# What to Do When Your Manuscript Is Too Narrow or Too Broad for Most Journals ## Quick Answer - Assess your manuscript's scope against the journal's stated aims and scope before submission, then decide whether to reframe the work or target a niche journal. - Use reporting guidelines from the EQUATOR Network to structure your manuscript transparently, which helps editors evaluate fit regardless of scope. - A manuscript that is too narrow or too broad can still be published, but you must either adjust the framing or find a journal that explicitly welcomes that scope. ## Understanding the Scope Problem in Academic Publishing Manuscript scope refers to the breadth or specificity of the research question, methods, and claims presented in a paper. When editors say a manuscript is too narrow, they typically mean the findings apply to a very specific population, setting, or intervention that falls outside the journal's typical readership. When they say a manuscript is too broad, they mean the paper attempts to cover multiple questions, populations, or outcomes without sufficient depth or focus. Both problems stem from a mismatch between what the manuscript delivers and what the journal promises its readers. A journal that publishes clinical trials in cardiology will likely reject a single-case report from a rural clinic, even if the case is instructive. A journal that publishes focused mechanistic studies will likely reject a sweeping review that touches on epidemiology, treatment, and policy without deep analysis of any single aspect. The scope problem is not a judgment on the quality of your research. It is a judgment on fit. Understanding this distinction matters because it changes how you respond to a rejection or how you approach submission in the first place. ## How Journals Define Their Scope Journals publish their aims and scope statements in the instructions for authors and on their websites. These statements describe the types of articles the journal accepts, the subject areas it covers, and the audience it serves. Some journals also publish statistics on acceptance rates, time to first decision, and the proportion of submissions that proceed to peer review. Before you submit, read the aims and scope statement carefully. Look for specific language about the types of studies the journal welcomes. Some journals state that they accept preliminary studies, case reports, or replication studies. Others explicitly exclude these formats. The language is usually precise, and editors expect authors to have read it. The Committee on Publication Ethics Core Practices describe the responsibilities of editors and publishers in managing submissions, including how they handle peer review and editorial decisions. These practices do not tell you how to choose a journal, but they describe the standards that journals should follow. Understanding these standards helps you recognize when a journal's scope policy is applied fairly and when it is not. ## When a Manuscript Is Too Narrow A manuscript is too narrow when the research question, methods, or findings are so specific that they interest only a small group of specialists. Common examples include: - A study of a single patient or a small case series - A study of a rare condition or a unique environmental exposure - A study conducted in a single institution with a very specific patient population - A study that measures an outcome that is not widely used or understood - A study that uses a method that is not accessible to most researchers in the field Narrow manuscripts are not inherently low quality. They can be rigorous, well designed, and important. The problem is that most journals aim to publish work that will be read and cited by a broad audience. A narrow manuscript may not generate enough interest to justify the journal's investment in peer review and production. ### Reframing a Narrow Manuscript Reframing does not mean changing your data or your conclusions. It means presenting the work in a way that makes its broader relevance visible. Consider these strategies: - Emphasize the generalizable principles. If your study is about a single farm, what does it teach about management practices that could apply elsewhere? - Connect your findings to a larger body of literature. Show how your narrow study fills a gap or challenges an assumption in the field. - Discuss the implications for policy, practice, or future research. Even a narrow study can have implications that extend beyond its immediate setting. - Use the discussion section to explain why the narrow focus was necessary. If you studied a rare disease because it reveals something about a common mechanism, say so explicitly. The EQUATOR Network provides reporting guidelines for many study types. These guidelines help you structure your manuscript so that readers and editors can see exactly what you did and why. Using the appropriate guideline does not change your scope, but it does make your methods and reasoning transparent, which can help editors see the value of your work. ### Finding a Journal That Accepts Narrow Work Some journals specialize in case reports, single-site studies, or research on rare conditions. These journals exist because narrow work has value. Look for journals that: - Publish case reports or case series - Focus on a specific geographic region or population - Focus on a specific species, crop, or production system - Publish preliminary or pilot studies - Publish replication studies The National Library of Medicine Bookshelf provides access to authoritative texts on research methods and reporting. These texts can help you understand the range of study designs and the journals that publish them. Use this resource to learn about the types of journals that exist in your field and the standards they apply. ## When a Manuscript Is Too Broad A manuscript is too broad when it tries to cover too much ground. Common examples include: - A study that combines multiple research questions without a unifying framework - A review that covers a wide topic without depth or critical analysis - A study that includes multiple populations, settings, or interventions without clear comparisons - A manuscript that mixes methods, such as combining a qualitative study with a quantitative analysis, without