Q: Why has my manuscript's status remained "Editor assigned" for 15 days?
I submitted to the journal Osteoporosis International half a month ago. Till date, the status remains "editor assigned." Last time I submitted to this journal, the status soon changed to "reviewer assigned." But this time, what can be the possible reasons for the delay? Can it be that my manuscript has been sent for review but the status has not been manually updated?
The status “editor assigned” indicates that the manuscript is with the Associate Editor (AE) and is undergoing initial editorial screening. A possible reason for the status remaining the same for a long time could be that an AE has been assigned to the manuscript but the AE has not yet started the initial screening. The AE may be handling multiple manuscripts at this time and therefore may not have had the time to check your manuscript.
Once the AE completes the initial editorial screening, he/she will decide if the manuscript is novel and interesting enough to be sent for peer review. If the AE chooses to send your manuscript for peer review, he/she will send a review invitation to potential reviewers. The status of the manuscript will then change to “Reviewers invited” and subsequently to “Reviewers assigned” once the invitation is accepted. Once the review begins, the status will change to “Under review."
It is unlikely that the journal has failed to update the status in spite of sending your manuscript for review. Also, it is not uncommon for the status to remain “Editor assigned” for more than a month as editors often handle multiple submissions at a time. You can consider writing an inquiry to the journal if the status does not change in another couple of weeks’ time.
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This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage