Q: Does my manuscript status indicate desk rejection?
I have submitted a paper to one of the Elsevier journals. The status changed from "Submitted to the journal" to "With Editor" after 3 days. After another 2 days, an email was sent to me which said that the manuscript will be handled by an assistant editor and 2 days later, another email was sent to me saying “your manuscript will be handled by a subject editor.” One week later, the status changed to "Decision in process." Now 3 days have passed and there is no change in the status. Should I expect a desk-rejection or is there another possibility? Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Once the manuscript is submitted to a journal, it first undergoes the admin check. After clearing the admin check, the manuscript is assigned to an Associate Editor or Subject Editor who checks if the manuscript matches the journal’s scope and standard. At this stage, the status of the manuscript is “Editor assigned” or “With Editor.” If the journal clears the initial screening, it is then sent out for peer review.
But if the status changes to “Decision in process” right after the initial screening, then it unfortunately means that the manuscript will be desk-rejected. Another possibility in such a situation would be that the manuscript is being accepted as is, which is extremely rare. Desk rejection is a more likely outcome in such circumstances.
Possible reasons for a desk rejection could be that the manuscript does not meet the requirements mentioned in the author guidelines, such as formatting, reference style, etc. In such as case, the journal may ask you to make the required corrections and submit the paper again as a new submission, after which it will be sent for peer review.
Another reason for desk rejection could be that your manuscript does not meet the journal’s scope. You can find out what the case is and after you have received a final decision (of rejection), you can submit your manuscript to another journal. Please make sure that you submit to a journal whose scope matches your research and the manuscript is formatted according to their guidelines.
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This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage