Q: What is the meaning of the status ‘pending recommendation’?
I submitted a journal paper to a journal about 6 months ago, and the status recently has changed from 'under review' to 'pending recommendation.' What does this mean?
The change in status from 'Under review' to 'Pending recommendation' means that peer review of your paper is done and the Associate Editor (AE) will now go through the reviews and give his/her recommendation on whether it should be accepted, rejected, or revised. The word 'recommendation' is used because the AE does not give the final decision: he/she can only recommend the Editor-in-chief (EiC) in this matter. The final decision is made by the EiC. Once the AE sends the recommendation to the EiC, the status will change to 'Decision in process.'
You will also find this ebook useful:
A guide to understanding journal statuses
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