This the full text of the letter I got from the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience. Note that they don't actually say who made the decision (Charlotte Smylie is an administrator). I sent them e-mail [11May98] asking about this, and I am waiting for an answer. [17Jul98 no answer yet,]
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Dear Yehouda Harpaz, Thank you for your submission entitled, "The Neurons in the Brain Cannot Implement Symbolic Systems." Unfortunately, our editorial staff has decided not to send it out for formal review and have made the editorial decision that your manuscript would be better suited for a moer specialized hournal.
This decision is in no way a judgement about the quality of the work presented; instead, a reading of the manuscript suggests that the extent of general interest to the readers of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience would be modest. Thus, rather than sending your manuscript through a potentially lengthy review process and at this decision, we have determined that the most fair course is to return your manuscript so that you may submit it elsewhere.
With the increasing popularity of JOCN, these diffcult editorial decisions are becoming increasingly frequent, Our best wishes as you submit your paper elsewhere.
Cordially,
Charlotte Smylie
Managing editor
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