explaining how they fit together Broad manuscripts often fail because they lack focus. Editors and reviewers cannot tell what the central question is, what the main finding is, or what the reader should do with the information. The work may be interesting, but it is not presented in a way that is useful. ### Narrowing a Broad Manuscript If your manuscript is too broad, you have several options. The best option depends on the nature of your work and the amount of time you have. - Split the manuscript into two or more papers. If you have multiple distinct research questions, each may deserve its own paper. This approach works well when the questions use different methods or address different audiences. - Focus on one central question. Identify the most important finding and build the paper around it. Move the other findings to supplementary materials or save them for a future paper. - Reframe the paper as a review or a perspective. If your work synthesizes existing research, consider whether it is better presented as a review article. Reviews have different standards than original research, and some journals specialize in them. - Use a reporting guideline to structure the paper. The EQUATOR Network offers guidelines for many study types. Following a guideline forces you to make decisions about what to include and what to leave out. ### Choosing the Right Journal for a Broad Manuscript Some journals explicitly welcome broad, interdisciplinary, or integrative work. These journals often have titles that include words like "interdisciplinary," "integrative," "global," or "comprehensive." They may also publish reviews, perspectives, and commentaries alongside original research. When you are considering a journal for a broad manuscript, read recent issues to see whether the journal publishes work that is similar in scope to yours. If the journal has published papers that cover multiple disciplines or address large questions, your manuscript may fit. If every paper in the journal is narrowly focused, your manuscript is likely to be rejected. ## Using Reporting Guidelines to Clarify Scope Reporting guidelines are checklists that tell you what information to include in a manuscript and how to present it. They are developed by experts in specific fields and are designed to improve the transparency and completeness of research reporting. The EQUATOR Network maintains a comprehensive database of reporting guidelines and provides tools to help you find the right one for your study. Using a reporting guideline can help you address scope problems in two ways. First, it forces you to be explicit about your research question, methods, and findings. This clarity helps editors see what your paper is about and whether it fits their journal. Second, it helps you identify gaps in your manuscript. If you cannot complete a section of the checklist, you may need to collect more data, do more analysis, or revise your research question. The EQUATOR Network also provides information about how to use reporting guidelines and how to cite them in your manuscript. Following a reporting guideline is not a guarantee of acceptance, but it is a sign to editors that you take research reporting seriously. ## The Role of Data Management in Scope Decisions Data management is closely connected to manuscript scope because the availability and quality of your data affect what you can claim and how you can present your work. The National Institutes of Health Data Management and Sharing Policy describes expectations for researchers who receive NIH funding. These expectations include developing a data management and sharing plan, describing how data will be preserved and shared, and ensuring that data are shared in a way that is consistent with applicable laws and policies. If your manuscript is too narrow, you may be able to strengthen it by sharing your data. Data sharing allows other researchers to use your data for secondary analyses, which can increase the impact of your work even if the original manuscript is narrow. If your manuscript is too broad, data sharing can help you split the work into multiple papers without losing the connection between them. The NIH Grants and Funding website provides information about grant policies and application requirements. If you are applying for NIH funding, you will need to describe your data management and sharing plans in your application. These plans should be consistent with the scope of your proposed research and the manuscripts you plan to produce. ## How to Assess Your Manuscript's Scope Before Submission Before you submit your manuscript, take time to assess its scope. This assessment will save you time and effort by helping you choose the right journal or revise your manuscript before submission. ### Step 1: Write a One-Sentence Summary Write a single sentence that describes your manuscript. Include the population or system you studied, the intervention or exposure, the outcome, and the setting. If you cannot write this sentence in under 40 words, your manuscript may be too broad. ### Step 2: Identify the Central Question What is the one question your manuscript answers? If you have more than one central question, you may need to split the manuscript or choose one question to focus on. ### Step 3: Compare Your Scope to the Journal's Aims and Scope Read the journal's aims and scope statement and compare it to your one-sentence summary. Ask yourself whether the journal's readers would be interested in your work. If you are not sure, look at recent issues of the journal and see whether they publish work that is similar in scope. ### Step 4: Check the Reporting Guideline Use the EQUATOR Network to find the reporting guideline that applies to your study type. Review the checklist and make sure your manuscript includes all the required elements. If you cannot complete the checklist, you may need to revise your manuscript or collect more data. ### Step 5: Consider Your Data Review your data management plan and make sure it is consistent with your manuscript. If you plan to share data, make sure your manuscript describes the data and how to access them. If you do not plan to share data, be prepared to explain why. ## At a Glance: Scope Assessment Table | Manuscript Characteristic | Likely Scope Problem | Recommended Action | | --- | --- | --- | | Single case or very small sample | Too narrow for most journals | Reframe around generalizable principles or target a case-report journal | | Multiple research questions without a unifying framework | Too broad for most journals | Split into separate papers or focus on one central question | | Findings apply to a specific geographic region or population | Too narrow for international journals | Emphasize broader implications or target a regional journal | | Covers multiple disciplines or outcomes without depth | Too broad for specialized journals | Reframe as a review or target an interdisciplinary journal | | Uses a novel method that is not widely accessible | Too narrow for method-focused journals | Emphasize the method's potential applications or target a methods journal | ## Practical Steps for Reframing Your Manuscript Reframing a manuscript is a concrete process. It involves making decisions about what to emphasize, what to cut, and how to present your work. The following steps can help you reframe a manuscript that is too narrow or too broad. ### Step 1: Identify Your Audience Who do you want to read your paper? If you are writing for specialists in your field, a narrow scope may be appropriate. If you are writing for a broader audience, you need to make your work accessible and relevant to readers who do not share your specialized knowledge. ### Step 2: Rewrite the Introduction The introduction should tell readers why your work matters. If your manuscript is too narrow, the introduction should explain why the narrow focus is important. If your manuscript is too broad, the introduction should identify the central question and explain why it is the right question to ask. ### Step 3: Revise the Discussion The discussion is where you explain the implications of your work. If your manuscript is too narrow, use the discussion to connect your findings to larger issues. If your manuscript is too broad, use the discussion to focus on the most important findings and their implications. ### Step 4: Update the Title and Abstract The title and abstract are the first things editors and readers see. They should accurately reflect the scope of your manuscript. If you have reframed your manuscript, update the title and abstract to match. ### Step 5: Get Feedback Before you submit, ask a colleague or mentor to read your manuscript and tell you what they think it is about. If their description does not match your intention, you need to revise further. ## Common Failure Patterns in Scope Management Researchers often make the same mistakes when dealing with scope problems. Recognizing these patterns can help you avoid them. ### Submitting Without Reading the Aims and Scope Many researchers submit their manuscripts without reading the journal's aims and scope statement. This mistake leads to desk rejections, which waste time and delay publication. Always read the aims and scope before you submit. ### Ignoring the Reporting Guideline Reporting guidelines exist for a reason. They help you present your work in a way that is complete and transparent. Ignoring the relevant guideline can lead to a manuscript that is missing key information, which makes it harder for editors to assess its scope and quality. ### Trying to Make One Paper Do Everything If you have multiple research questions, you may be tempted to put them all in one paper. This approach usually produces a manuscript that is too broad. Consider whether your work would be better presented as two or more papers. ### Choosing a Journal Based on Impact Factor Impact factor is not a measure of fit. A high-impact journal may reject your manuscript because it does not fit their scope, even if the work is excellent. Choose a journal based on fit first and impact factor second. ### Giving Up After One Rejection Rejection is common in academic publishing. A rejection does not mean your work is bad. It may mean that the journal was not the right fit. Use the reviewer comments to improve your manuscript and submit it to a different journal. ## Records and Measurements for Scope Assessment Keeping records of your submission process can help you make better decisions in the future. Consider tracking the following information for each manuscript: - The journal you submitted to - The date of submission - The date of the first decision - The outcome (desk reject, reject after review, major revision, minor revision, accept) - The reason for rejection, if given - The reviewer comments - The changes you made in response to the comments This information can help you identify patterns. For example, if multiple journals reject your manuscript because it is too narrow, you may need to reframe the work or target a different type of journal. If reviewers consistently say your manuscript is too broad, you may need to split it into multiple papers. ## Professional Escalation Criteria Sometimes a scope problem is a symptom of a larger issue. Consider seeking professional advice if: - You have received multiple rejections and you are not sure why - Reviewers have raised concerns about the validity of your methods or data - You are considering splitting your manuscript but you are not sure how - You are considering submitting to a journal that you are not familiar with - You have questions about authorship, data sharing, or publication ethics The Committee on Publication Ethics Core Practices describe the standards that journals should follow. If you believe a journal has treated your submission unfairly, you can consult these practices to understand your options. The ORCID for Researchers website provides information about maintaining your researcher profile, which can help you track your publications and submissions. ## Welfare and Safety Context in Scope Decisions For researchers working with animals, plants, or human subjects, scope decisions can have welfare and safety implications. A manuscript that is too narrow may not adequately describe the welfare or safety measures used in the study. A manuscript that is too broad may not provide enough detail for readers to assess the welfare or safety of the methods. When you are reframing a manuscript, do not cut information about welfare or safety to make the paper fit a journal's scope. This information is essential for ethical and scientific reasons. If a journal's scope does not accommodate the welfare or safety information you need to include, that journal may not be the right fit for your work. ## Limitations of Scope Reframing Reframing has limits. You cannot change your data, your methods, or your findings. You can only change how you present them. If your manuscript is too narrow because your study has a fundamental design flaw, reframing will not fix it. If your manuscript is too broad because you have not done enough analysis, reframing will not substitute for additional work. Be honest with yourself about what reframing can and cannot do. If your manuscript needs more data, more analysis, or a different study design, reframing is not the answer. You may need to conduct additional research or revise your approach before you can publish your work. