Q: What are my paper's chances of getting accepted by another journal after the editor suggested submitting elsewhere?

It’s great that there is good news balanced with bad news, the bad news being that the paper does not match the journal’s scope and the good news being that it has considerable novelty (at least, according to this editor).

To avoid such a situation, it’s best to go through the journal’s focus description in detail. This is provided on the site in a section typically called ‘Aims and Focus’ or ‘Scope’. At times, it is even mentioned in the author guidelines. This can help you avoid unnecessary delay and frustration, as would be happening in this case. You should also do this for the next journal(s) you wish to send your manuscript to. In addition, you may send them a presubmission inquiry, to ensure there is a scope match. Finally, you may also use this time to make any updates as necessary to your manuscript to improve its chances of acceptance with another journal.

Apart from the above suggestions, you may wish to check out our new platform, PubSure, that aims to help you minimize desk rejection. PubSure has an AI-powered check that enables you to improve the submission-readiness of your manuscript. Once your manuscript is submission-ready, the platform allows you to showcase it to several journal editors, some of whom may find it interesting and relevant for their journal and therefore consider it for publishing. You may find out more about the platform here: PubSure

All the best for the next steps!

You may also find these other resources helpful:

• Tips to avoid journal rejection [Free e-book for researchers]
• Can I write to the editor to inquire if my article's topic matches the journal's scope?
• Pre-submission package to give your manuscript the best shot at acceptance