Q: How much time would it take for the status to change from 'Awaiting Editor Assignment'?

Detailed Question -

I submitted my paper two weeks back. For one week, the status was ‘Awaiting Admin Processing.’ After that, and till now, it is ‘Awaiting Editor Assignment.’ What does this mean? What would be the next status? How long should I wait for the change of status?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

You have three queries. Let’s take them one by one.

Meaning of ‘Awaiting Editor Assignment’

This means that your manuscript has cleared the admin check, that is, it was found matching the journal’s scope and also adhering to the journal’s guidelines, apart from a cursory check of the novelty and quality of the study. Your manuscript is now waiting to be assigned to an associate editor (AE), who will go through it in greater detail. If they are satisfied with the basic science in the paper, they will send it for a peer review. If not, that is, if they believe the paper is not of great scientific merit, they will convey their decision to the Editor-in-Chief (EiC), who will make the final decision.

Next status

We can’t really predict the next status update, or when it will be. However, as just discussed, there could be either of two decisions. The paper could be sent for peer review, which could be indicated by a status such as ‘Under Review’ or ‘Under Technical Review.’ (The exact status description depends on the specific journal.) If it is not sent for peer review, the status could be something like ‘Decision in Process,’ with the EiC having to make the final decision on the paper.

For an explanation of similar status updates, you may refer to the following queries by other users:

Waiting time

As it has been only two weeks since you submitted your paper and only one week since the status changed to ‘Awaiting Editor Assignment,’ you may need to wait for some time, let’s say, two-three weeks, for the next status update. If there is no update by then, you may consider writing to the editor about it.

For a greater understanding of journal statuses and communication, and being a regular subscriber to the forum, you may find it especially worthwhile to invest in the following handbooks:

For the same reason, you may also wish to check out Researcher Voice, a new social-media (Facebook) group that brings together researchers from different fields, where you all can talk about various aspects of the researcher or academic life: aspirations, challenges, career paths, and so on. You may learn more about Researcher Voice here: Join a group that supports your research journey

For now, though, all the best for your submission!

Comment