Peer Review
Understanding the peer review process
How long does peer review take?
Median times run from a few weeks at fast journals to more than six months at selective ones. The stages eat time in predictable places, and only some of them are under your control.
Desk rejection: why it happens and how to avoid it
Most desk rejections turn on fit, compliance, and framing rather than on quality. Here is what editors screen for, and how to run that screen yourself.