Q: Should I send a reminder if my paper has been under review for nearly four months?

Yes. Four months is quite a long time, although some manuscripts have been known to be Under Review longer. (This one, for example, had been so for two years.) The delay may have been due to COVID-19, but in the past few months, things have stabilized to a great extent. In fact, you could have sent a reminder earlier – one or two months after the review commencing would have been better. So, you should send the mail right away. Apart from requesting an update, you may share with them the research or academic urgency for knowing the fate of the paper soon.

Incidentally, we had received a query about The Pacific Review earlier, matching the timeline that you have mentioned. In case you had posted the earlier query as well, we hope you were able to find the information you were seeking in that query (around the review process at the journal), whether through the channels we had suggested or some others.

Also, to decide your next steps in case there’s likely to be a further delay, you may find it worthwhile to refer to the following previous queries:

• How long should I wait if my manuscript is still in internal review after six months?
• Should I withdraw the manuscript if it has been 'Under Review' for nine months?

Anyway, good luck in writing to them, and more importantly, in hearing from them!