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How do I know if my manuscript is too narrow or too broad? Write a one-sentence summary of your manuscript that includes the population, intervention, outcome, and setting. If the sentence is longer than 40 words, your manuscript may be too broad. If the sentence describes a very specific situation that would interest only a few specialists, your manuscript may be too narrow. Compare your summary to the journal's aims and scope statement to assess fit. ### Can I submit a narrow manuscript to a broad journal? You can submit, but the manuscript is likely to be rejected if the journal does not publish work of that scope. Before submitting, read the journal's aims and scope and look at recent issues to see whether the journal publishes work that is similar in scope to yours. If the journal does not publish narrow work, target a journal that does. ### What should I do if my manuscript is rejected for being too narrow? Read the rejection letter carefully to understand the editor's reasoning. If the editor says the manuscript is too narrow, consider whether you can reframe it to emphasize its broader relevance. If reframing is not possible, look for a journal that specializes in narrow work, such as a case-report journal or a journal focused on a specific region or population. ### How do I split a broad manuscript into multiple papers? Identify the distinct research questions in your manuscript. Each question should have its own methods, results, and conclusions. Write a separate paper for each question, and make sure each paper stands on its own. You may need to do additional analysis or collect additional data to support each paper. ### What are reporting guidelines and how do I use them? Reporting guidelines are checklists that tell you what information to include in a manuscript and how to present it. The EQUATOR Network maintains a database of reporting guidelines and provides tools to help you find the right one for your study. Use the guideline to structure your manuscript and to check that you have included all required elements. ### How does data sharing affect manuscript scope? Data sharing can make a narrow manuscript more useful by allowing other researchers to use your data for secondary analyses. It can also help you split a broad manuscript into multiple papers without losing the connection between them. The NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy describes expectations for researchers who receive NIH funding. ### What should I do if I disagree with an editor's decision? If you believe the editor has made an error, you can write to the editor to explain your position. Be respectful and provide specific reasons why you believe the decision was wrong. The Committee on Publication Ethics Core Practices describe the standards that journals should follow, and you can refer to these practices in your correspondence. ### How do I choose a journal for a manuscript with an unusual scope? Look for journals that publish work similar in scope to yours. Read the aims and scope statements of several journals and look at recent issues to see what they publish. Consider journals that specialize in case reports, regional studies, interdisciplinary work, or reviews. Use the EQUATOR Network to find reporting guidelines that apply to your study type. ## Using the Evidence | Source | Best use in this topic | Important limitation | |---|---|---| | [Research Methods Resources](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books) | official guidance | Check the linked page for current local requirements | | [EQUATOR Network](https://www.equator-network.org/) | official guidance | Check the linked page for current local requirements | | [Core Practices](https://publicationethics.org/core-practices) | official guidance | Check the linked page for current local requirements | ## Related Articles - [Reference Managers for Researchers: Choosing a Workflow That Survives Collaboration](/blog/careers/reference-managers-for-researchers-choosing-a-workflow-that-survives-collaborati) - [Biostatistics Journal](/blog/guides/biostatistics-journal) - [Journal Of Experimental Biology](/blog/guides/journal-of-experimental-biology) - [Primer Specificity In Silico](/blog/guides/primer-specificity-in-silico) - [What Can I Do With a Biology Degree](/blog/news/what-can-i-do-with-a-biology-degree) ## References and Further Reading - [Research Methods Resources](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books). National Library of Medicine. - [EQUATOR Network](https://www.equator-network.org/). EQUATOR Network. - [Core Practices](https://publicationethics.org/core-practices). Committee on Publication Ethics. - [NIH Grants and Funding](https://grants.nih.gov/). National Institutes of Health. - [ORCID for Researchers](https://info.orcid.org/researchers). ORCID. - [Data Management and Sharing Policy](https://sharing.nih.gov/data-management-and-sharing-policy). National Institutes of Health. - [NCBI Literature Resources](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/). National Center for Biotechnology Information. - [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/). National Library of Medicine. > This article is educational and does not replace institutional policy, professional advice, or applicable safety and regulatory requirements.