Q: What does at 'editor(4)' mean after submitting my article with corrections for a minor revision?

The status ‘at editor(4)’ or ‘At Editor (4)’ doesn’t seem familiar. However, status descriptions can vary across journals, depending on the publisher or the workflow management system they use.

This status is most probably similar to ‘With Editor,’ which itself can mean any of a few things: it’s with the associate editor (AE) after submission, it’s with the AE after the peer review, or it’s with the AE after revision and resubmission, which is perhaps the case here.

The ‘4’ could refer to the number of reviewers, including the two or three peer reviewers, the initial admin reviewer, and the AE. Alternatively, it could refer to the version of the document in the system: 1 referring to the initial submission, 2 and 3 perhaps referring to the peer-reviewed versions, and 4 being the revised version.

In your case, as it was only a minor revision, you needn't think too much of the exact status description. However, if needed, and in case the status doesn’t change for a while (say, two or three weeks), you could drop a mail to the AE asking about it.

All the best for the next steps!

You may also find the following resources helpful:

• Can you explain the "With Associate Editor" status?
• What does the status "With an Editor" mean after two rounds of revision?
• What does a change from "With Editor" to "Decision in process" mean?