I have written a paper with my masters supervisor to submit for publication, which he delayed submitting because he had put together a proposal for a special issue of a journal which fits my dissertation topic perfectly.

I finally heard from him today and his proposal has been accepted, so he is going to be editing this special issue and said that my paper will 'definately' be published, but that it still needs to be peer reviewed 'so people can suggest improvements'.

Anyway I kind of ignored the bit about it not actually having been peer reviewed yet and got all excited. But having just spoken to a fellow (science based) student who has recently been through the peer review process and found it a complete nightmare, I feel a bit silly. Of course I am ready for huge rewrites, but when my supervisor said that it will dfinately be published, I totally believed him.

Does anyone know how these things work? Is it possible that as he is editing the issue he has the ultimate say after the rewrites have been done?

Incidentally, I am in the social sciences, and my topic was in an 'unpopular' area, using a relatively unexplored approach, so I hoping that this will play a big factor!

Hi, I wouldnt worry about it. The peer review process can be intimidating but it strengthens your reputation within the research community. If the editor (your supervisor) has already given you a provisional yes, then I would assume that it will be published. Of course you will have comments to incorporate. Even the most seasoned academics get major changes sometimes, it is normal, and not something to be overly concerned about. :-)

Dear Star shaped,

I think it depends. If the paper is well written, the review process is usually a formality, with suggestions, which usually do not take long. If your supervisor has judged it as good, probably the peer reviewers would see it in a similar way. However I think it is the editor of the journal who has the final say. Please be aware that the actual process from submission to publication can take quite a long time.:-)