Q: Why did the status of my manuscript change from Editor Assigned back to Editor Invited?

Detailed Question -

I have submitted to a Springer journal, and the status updates have been as follows: [Manuscript] Submitted > Editor Invited > Editor Assigned* > Editor Invited

* The editor was a foreign editor, and was notified by mail.

Has the status changed to Editor Invited again because the previously assigned editor declined the invitation and the remaining editors are mostly from the country? Is the delay also due to the Spring Festival period? The present status has been so for three weeks. So, can I send an email to the editor asking about the status? Note: The journal’s average is one to three months. On reading a few articles, I have come to know that one month is on the faster side and three months is on the slower side.

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

You bring up some interesting points/questions, although you have main question. Nevertheless, we shall try to respond to them all. However, note that we have made some edits to your overall question for enhanced clarity.

Has the status changed to Editor Invited again because the assigned editor declined the invite […]?

Yes. If a reviewer declines an invite (for whatever reason), the editor has to look for a new reviewer, and so, changes the status to Editor Invited to reflect the exact current status. About the foreign editor/reviewer, the journal editor would have sent it to them because they may have felt the latter was most suited to review your manuscript. However, as this reviewer is unavailable, they will now have to look for someone else having familiarity with your topic. Note that while the volume of submissions keeps increasing each year (and has been especially high the past year due to pandemic-related submissions), the number of available reviewers seems never to keep pace with the submissions. :-/ However, the editor will keep looking/inviting and should hopefully find one soon.

Is the delay also due to the Spring Festival period?

It may have been so, just like internationally, there is a delay during the Christmas/New Year period. Now that the Spring Festival is over though (belated wishes for the new year, by the way), pace should pick up again, and a reviewer should hopefully soon be found.

Can you write to the editor about the status?

It has been about three or four weeks since you submitted the manuscript, and as you are seeing, the statuses are getting regularly updated. However, we can understand that you might be anxious about the progress on your manuscript. So, maybe you could wait just a few days, say, till the beginning of next month, before writing to the editor requesting an update.

For both knowledge of journal statuses and the best ways to write to the journal, you should find the following handbooks useful. Note: They are by R Upskill, a family brand providing a variety of learning programs for researchers. For a limited period, all courses are available for free. So, you may want to check them out!

Hope all that helps. All the best for the next stages for your manuscript!

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