Q: Under Review for 40 days. Should I ask why by email?

Detailed Question -

The reviewer's comments were soon received after the review. Pointed out some minor errors in the format of the paper. After minor revisions, the status became with editor, and then it has been under review since the 27th of March, and there is no change.
 Now I dare not write reminders for fear of being rejected. I want to remind them in two months, I don’t know if it’s okay?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Thank you for your question! We understand your anxiety regarding your submission. Since you’ve noted that the minor errors pointed out were pertaining only to the format of your manuscript, you can send a polite inquiry to the Editor requesting a status update. You can frame your email along the lines of the one below:

Dear [Insert journal editor’s name],

This is with regard to my/our submitted manuscript, [Insert manuscript reference number], titled “[Insert manuscript title],” submitted to your journal on [Insert date of submission] for consideration as a [Insert article type, e.g., Original Article or Case Report].

We have not received an update regarding the status of our manuscript in the review process. Could you let us know when we can expect notice regarding the decision of the editorial board?

Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.


Sincerely,
[Insert author name and correspondence details]


Alternatively, you could check if there is a section on timeframes on the website of your target journal where you have submitted your paper. If you have not received a response within the timeframe stated or if your target journal does not state any timeframe, you can try checking previously published papers in the same journal and see if they provide any statistics. Most journals mention the submission date, acceptance date, and date of publication for papers published online; the difference between the former two dates will give you the review time.

You may also refer to the below resources to know more about manuscript statuses post submission and journal communication.

I hope this helps! All the best for your research!

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