performance. Together, we will examine whether submission growth is: reinforcing quality and selectivity, or creating hidden costs, inefficiencies, and integrity risks.

This Office Hours discussion will focus on real-world experiences and practical approaches, including: identifying pressure points in editorial workflows strengthening early triage and filtering managing reviewer fatigue rethinking metrics of success beyond volume. Come ready to share, question, and rethink how we define “growth” in a rapidly evolving submissions landscape.

This is a free event open to all editorial professionals; ISMTE membership is not required, but registration is required to attend.

Speaker

Juanita Goossens-Roach

Peer Review Manager, Cambridge University Press

Juanita Goossens-Roach, CDLP: With more than 22 years' experience in editorial operations, she specialises in peer review, workflow optimisation, service delivery, and research integrity. A former ISMTE Board Director, mentor, speaker, and Disability & Neurodiversity Ambassador, she is passionate about the people behind scholarly publishing and making systems work better at scale.

About Office Hours with ISMTE
Office Hours are virtual, One-hour informal events where a single topic is discussed by the participants. ISMTE Office Hours are facilitated by an ISMTE member who has an interest in the topic at hand.
These sessions are free and open to all editorial professionals regardless of member status.