Tracking Your Submission

Let me try to answer your query. By KI, I am wondering if you are referring to a journal name? "Awaiting ED Decision" would suggest that a decision is pending on your manuscript, which may not be a rejection - but in fact could be a suggestion to revise and resubmit, or even an acceptance.  The following query and answer may be of further help to you: What does awaiting ED decision after awaiting BM assessment mean ? | Editage Insights Good luck!

Although it unusual for an editor to do so, the editor of a journal can make a decision about a manuscript submitted to that journal based on the report of only one reviewer. That said, a great deal depends on the details of the case. For instance, if the editor happens to be active in the same field as that represented by the manuscript and considers the manuscript worthy of being published, the report from a single reviewer can be sufficient: the editor, in effect, is the second reviewer.  Much also depends on what the sole reviewer has expressed in the report: if the reviewer recommends early publication keeping in mind that the field is rapidly advancing and priority is important, and if the editor agrees with this assessment, the editor may decide to go ahead and publish the manuscript. On the other hand, if the editor and the reviewer disagree on the merit of the manuscript, the editor is unlikely to make the final decision based on only a single review.  To sum up, the editor’s decision will be based on multiple considerations:  Agreement (or disagreement) between the sole reviewer and the editor  The editor’s familiarity with the contents...

We are very saddened to hear that you are facing such a situation.  Dealing with journals that employ predatory practices can be a highly tricky issue. While more details would be needed to provide you better guidance, let’s do a step-wise analysis to understand this case better and consider your options.  First, a retraction is the public removal of a “published” paper from the literature because of serious flaws or fraud. Based on what you’ve mentioned, it does not seem like your paper has even been published yet. So, the threat of retraction may not hold much weight, unless they decide to go ahead and publish your paper first and then retract it.  Second, you have said that you did not sign the copyright transfer form, so technically you still own the rights to your work and the journal cannot legitimately publish your work in the first place. You can mention this to the journal and threaten action against it for copyright infringement if it says it will publish your paper.  Third, even if it does not publish your paper but is refusing to withdraw it until you pay withdrawal fees, you will be unable to submit your manuscript elsewhere....

Thank you for your query.  Without knowing your target journal, I cannot give a definitive answer. Interpreting the meanings of these status changes is difficult as each journal has its own process. We have a list of some common status messages and what they mean.   From your description, it appears likely that the editor sent your paper for review and that this has now finished. The “manuscript submitted” message is just a placeholder. In this case, you can expect to see either a rejection notification or an email with requests for revisions shortly. If the journal has a backlog, it may take some time for the editor to get through the “stack” of submissions to get back to you, even if the review has finished.  Another possibility is that the peer review started but was canceled, perhaps because one or more reviewers dropped out, so the journal has changed the status to “manuscript submitted” until they can restart the peer review.  In any case, I suggest directly contacting the editorial office of the journal to inquire about the status of your manuscript and any next steps you may need to take. Provide your manuscript ID (if applicable) and politely ask...

Most journals run a “technical check” to see if a manuscript is formatted correctly and complies with journal policies. This initial screening might be to check if the manuscript is written in an acceptable language; contains the required elements such as author details, abstract, and declarations; uses the required citation style; and is within the journal’s length limits.  Some journals may even run a plagiarism check. These checks happen before the manuscript reaches the editor or reviewers. If a manuscript passes these checks, the journal editor or managing editor will consider if the manuscript is worth moving ahead. If the editor is satisfied, they will initiate the peer review process by choosing and contacting appropriate peer reviewers to evaluate the work. In this case, however, it appears that peer review has taken place, and the editor is yet to reach a decision. A technical check at this stage does seem unusual, but different journals have different workflows and assign different terms for the various stages in the workflow. Perhaps the editorial board is reviewing the decision and the manuscript, and a technical editor needs to check the manuscript and the reviewer comments to ensure that journal standards have been followed.  Another possibility might...

Thank you for your query. Without knowing your target journal, I cannot give a definitive answer. Interpreting the meanings of these status changes is difficult as each journal has its own process. We have a list of some common status messages and what they mean.  From your description, it appears likely that the editor sent your paper for review and that this has now finished. The “manuscript submitted” message is just a placeholder. In this case, you can expect to see either a rejection notification or an email with requests for revisions shortly. If the journal has a backlog, it may take some time for the editor to get through the “stack” of submissions to get back to you, even if the review has finished. Another possibility is that the peer review started but was canceled, perhaps because one or more reviewers dropped out, so the journal has changed the status to “manuscript submitted” until they can restart the peer review. In any case, I suggest directly contacting the editorial office of the journal to inquire about the status of your manuscript and any next steps you may need to take. Provide your manuscript ID (if applicable) and politely ask them about the meaning...

Thank you for your query. Without knowing your target journal, I cannot give a definitive answer. Interpreting the meanings of these status changes is difficult as each journal has its own process. We have a list of some common status messages and what they mean.  From your description, it appears likely that the editor sent your paper for review and that this has now finished. The “manuscript submitted” message is just a placeholder. In this case, you can expect to see either a rejection notification or an email with requests for revisions shortly. If the journal has a backlog, it may take some time for the editor to get through the “stack” of submissions to get back to you, even if the review has finished. Another possibility is that the peer review started but was canceled, perhaps because one or more reviewers dropped out, so the journal has changed the status to “manuscript submitted” until they can restart the peer review. In any case, I suggest directly contacting the editorial office of the journal to inquire about the status of your manuscript and any next steps you may need to take. Provide your manuscript ID (if applicable) and politely ask them about the meaning...

Are there any results?

Are there any results?

As the EiC was responsive and let you know that the paper was assigned to a new Editor, it seems they’re doing their best to give your manuscript a fair chance. Also, papers that receive a major revision request are almost always sent for a second round of review, and while the re-review usually does not take as long as the first review if the paper is sent to the same set of reviewers, the editor can choose to send it to new reviewers, in which case, it can take longer.It’s possible that the second reviewer may have other commitments that may have delayed their acceptance of the review, but since it’s been nearly a month since the invite was sent, you could send a polite reminder enquiring about the status of the re-review. However, I would advise against sending too many reminders too often. Your manuscript is reaching closure and you wouldn't want to appear impatient at this stage.All the best!