Q: I submitted a paper and its status changed from selection of reviewer to Awaiting EIC decision. What does this mean?

There are couple of stages before the status changes to 'Awaiting EIC decision'. If this status is updated soon after submission, it could mean a desk rejection. However, if the status before this was “awaiting reviewer selection”, it implies that the manuscript has successfully cleared the editorial screening stage and now the editorial board is in process of finding suitable peer reviewers for your paper. A sudden change of status could also mean that the Associate Editor is facing challenges in finding suitable peer reviewers and hence waiting for the opinion of Editor-in-Chief (EIC). We would suggest you to wait for the next status update. The EIC may take a few days to get back.

You may also find this handbook useful: Keep Calm And Wait: A Guide To Understanding Journal Statuses