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I recently submitted a first-author paper to a top-tier scientific journal (A). The editor responded that the paper would not be reviewed in that specific journal (A), but that it could be transferred to (and guaranteed reviewed by) a middle-tier journal (B) under the same publishing family.

Searching online, I believe this process is called (or similar to) "cascade peer reviewing". The benefits would be that I would not need to entirely resubmit and would be guaranteed peer review.

Despite these benefits, I prefer to submit the paper to another top-tier journal (C) in the same publishing family. I tentatively plan to transparently ask the editor if we can defer the offer, submit the paper to journal C, and if the paper is rejected from journal C, then reconsider the offer to transfer (or perhaps entirely resubmit) to journal B. Would this question be lacking in respect and/or grace?

I plan on asking my coauthors if we should ask the editor directly about this detail on their policy. However, before even asking my coauthors, I wanted to check with anyone's experience with this topic here. If this idea of even asking is considered inappropriate, then I would probably avoid asking altogether.

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Despite these benefits, I prefer to submit the paper to another top-tier journal (C) in the same publishing family. I tentatively plan to transparently ask the editor if we can defer the offer, submit the paper to journal C, and if the paper is rejected from journal C, then reconsider the offer to transfer (or perhaps entirely resubmit) to journal B. Would this question be lacking in respect and/or grace?

You are almost in a game theory situation! This depends upon your time and need for a high-tier publication. Here are two approaches I use:

Try for another top-tier journal: What I have done is leave the manuscript in the system for journal B, and not respond and because journals A/B considers a lack of response to be a decline to transfer. Usually, journal B gives you multiple months to respond before un-submitting the journal article automatically.

During this period, I submit to journal C. I usually hear back from journal C before I time out at journal B.

Easy publication route: In my experience, some journals will give a paper an editorial only review (i.e., the editor reads the paper and reviewer commens/response and then accepts) IF you address all of the peer review comments from the first review.

I would discuss both rotes with your co-authors. Depending upon your timeline and career stage, either route might be the best choice for you.

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  • The first approach seems unethical, since journal C will usually require a confirmation that your paper is not currently submitted to a different journal.
    – MKR
    Commented Jan 19, 2023 at 11:55
  • @MKR It depends upon the policies of journal A/B. In the journals I have submitted to, the transfer process is not considered under review. It's a purgatory where they assume you are not going to re-submit unless you opt in.
    – Richard Erickson
    Commented Jan 19, 2023 at 14:52
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I assume you submitted to Nature something (or even Nature, whoop whoop!) and now they are offering you to transfer it to Nature Communications? Because that appears to be their usual practice, and it is a win-win -- at least, for Springer-Nature. These manuscripts often become good papers that are highly cited, pushing Nat Comm's impact factor -- and, they are at least half-reviewed. Nature editors are professional editors *) and take time to carefully check the paper before sending it out for review. So, even if only a Nature Methods editor has looked at the paper, it is 10% reviewed.

If this is the case, you can absolutely try another journal before going to Nat Comm. NC is very fine too, but it is somewhat more commercial (costs you 4k). The editor knows the game, they will not mind. I am still a little bit annoyed that I did not know this 10 years ago and accepted the offer.

*) OK this is not 100% true because there are now so many Nature something journals, and I don't think they all have professional editors. Let's say, the top-10 or top-20 has.

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The value of the editor's offer is basically zero, and, while being polite, there is no point in making arrangements to keep it, in case that your paper is rejected at the other journal.

Assuming that your paper is decent (which would be required to avoid a rejection anyways), it will almost certainly go through review in any suitable middle-tier journal that you send it to. Hence, the natural strategy is to send the paper to top-tier journals as long as you still have some confidence in a successful outcome. When you lose that confidence, you can send it to any middle-tier journal, either the one the editor suggested or another one.

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