Q: What is the meaning of awaiting final decision after awaiting reviewer scores?

Detailed Question -

I submitted a manuscript to a journal by SAGE. The status changed to awaiting reviewer selection, and then changed to awaiting reviewer scores. Finally, the status now is awaiting final decision since a week. I am really confused, can I contact the journal to explain this or should I just wait?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Thank you for your question! The status “awaiting final decision after awaiting reviewer scores” means that the peer review has been completed and the reviewer comments have been sent back to the editorial office for assessment. Now the handling editor assigned to your manuscript will go through the reviewers comments and decide the next steps for the manuscript i.e. if the manuscript needs to be sent back to the authors for revisions (major or minor) or accept the manuscript if the reviewer comments are positive or reject the manuscript if it’s not fit for publication in the current state.

You should expect to receive the final decision from the handling editor soon.

We also have a few related resources on submission statuses, including a useful handbook curated by our sister brand, R Upskill.

Hope this helps. All the best for your submission!