Q: What should I do if my paper's status remains "With editor" since two months after submission?

Detailed Question -

The status has not changed from “With Editor” since 2 months after submission.

I submitted a paper on September 7, 2017, and only the date was updated twice (maybe the editor edited) but the status did not change from “With Editor.” The status was last updated on September 16.

I sent an inquiry to the journal and they replied that “we are asking the editor about the status. We will inform you once we get a reply.” But it's been once week since, but I haven't received any response.

In this case, what should I do within the following choices?

1. Withdraw

2. Make direct contact to the editor

3. Just wait

4. Other

Also, if I should contact the editor directly, which editor should I contact when there are several?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Since you do not know which editor has been assigned to you, there is no way you can contact the editor directly. Under the circumstances, I think it would be best to wait for a couple of weeks more and then write to the journal once again. You should explain that you had written earlier and were told that they would contact the editor and get back to you, but have not yet responded. You could also politely request them to expedite the process. Keep sending reminders every couple of weeks till they respond. If you do not receive a response even after sending multiple reminders, you can consider withdrawing your paper.

Related reading:

What does the status "With editor" mean and how long does it take?