Q: What is the meaning of 'Reject & Resubmit'?

A 'Reject and resubmit' decision is very similar to 'Revise and resubmit.' It indicates that the editor has seen some merit in your study, but it is not publishable in its current form. Usually, it would require extensive revision, in most cases, adding new experiments or redoing the data analysis. The revision that needs to be done is so extensive that it will require a lot of time. Therefore, the editor does not want to rush you by giving you a specific deadline for submitting the revised manuscript. Moreover, some authors might not want to make such extensive changes, in which case, the 'Reject and resubmit' decision makes it clear that the paper is no longer under consideration by the journal and leaves the author free to resubmit it to another journal. It is definitely an encouragement to resubmit, and it is clear that the editor likes the topic of your paper and is willing to give it another chance. However, that does not mean that the paper will be accepted.

Having said that, I feel that it might be a good idea to revise and resubmit to the same journal since the editor has shown interest. If you are able to make the revisions satisfactorily, you stand a fair chance at getting accepted. Submitting to a new journal would mean beginning the review process from scratch, which might be more time-consuming.

Recommended reading:

• Does my rejection letter suggest that I will get a second chance?
• Should I revise my paper and submit it to the same journal?
• Will my paper be accepted if I make the revisions suggested?