Q: What does the status 'Draft, ADM not assigned' mean in a ScholarOne system?

This means that an administrator (ADM) has not been assigned to your manuscript. Once they are assigned, they will perform an initial assessment on your manuscript, for factors such as a match with the journal’s scope and adherence to the author/submission guidelines.

If these are found to be fine, they will forward the manuscript to an Associate Editor (AE), who will then evaluate it scientifically, that is, for aspects such as the novelty of the research and the quality of the writing/paper.

At times, that is, with some journals, this process may be combined, all activities being undertaken by the AE. If the AE is fine with the paper, they will decide on sending it for peer review.

The status will probably take a week or so to change. Until then, you may equip yourself for the upcoming stages by going through the following related resources:

• What does "awaiting final decision" after "awaiting admin processing" mean?
• A journal editor's insight into what happens post manuscript submission
• A guide to understanding journal statuses [Handbook]

All the best for the next stages!