This is highly unusual and it is also unfortunate that you have not yet received a response. That is a long time, and the concern is that the manuscript is possibly assigned to someone who may be on leave/away, since it is an academic holiday time for many professors. Remember, editors and peer reviewers are also often full-time academicians themselves. There is no harm in sending another follow-up email - and perhaps even looking for another method of contacting the journal like a phone number or secondary email ID. Do make sure all communication involves the manuscript ID. In case of journals like PLoS ONE, there is a very systematic manuscript submission/processing platform and things are highly automated. It could be that there is a technical glitch and things got stuck somewhere - so getting the attention of a person will be important to make sure your manuscript receives the attention it deserves. Wishing you good luck with the submission process and outcome!

Thank you for your question. It is unclear from your query which journal you are referring to - perhaps this one: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part E: Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering. In any case, different journals have different processes that they follow for peer review. The best way to know the status of your manuscript article would be to email the editor to ask for an update. Ideally, one should allow a month after it has been submitted before following up. Since you said it has been that long, there is not harm in drafting a polite email asking for an update. There could be a few reasons for the long time taken: 1. the research is complex and requires detailed study by the peer reviewers 2. they may have invited an additional peer reviewer to review the paper 3. peer reviewers may have not completed the review on time 4. they may have had difficulty finding a peer reviewer in your area of study. Whatever the reason is, a simple email will help put your mind to rest - and maybe will help remind the editor that they need to push the peer reviewers to...

A conflict of interest exists whenever a financial, professional, or personal relationship has the potential (even if unrealized) to influence how you conduct, report, or interpret your research. The key word is potential. You do not need to have acted on the conflict for it to require disclosure. Journals are interested in transparency, not in judging your motives. Conflicts of interest fall into two broad categories: Financial conflicts: These include funding from companies with a stake in your findings, stock ownership, paid consultancies, speaker honoraria, patents, and royalties related to the subject matter of your manuscript. Non-financial conflicts: These cover personal relationships, academic rivalries, ideological commitments, and institutional affiliations that could color your work. Both types must be considered when preparing your disclosure statement, and both are taken seriously by editors and peer reviewers. Why Disclosure Matters Undisclosed conflicts of interest have damaged careers and triggered retractions. More broadly, they erode public trust in science. Journals require disclosure not because they assume bias, but because readers deserve the information to weigh findings for themselves. Transparent disclosure also benefits you as an author. It demonstrates scientific integrity, positions you as a trustworthy researcher, and removes the risk of a damaging revelation...

To format a manuscript as per APA style, here are a few general tips on the APA style that might help you: Articles should be typed, double-spaced with 1" margins on all sides. Articles should be in a readable font, preferably Times New Roman 12 point. A page header or "running head" should be added at the top of every page. The running head should be a shortened version of the article title and should not exceed 50 characters. The title page should contain the title of the paper, the author's name, and affiliation. The abstract should be around 150-250 words long. In-text citations should be provided as well as detailed references in a separate references section. We have a free template to format a journal article as per APA 7th edition. You can also download sample papers directly from APA, with or without annotations.   Basic Citation Formats + Free Citation Generator The table below gives an overview of how to format in-text citations in APA style. If you’re short on time, you can use Paperpal’s free APA citation generator to format your citations and reference list too. Scenario Format Example 1 author — parenthetical (Surname, Year) (Miller, 2021) 1 author — narrative Surname (Year)...