Q: Second time Awaiting Reviewer Assignment?
Please help me out! I submitted a manuscript to a SCOPUS indexed journal some months ago. It went through all stages up to the Editor in Charge Decision. Suddenly, the status has been changed to Awaiting Reviewer Assignment for the second time. Is it normal? Also, I see that it's been a while that the status has remained at Awaiting Reviewer Assignment. What should I do in this circumstance? Thanks in advance for your suggestion.
Dear Author,
Thank you for your question. We understand your concern, and such situations are not uncommon.
It happens when the reviewers initially assigned decide to back out or fail to provide the relevant inputs for various reasons: conflict of interest, less-than-acceptable match with the subject area, or unavailability. The associate editor, who manages your manuscript, has to arrange for reviewers again. The delay could be because they haven’t yet been able to find a replacement yet. You may want to consider writing to the editor to seek clarifications or an update on the status of your manuscript. While doing so, do remember to mention your manuscript ID for the editor’s reference.
You may also refer to the below resources to know more about manuscript statuses post submission and journal communication.
Regards,
Malvika Gaur
Editage Insights team
