Q: How does an editor evaluate a revised manuscript if there is no response from the reviewers?
I submitted my manuscript in June and got comments on September 17. One reviewer suggested minor revisions while the other suggested major revisions. I submitted the revised manuscript on October 16. To onths later, I sent an email inquiry to the journal.
The editor replied: "We have sent your manuscript to be re-assessed by the original reviewer(s). Unfortunately, they have not been able to return a re-review report. We have approached the handling editor to suggest an alternative course of action to provide a decision. Our sincerest apologies for this delay, please be assured that we will do everything we can to ensure a decision can be reached as soon as possible."
My question is: if there're no responses from reviewers, will this status be forever? What measures will the editor take?
Generally, a revised manuscript is sent to the same set of reviewers who originally reviewed the paper. This is done to quicken the review process as the original reviewers are already familiar with the paper. However, in case the original reviewers are not available or are unresponsive (as in your case), the editors can either send the paper to new reviewers or review it themselves or take the help of the editorial board. Since this is the holiday season, the editors might decide to wait for a couple more weeks and then take a call on how to proceed with the decision. In any case, it can take up to a month or slightly longer for the status to change.
However, since the journal has responded to your email and given you assurance, you need not worry too much. Although there may be a delay, the journal will definitely ensure a fair judgment.
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This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage