Q: In the status 'With DE for Assignment,' what does 'DE' stand for?
The status has changed to ‘With DE for Assignment’ four days after submission.
Manuscript statuses vary from journal to journal. Without knowing the exact journal you have submitted to, it would not be possible to say exactly what the status means. However, based on the journal, ‘DE’ can stand for either ‘Deputy Editor’ or ‘Department Editor.’
The Deputy Editor typically performs the initial check on a manuscript – for aspects such as adherence to guidelines, quality of writing, and match with the journal’s focus. Once these seem fine, they send or assign the manuscript to the Associate Editor (AE) for identifying relevant peer reviewers.
The Department Editor handles a certain section of a large journal, a smaller area of interest within the larger area of interest for the journal. (Sometimes, this role is also known as a Subject Editor.) If this is the case, the Department Editor will most likely perform a basic review of the paper for the novelty and quality of the research and then identify relevant peer reviewers. In some cases, the Department Editor may work with the AE for identifying reviewers.
As it has been only four days since submission, and again, without knowing the exact journal, it seems likely that the manuscript is with the Deputy Editor for assigning to an AE. You should know the next status in a few days. All the best!
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This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage