Q: Awaiting recommendation status

Detailed Question -

I submitted a manuscript to a scientific journal. After a week the status changed to “Under Review”. After two months, it changed to “awaiting recommendation” status. Now, this status has remained for 18 days. Is this common in scientific journals? I submitted others manuscripts to other journals and the review process was different.

3 Answers to this question
Answer:

Hi, I am from humanities and as you perhaps already know, the sciences and the humanities journals often operate in two different modes. I thought of sharing my experience nonetheless as it is always better than no answer. My paper has received the review score required in the first week of July, and is awaiting the editor's recommendation for more than a month now. The journal in question is a Taylor & Francis journal. I sent an inquiry to the editor's office last week regarding this matter and received an apology for the delay and a somewhat vague "as soon as possible". Also, unlike you I am waiting for more than 6 months now (I have submitted my MS on 9th Feb, 2021). I hope this helps! :)

If possible, do share what finally has happened to your paper. All the best!

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Answer:

Hi, I am from humanities and as you perhaps already know, the sciences and the humanities journals often operate in two different modes. I thought of sharing my experience nonetheless as it is always better than no answer. My paper has received the review score required in the first week of July, and is awaiting the editor's recommendation for more than a month now. The journal in question is a Taylor & Francis journal. I sent an inquiry to the editor's office last week regarding this matter and received an apology for the delay and a somewhat vague "as soon as possible". Also, unlike you I am waiting for more than 6 months now (I have submitted my MS on 9th Feb, 2021). I hope this helps! :)

If possible, do share what finally has happened to your paper. All the best!

Comment
Answer:

The change in status from 'Under review' to 'Pending recommendation' implies that the peer review of your paper is complete and the Associate Editor or Editor-in-Chief will check the reviews and give his/her recommendation on acceptance, rejection, or further revision. This is not an unusual process and is encountered with several scientific journals, though the duration for the decision making may vary with individual journals.

You will also find this ebook useful: Keep Calm And Wait: A Guide To Understanding Journal Statuses

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