Manuscript Status

Q: What does the status 'Pending Decision' mean?

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The result of the first round of peer review was ‘major revision’ and the result of the second round was ‘minor revision.’ Currently, my revised manuscript is in the third round of review. As the second round was completed rapidly, I assumed the third round would be rapid too. However, when I checked the status on the journal portal, it was ‘Pending Decision.’ What does this mean?

Asked on 18 Sep, 2020

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Don’t worry. Based on the information you have provided, things seem to be progressing just fine with your manuscript. Also, only the first round of peer review is a complete review; the second is more like a validation. The third round, as you have called it, isn’t even a round of peer review. Rather, it refers to the final decision by the Editor-in-Chief (EIC). So, based on your two rounds of revisions, the Associate Editor (AE) has made their decision on the manuscript and communicated it to the EIC, who will make the final decision. This is what is meant by ‘Pending Decision.’

You should know the decision soon. In case you don’t, you could write to them requesting an update. For which, you may find this handbook helpful: A practical handbook of templates for communicating with the journal

Hope that helps. And all the best for the final stage(s)!