Q: What is the meaning of Awaiting ED Final Processing after Awaiting EIC Decision?

Awaiting ED Final Processing means the editorial team is preparing the manuscript for your proofing check. This usually happens after the manuscript is accepted, so yes, it does seem to mean an ‘accept.’ However, as you may well know, journals formally and directly communicate an accept, rather than leaving it indirectly like this. It may be that they sent you a mail, but it went to your spam/junk folder. So, check that folder. In case you don’t find it there, or you deleted it by mistake, or haven’t received the mail, do write to the editor to check whether this is indeed so. If it is indeed an accept, congrats on that!

As mentioned above, if it indeed is an accept, you may wish to prepare yourself for the next and final stage from your side – proofing – by going through these resources:

• What is the minimum number of comments to be included while proofing my paper?
• Can I replace an image at the proofing stage before publication?
• Can I correct an error in citation at the page proof stage?