Q: Should I withdraw if my paper continues to remain at the Editor Invited status?

Detailed Question -

I had submitted my paper to PLOS ONE a month ago, but it is still at the Editor Invited status. What if the journal cannot find an editor? Should I change the journal?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

One month is a long time for an editor not to be assigned. The editor/s may be busy, or there may be some internal challenge that you/we may not know about. So, yes, if the situation remains the same, say, for another month, you may consider withdrawing from here and submitting to some other journal.

Note that you will have to first withdraw from here and only then submit elsewhere. You can/should not submit to another journal while this is still in process here. That would be a case of simultaneous submission.

Before that though, you should write to the journal seeking an update from them. That will help you decide your next steps – whether you should continue with them or begin looking for another journal. To save time, you may also send out presubmission inquiries to other journals to assess their interest in reviewing your manuscript.

If you do decide to withdraw, you may find these resources useful.

Hope that helps. All the best for your next steps!