Case Study Details

MDPI

From Repeated Rejections to SCI/SSCI Q2 Acceptance — Built From Scratch in ~4 Months

Case Snapshot

  • Final Journal: Behavioral Sciences (MDPI)
  • Indexing: SCI / SSCI
  • Quartile: Q2
  • Publication Date: 30 November, 2025

Client Background & Initial Challenge


  • The client is a PhD candidate in Comparative Education at Central China Normal University, working with a senior professor as co-author.

  • Before approaching Research Ramp:

  • ● The client had already paid a significant amount to another academic service provider
  • ● The manuscript had been submitted to multiple journals
  • ● The paper faced editorial rejections and desk rejections
  • ● No clear feedback-to-revision strategy was in place

  • Despite repeated submissions, the manuscript failed to progress to acceptance.

  • At this stage, the client approached Research Ramp for strategic academic intervention, not just editing.

Research Ramp’s Diagnosis: Why the Paper Was Failing


  • After reviewing the existing work, Research Ramp identified core issues:

  • ● Topic positioning was misaligned with journal expectations
  • ● Contribution was too broad and diluted
  • ● Theoretical framing did not sufficiently differentiate from existing literature

  • ● The manuscript lacked a clear, high-impact narrative for SSCI/SCI journals

  • Key decision:
  • 👉 Instead of resubmitting the same manuscript repeatedly, we advised a complete topic re-engineering and manuscript rebuild from scratch.

  • This was agreed upon by the client.

Strategic Reset: New Topic & Clear Academic Direction


  • Original Situation
  • ● Multiple rejections
  • ● No stable journal pathway

  • New Direction (Designed by Research Ramp)

  • Final Study Title
  • Divergent Role of AI in Social Development: A Comparative Study of Teachers’ and Students’ Perceptions in Online and Physical Classrooms

  • New Research Positioning
  • ● Educational Psychology + AI
  • ● Social Development (not just academic performance)
  • ● Clear comparative framework (teachers vs students, online vs physical)

  • This repositioning aligned strongly with:

  • ● SSCI/SCI Q2 journals
  • ● AI & education special issues
  • ● Qualitative, theory-building research trends

Manuscript Built Completely From Scratch


  • The client did not provide a ready manuscript for this version.

  • Research Ramp handled end-to-end manuscript development, including:

  • Research Design
  • ● Inductive qualitative research approach
  • ● Purposive sampling

  • Sample Framework
  • ● Thematic analysis
  • ● Comparative analysis across learning modes)

  • Pedagogical Models Integrated
  • ● Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
  • ● Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT)
  • ● Immersive Learning (IL)

  • Full Academic Writing Coverage
  • ● Introduction & literature positioning
  • ● Methodology & ethics alignment
  • ● Results & discussion
  • ● Practical and theoretical implications
  • ● Journal-specific formatting

  • All work was carried out without altering or fabricating data, preserving academic integrity.

Targeted Journal Selection & Submission


  • Final Target Journal
  • ● Behavioral Sciences (MDPI)
  • ● SCI / SSCI indexed
  • ● Quartile: Q2
  • ● Section: Educational Psychology
  • ● Special Issue: Artificial Intelligence and Educational Psychology

  • Submission Date: 4 September 2025

  • This journal was selected based on:
  • ● Perfect scope alignment
  • ● Openness to qualitative research
  • ● Strong AI-education readership
  • ● Reasonable editorial timelines

Editorial Review & Ethics Compliance (Handled in One Cycle)


  • During editorial processing, the journal requested:
  • ● Ethics Committee / IRB clarification
  • ● Human-subject research disclosures
  • ● Institutional and informed consent statements

  • Research Ramp:
  • ● Drafted compliant ethics statements
  • ● Aligned documentation with MDPI standards
  • ● Responded directly to editorial queries
  • ● Prevented delays or resubmission loops

  • Unlike previous failed attempts, the manuscript was not repeatedly revised or bounced between journals.

One-Round Acceptance (Key Highlight)


  • Timeline
  • ● Submitted: 4 September 2025
  • ● Revised: 30 October 2025
  • ● Accepted: 20 November 2025
  • ● Published: 30 November 2025

  • 👉 After restructuring and rebuilding the manuscript, the paper was accepted after a single revision cycle.

  • This stands in sharp contrast to the client’s earlier experience of multiple rejections across journals.

APC Discount Secured for the Client


  • Post-acceptance, Research Ramp assisted with:
  • ● MDPI APC processing
  • ● Institutional and voucher-based discounts

  • Final APC Paid: CHF 880 (Significantly reduced from standard APC)

  • This ensured:
  • ● Open-access publication
  • ● Faster indexing in SSCI / Scopus / Web of Science
  • ● Reduced financial burden on the client

Final Outcome


  • ✅ Published in SCI/SSCI Q2 journal
  • ✅ Built from idea → manuscript → publication
  • ✅ Accepted within ~4 months
  • ✅ One-round revision after topic reset
  • ✅ APC discount successfully secured
  • ✅ Fully indexed and citable

  • The client now holds a high-quality, internationally visible publication, suitable for:
  • ● PhD milestones:
  • ● Academic promotion
  • ● Institutional evaluation
  • ● International collaboration