Q: Is it a good sign or a bad sign if the review is completed within 23 days?

Detailed Question -

I submitted my manuscript to a Springer-based journal on July 1. Until August 13, the status was Editor Assigned. From August 14 to September 6, it showed as Under Review. Now, the status has changed to Reviews Completed. What does this status mean? Is it a bad sign or a good sign that the reviews were completed in 23 days?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

23 days is neither too long nor too short for the completion of peer review. It could be considered an average amount of time. In fact, given that it’s a Springer-based journal, it probably happened quite fast.

However, the timeline is no real indication of the initial decision over the paper. The turnaround time could also be a reflection of the subject area or topic of the paper and/or the availability of the reviewers. Having said that, it probably means a major or minor revision in this case. You should know in a few days.

Presently, the Associate Editor (AE) will go through the reviewer comments and make their decision on the paper. Based on that, they may update the status or discuss it with the Editor-in-Chief (EiC). As the status has been getting updated at regular intervals in this case, the next status should happen soon.

Based on the various points discussed here, we have shared a variety of resources that you may find helpful. Do have a look.

And of course, all the best for the next update!