TMLR (Transactions on Machine Learning Research) is an academic journal in machine learning that uses open review. Recent coverage has focused on its review process: one researcher said two years of work was desk rejected without a stated reason; TMLR asked authors of ten submissions slated for desk rejection about their own papers, with one withdrawal and three unable to answer basic questions; other authors reported waiting a month for a third review and over two months for reviewer responses after revisions, affecting time-sensitive postdoc applications.
TMLR Desk Rejects Two Years of Work Without ReasonA researcher reports that two years of work on continual motion generation was desk rejected by TMLR with no reason given. The case highlights concerns about transparency when ML journals reject submissions without explanation.
TMLR queried authors of 10 desk-rejected papersTMLR contacted authors of ten submissions slated for desk rejection to ask them about their own papers. Outcomes: one withdrew, one unavailable, one no-show, three couldn't answer basic questions, three handled high-level ideas but struggled on technical details, and one answered fully yet had a major flaw identified.
Question about delayed third review at TMLRAn author reports receiving two reviews at TMLR soon after submission but is still waiting a month for a third. They ask whether to keep waiting before posting responses on OpenReview, noting positive overall impressions but concerns about review timelines.
TMLR delays frustrate final-year authorA final-year PhD reports that after submitting revisions to TMLR reviewers stopped responding for over two months; reminders to editors produced no change, risking time-sensitive postdoc applications.
The A.I. Daily