Q: My manuscript has not been published a month after its acceptance. What should I do?

Detailed Question -

I submitted my manuscript to PLOS ONE and fortunately it was accepted. About 1 month has passed since I paid the article publishing cost, but my manuscript has not been published yet. Is it normal? I have heard that the publication is rapid in PLOS ONE, so I am anxious about this delay.

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Once your paper has been accepted for publication, it can take several weeks or even months for it to get published. This is because there is still quite a bit of work happening at the journal end after your paper has been accepted. The accepted paper is sent to the production team for copyediting. The final page proofs will then be sent back for your approval.

Additionally, not only your paper but the other papers to be published in the same issue of the journal will also have to be ready for publication. PLoS ONE is a reputed publisher, so I don't think you need to worry. However, it may be a good idea to write to the journal asking for a status update just to ensure that your paper is making progress at the journal end. 

Related reading:

Comment