Q: What does "Awaiting reviewer selection" mean under "Minor Revision" in the ScholarOne Submission system?

Detailed Question -

I just submitted a revised paper to ScholarOne (major revision). After one day of submission, status was ‘Awaiting Decision’; but now after 10 days, status change into ‘Awaiting reviewer selection’. I suppose that in most cases of minor revision, the revised manuscript will only be reviewed by the ADM or associate editor. However, I just noticed that the status of my revised manuscript is now "Awaiting reviewer selection". Does this entail that the revised manuscript should go back to the original reviewer for final re-review? Or, could it be that it is an automatic status message showing that it is with the editor.

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

There is a contradiction in your statements. You mention that the status is “Awaiting reviewer selection” under “Minor revision” and you also mention that you re-submitted your manuscript after major revisions.

In the case of major revisions, the manuscript does go back to the same reviewer who reviewed your manuscript the first time. In case the same reviewer is not available due to some reason, the journal sends it to another expert with the comments from the earlier review. This might be the case with your manuscript and hence the status might be ‘Awaiting reviewer selection.’

In case of very minor revisions which might be mostly related to conformation to journal guidelines or change in the usage of words or other minor revisions related to the content of the manuscript, the editor usually takes a decision.

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