Q: What does a status change from from "with editor" to "under review" mean for a Springer journal?

For most journals, a status change from "With Editor" to "Under review" would indicate that the paper has cleared the editorial check and has been sent for external peer review. However, status descriptions vary across journals, and some journals also use the status "under review" to refer to the internal review. I have come across some Springer journals that use "Under review" to refer to the initial admin check before the Associate Editor (AE) is assigned. Some journals also use the "Under review" status when the manuscript is under the initial editorial screening and use "reviewers assigned" or "reviewers invited" to indicate that your paper has been assigned to external peer reviewers.

You can check the journal's website to see if the statuses they use have been mentioned. You will have to wait and see what the next status is to get a clearer view. If there is no change for more than a few weeks, politely write to the journal editor asking about the status of your submission.

Recommended reading:

• How long will the status of my paper show "Under Review?"
• How long does it take for the status to change from "reviewers assigned" to "under review"?