desk rejection

noun

the rejection of a submission to a journal, magazine, etc., without placing the submission under peer review.

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Meanings

noundesk rejection (plural desk rejections)

plural desk rejections

  1. the rejection of a submission to a journal, magazine, etc., without placing the submission under peer review.

    A very strong indication that you have made the wrong choice is if you receive a desk rejection.

    2016, Timothy Clark, Mike Wright, How to get Published in the Best Management Journals, page 170
    1 more example

    This type of desk rejection prompts some complaints (such as “I paid for those reviews with my submission fee”), but when it is appropriate, a desk rejection is also the kind thing to do.

    2014, Michael Szenberg, Lall Ramrattan, Secrets of Economics Editors, page 56
Cite this entry
APA

desk rejection. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/desk%20rejection

MLA

“desk rejection.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/desk%20rejection. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “desk rejection,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/desk%20rejection.

Source: desk rejection on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.