The Growing Need for Efficient Submission Management

In today's digital landscape, organizations and institutions across industries—from publishing and academia to corporations and nonprofits—often receive and process large volumes of submissions. Whether it's manuscripts for a publishing house, grant applications for a research institution, job applications for a company, or creative entries for a film festival, managing these submissions manually can be time-consuming, inefficient, and prone to error. This is where submission management systems come into play.

What is a submission management system? It is an essential tool that allows organizations to collect, review, track, and manage submissions through a centralized online platform. By automating many tedious tasks associated with submission processing, a submission management system helps streamline workflows, improve communication with submitters, and enhance the overall efficiency of the submission review process.

This article explores a submission management system, how it works, its key features, and its benefits to organizations looking to streamline their submission workflows.

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What is a Submission Management System?

A submission management system is a software solution that enables organizations to handle the entire lifecycle of a submission, from collection to final decision. Typically hosted online, these platforms allow submitters to upload their entries (such as manuscripts, research papers, creative projects, or applications) while providing administrators with tools to review, assign, and manage submissions in an organized way.

While submission management systems can vary in their specific features, they all aim to simplify and automate the tasks involved in submission intake and review. Key functionalities typically include:

Submission intake: Collecting submissions through customizable forms or templates catering to the organization's needs.

Review and evaluation: Providing tools for assigning submissions to reviewers or evaluators, tracking progress, and scoring or providing feedback on submissions.

Collaboration and communication: Facilitating communication between reviewers, administrators, and submitters throughout the submission process.

Tracking and reporting: Offering dashboards and reporting tools to monitor submission statuses, identify trends, and generate insights.

Submission management systems are used by a wide variety of organizations and industries, including:

Publishing companies: To manage manuscript submissions for books, journals, or magazines.

Academic institutions: To collect and review grant proposals, research papers, or conference presentations.

Nonprofits: For handling grant applications or contest entries.

Corporations: To manage job applications, project proposals, or creative submissions.

How Does a Submission Management System Work?

A submission management system is designed to automate and streamline the submission process by organizing each stage of the workflow. Here's how a typical submission management system works:

1. Customizable Submission Forms

The first step in using a submission management system is to set up a submission form. Most systems allow organizations to create customized forms based on the type of submissions they expect to receive. These forms can be tailored to collect specific information from submitters, such as:

• Personal details (name, contact information, etc.)
• Supporting materials (documents, images, videos)
• Custom fields (e.g., project titles, abstracts, budgets, etc.)
• Attachments in various file formats (e.g., PDF, Word, images, video files)

Customizable forms ensure that organizations collect all the necessary information from submitters upfront, reducing the need for follow-up communication and incomplete submissions.

2. Online Submission Portal for Submitters

Once the form is created, submitters can access the submission portal to fill out the necessary information and upload their documents or other materials. The portal typically includes instructions, submission guidelines, and any required fields to ensure the submission meets the organization's criteria.

Some submission management systems also provide submitters with the ability to:

• Save drafts of their submissions and return later to complete them.
• Receive confirmation emails when their submission has been successfully submitted.
• Track the status of their submission throughout the review process.

3. Automated Submission Tracking

As submissions are collected, the system automatically organizes and tracks each one, assigning them unique identifiers to prevent confusion. This tracking feature ensures no submissions are lost and gives administrators a centralized location to view and manage all entries.

Submission tracking also helps administrators monitor the volume of incoming submissions, identify incomplete submissions, and ensure deadlines are met.

4. Reviewer Assignment and Collaboration

Once submissions are collected, administrators can assign them to reviewers or evaluators. Submission management systems typically allow for the creation of different user roles—such as submitters, reviewers, and administrators—each with varying access levels.

Reviewers: Individuals who evaluate submissions and provide feedback or scores.

Administrators: Individuals who manage the entire submission process, assign submissions to reviewers, and make final decisions.

Reviewers are given access to the submissions they've been assigned, and they can provide feedback, add comments, or score submissions based on predefined criteria. This collaboration is often managed through a dashboard that tracks each reviewer's progress and performance, ensuring timely evaluations.

5. Communication and Notifications

One key feature of a submission management system is its ability to facilitate communication between all parties involved in the submission process. Notifications and automated emails can be sent to submitters to confirm submission receipt, request additional materials, or inform them of the review status.

For reviewers and administrators, the system can send reminders about upcoming deadlines or notify them of new submissions requiring evaluation.

6. Decision Making and Feedback

Once submissions have been reviewed, administrators can use the system to make final decisions, such as accepting, rejecting, or requesting revisions. Feedback from reviewers is often included in the decision-making process, with scores, comments, or recommendations visible to decision-makers.

Some submission management systems also provide feedback options for submitters. For example, authors of rejected manuscripts might receive constructive feedback on how to improve their submission, or grant applicants may be informed of why their proposal was not selected.

7. Reporting and Analytics

A submission management system typically includes reporting and analytics features that allow administrators to generate insights on submission trends, reviewer performance, and overall submission quality. These reports can help organizations evaluate their submission campaigns' success, identify improvement areas, and better understand the types of submissions they're receiving.

Reports can be generated based on a variety of criteria, including:

• The number of submissions received over time.
• Reviewer scores and feedback.
• The geographic or demographic distribution of submitters.
• Common submission issues or errors.