Q: Paper status changed from "Required review completed" to "With editor". What does it actually mean?

Detailed Question -

Hi, My manuscript is under the 3rd round of review, with R1 acceptance and R2 revision in the 2nd round. After three months of 'Under review', the status changed to 'Required review completed' a week ago, then it became 'With editor'. Any idea about this situation? Does this mean the SE and EIC are making the final decision or they need another reviewer to look at the manuscript? Peer-review can be really miserable sometimes!

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Thank you for sending in your query. We completely understand your anxiety regarding the editorial decision.

The status “Required reviews completed” typically means that the reviews for your paper have come in from the peer reviewers. Next, as reflected by the “With Editor” status, the Associate/Managing Editor (AE/ME) will go through the peer review comments and make a decision on your paper (whether to send it you for a minor/major revision or to reject it). In case of the latter, the AE will communicate this to the Editor-in-Chief (EIC), who will make the final decision. You should know the exact status in the coming days. If not, you can send the editor a mail requesting an update.

We wish you the best for the decision!