Q: What does the journal status "Awaiting reviewer reply" mean?
I submitted my paper to a journal. They assigned an AE. The status has been "Awaiting a reviewer reply" for about a month. Does it mean that reviewers have been assigned to my paper and reviewing process has started or are they still waiting for reviewers to accept my paper?
Journals vary in the usage of terms for various statuses. Therefore, it is best to refer to the journal webpage where they usually have a flow chart or description of each step of the peer review process. Generally speaking, the status "Awaiting a reviewer reply" could mean either of two things:
1. A review invitation has been sent out but the reviewer has not yet accepted it.
2. The reviewer has accepted the invitation and the editor is waiting to receive reviewer comments.
Since it has been about a month since the status “Awaiting a reviewer reply” has been put up, the second option seems more likely. Usually, journals follow up with reviewers if they do not accept the review invitation within a stipulated time (usually a week or 10 days). However, it would be best if you write to the editor for a status update. That will give you a clear picture of what is happening behind the scenes.
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This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage