Q: In the status 'Awaiting CE Decision,' what does 'CE' mean?
My manuscript was at the 'Waiting for Reviewers' Scores' status before moving to 'Awaiting CE Decision.' The journal has only had the manuscript for a month. Here, what does 'CE' mean?
You seem to be following the status of your manuscript quite avidly – you are no doubt eager to know the outcome. This is a good thing. :-)
Now, you’ve actually touched upon a few things in your query. So, let’s take them one by one.
- ‘CE’ means ‘Chief Editor.’ In most journals, this role is known as ‘Editor-in-Chief’ (EiC), but here, it seems to be ‘CE.’ The EiC/EC makes the final decision on the manuscript. So, your manuscript is awaiting a final decision.
- One month from submission to final decision does seem quick, especially if it seems to have gone through a peer review, as indicated by the ‘Waiting for Reviewers’ Scores’ status. So, this might be a rapid-publication journal. Alternatively, the peer review may have been done internally, rather than by an external individual. This does happen sometimes, when the journal has someone in-house with the relevant subject area expertise. So, they have probably reviewed it and communicated their decision to the CE.
- The decision could be a revise-and-resubmit, a desk rejection, or a suggestion to submit to a related journal (in case this is a big publisher). You will know the final decision in a few days’ time. In case you don’t, you can send them a mail requesting an update.
In case it’s a desk rejection, as you know, you can make any changes as necessary and submit to another journal. In which case, to avoid or minimize the chances of a desk rejection, you may send the other journal(s) a presubmission inquiry.
In case it’s a revise-and-resubmit decision, you may prepare yourself by going through these resources:
- Do's and don'ts for responding to peer reviewers' comments
- What should I do if I cannot understand a peer reviewer's comment?
- How to handle peer review comments [Course]
All the best for whatever’s next!
This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage