Q: Does the status 'Decision in process' without peer review imply rejection?

Detailed Question -

I submitted my paper to Scientific Report. There was no peer review and went to Decision directly. Will I get rejection? Jan 11 - Submission not complete; Jan 13 – Quality check started; Jan 19 – Submission not complete; Jan 29 – Manuscript submitted; Feb 12 – Manuscript assigned to editor; Feb 23 – Decision started; Feb 23 – Manuscript submitted

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

From the different status descriptions, it seems that the manuscript  has not been sent for peer review. This could indicate two possibilities. One possibility is that it will be accepted as is, which is extremely rare. The other possibility, as you have correctly judged, is that the manuscript might receive a desk rejection.

Usually, a paper is desk rejected if the study does not match the scope of the journal or if the quality is not as per the journal's standards. Another reason why a paper  can be desk rejected is if it does not meet the requirements mentioned in the author guidelines, such as formatting, reference style, etc. In the latter cases, often, the author is asked to make the required corrections and submit the paper again, after which it is sent for peer review. So do not lose hope. sometimes, even though it looks like your paper might be desk rejected; you might be asked to revise and resubmit  it as a new submission. All the best!