Q: Are "Awaiting EIC Decision"'s still taking forever across the board?
My manuscript has been peer reviewed over 8 weeks, flicked through "Awaiting AE Decision" in a day but then seems to have gotten stuck, as it has been at "Awaiting EIC Decision" for over a week. (Obsessive) googling has led me to answers like that it should take roughly 2-3 days to get an Editor-in-Chief decision. So I've been wondering what could be holding up the decision. Is it a bad sign for my paper? Obviously people might be away on holiday during the summer months... How long should I wait before contacting them? Or should I just wait and not risk upsetting them?
Thank you for your question!
We completely understand your dilemma. Your extensive search for answers will cause you even more anxiety, because there is no definite answer for this. Note that the editorial assessment and review period varies from journal-to-journal. Your manuscript appears to be stuck at the Editorial assessment phase. Certainly, 8-weeks is too long for that. However, let's hope that the outcome is not negative. We can assume that it is not a reject, otherwise, you would have received the decision by now. Probably they are searching for appropriate reviewers?! You can drop in a polite email requesting a status update. It won't affect the final outcome in any manner.
Hope you receive an update soon. All the best for your publication!
This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage