Q: Should I send an inquiry if my manuscript has not yet been assigned to an editor?
I submitted my manuscript to a medical journal via an online submission system, but the status remains unchanged with “EC: not assigned, awaiting editorial processing” for 2 weeks already. I have submitted a manuscript to this same journal before, but such delay did not happen then. Should I contact the publisher or the editorial office now? Or, if I should wait a little more, how long should I wait for?
Journal evaluation processes can be time-consuming. It is not uncommon for a manuscript to be assigned to an Editor several weeks after submission. You were fortunate that your previous papers were processed quickly by the journal. I feel it is too soon to write to the journal and you might come across as pushy or impatient. Wait for a couple of weeks more and if you still don't see any change in status, send a polite email to the editorial office asking by when you can expect the manuscript to be assigned to an editor.
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This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage