Q: How long should I wait for a response after submitting my third revision?

Three revisions may be one more than standard, but that could be a good thing. It means the journal is quite interested in your article and is seeking to make it as robust as possible for publication. Also, as this is the third revision, we assume the latest is a minor revision.

Coming to your question, a month at Pending Decision is a bit long, but we have seen this happen in the post-COVID research publication scenario: revised manuscripts have reached the EIC’s desk but have been pending their decision for a month or more. Anyway, you should hear from them shortly, and we hope (believe) it should be positive, but do still wait for their decision. :) In case you don’t, you could always drop them a mail seeking an update.

Now, in case of an accept, the next stage from your perspective is proofing. So, you may wish to utilize this waiting period by preparing yourself for the proofing by going through these articles:

• What is the minimum number of comments to be included while proofing my paper?
• Can I correct an error in citation at the page proof stage?
• Can I replace an image at the proofing stage before publication?

Hope that helps. All the best for the decision!