Q: R1 Manuscript reverted from “Decision in Process” to “With Editor” after inquiry. Is this normal?
I have a 19-month-old submission (R1 revision) with Heliyon that initially shifted to "Decision in Process" on January 18, 2026. After two weeks of silence, I sent an inquiry to support on February 4, and the status immediately reverted back to "With Editor" with a new date of February 5. It has now been sitting in this reverted state for a week; does this backward status change indicate the Editor is finally writing the decision letter, or did my inquiry accidentally reset my manuscript to the bottom of the queue?
