Review Process Navigation (asq-review-process)

When to trigger

• You are about to submit and want to set expectations for the review
• A decision letter arrived and you need to interpret it before responding
• You are unsure how ASQ's developmental review differs from a desk-reject-heavy journal
• You need to decide whether an invitation to revise is worth pursuing

How ASQ review works (durable norms)

ASQ is known for a developmental, craft-focused, double-blind review process. Editors and reviewers typically engage deeply with the idea and aim to help promising papers become their best version. The editorship passed from Christine Beckman and András Tilcsik to Beth Bechky (UC Davis; term began July 1, 2025), and recent editorial communications have foregrounded curation — shaping a smaller set of enduring papers rather than maximizing throughput. The three questions editors say they ask of any manuscript: does it (1) advance understanding of organizing (teams, enterprises, markets), (2) develop a new theoretical account or findings that challenge prior understanding, and (3) address a significant, challenging problem of management? Expect:

• No submission fee (ASQ has no mandatory submission or publication charge), but selectivity is severe: reported acceptance is around 8% (third-party trackers, not an official figure — verify).
• Editorial screening for fit and contribution before papers go out to review; thin-theory, off-scope, or excessively long manuscripts are returned/unsubmitted without full review.
• Multiple expert reviewers plus a handling editor who synthesizes and adds editorial direction.
• Multiple rounds. A path to acceptance often runs through two or more revision rounds; this is normal, not a bad sign.
• Developmental tone. Reviews can be long and demanding precisely because reviewers take the idea seriously — read them as collaboration, not gatekeeping.