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Q: What can I do if the review of my updated paper that I need for graduation is delayed?

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I had submitted my paper to the IEEE Access journal, after 19 days (very fast), my paper was rejected and I was asked to address the reviewer’s concerns. The first reviewer accepted the paper and the second one rejected it (and suggested resubmission). The editor rejected the paper and gave the opportunity for resubmission. After 17 days, I have resubmitted. However, I have been waiting for two months. This paper is the base of my doctoral thesis; thus, the paper must be accepted within this school year (i.e., by the end of March). What should I do? I need the decision for graduation.

Asked by Pewa Maec on 24 Mar, 2022

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I would suggest you to calm down first. The peer-review process is very lengthy and inspite of the best efforts of the journal, we still do not have any proper mechanism to address it. In your case, the journal might be having difficulty in finding reviewers which is absolutely normal.

I would suggest you to talk to your advisor and your research advisory committee. Since they have been researchers themselves, they should know it very well how the process runs.

Regarding your doctoral thesis, I assure you that mere acceptance of the paper wont have any impact on it, as your advisor and your thesis advisory committee will have some internal monitoring on your thesis.

There have been several instances where a manuscript has taken 2-3 years to get accepted and yet the student has been awarded his degree. So I would ask you to consult your advisor and your peers and I am sure that they would help you out. So relax and hope for the best!

Answered by Anonymous Anonymous on 12 Apr, 2022

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Dear Author,

We understand that you have not received a decision from the journal after you have resubmitted the manuscript. We recommend you write to the journal requesting them to share the status of the manuscript and the tentative timeline to complete the peer review process. In addition, also stress on the fact that you are on a tight publication timeline due to your doctoral thesis graduation requirement.