Q: What does the 'Report: Pending' status mean for Dovepress?
I received the following manuscript status message from Dovepress: ‘Report: Pending – The author is being contacted about the Editor-in-Chief’s decision.’ I would like to know what it means: Reject, Revise, or Accept? Thank you!
This means that the Editor-in-Chief (EiC) has made a decision on the manuscript but still needs some information from you before they can communicate or proceed with that decision. Based on this information, the EiC may also modify their decision. We cannot determine what the EiC has decided by this message alone. Also, you haven’t mentioned whether the manuscript went for peer review. However, it could be that they wish you to submit to another journal with the same publisher (Dovepress is published by Taylor & Francis) for a better scope match, submit in a revised form (perhaps as a letter to the editor), or something such. The decision is based on their view of the manuscript in its current form.
If they had decided to accept the manuscript, the status would have been ‘Report: Accept.’ If they had decided to accept with changes, it would have been ‘Report: Revise with changes.’ In case they had decided to reject it, it would have been ‘Rejected by publisher.’ In the last case, if needed, you may consider modifying the manuscript and submitting to some other journal.
It would be best to wait for the journal to send the mail with the details they seek before deciding the next steps. All the best nevertheless!
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This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage