Q: What should I do if the editor is unresponsive?
I submitted a paper to a mathematical journal on 29/3/2017. Three days later, the status changed to "Under review." However, the status never changed after that. I have sent three inquiries to the journal but received no response till date. What should I do? Yet, every time I send an inquiry, I request read receipts and come to know that they have read my messages! I am confused. Can anybody help me?
Usually, the review time for mathematics journals is much longer than other fields. However, it's been 7 months since submission, and it is odd that the journal has not responded to any of your emails. I think you should write to the journal again. Politely explain that as an author, you are anxious about the status of your manuscript and would appreciate if they respond to your emails updating you on the progress of the manuscript. Send follow up emails every week for at least 3-4 weeks. If you still receive no response, you can consider withdrawing your paper.
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This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage