Q: Why is my article showing "With editor" for more than 7 months while other articles are being accepted?
Hello, l have submmited an article to an Elsevier journal about 7 months ago, but the status is still "With editor." I have sent reminder messages recently, but there is no response. Last time I asked for withdrawal, but again there is no reaction from the editor (The journal has one editor). Surprisingly, multiple articles have been accepted in these months, with submission to acceptance being only 2 or 3 months. Why is this happening and what should I do for withdrawal? Thank you for your time in advance!
It is strange that the editor is not responding to any of your emails even though other submissions are getting their decisions. Since it is a reputable journal, I'm wondering if your emails are not reaching the editor. I assume you are writing to the editor via the online submission system. Check the journal website and see if you can find the editor's or any other contact person’s email address. You can then write to this address explaining the situation and seeking help. Also, make sure that you add a read receipt to every email you send to the journal. That way, you will come to know if the editor has read your email.
If there is still no response nor a status change by the end of this month, you can send another email saying that you will consider the withdrawal process complete if there is no reply within a specific time (set a deadline of around 1 week). At the end of this time, send a final email to the journal saying that since you have received no response, you are considering your paper "unsubmitted" from the journal. You can then submit your manuscript to another journal. However, make sure you save the email thread about the withdrawal as supporting evidence in case there is any allegation of duplicate submission later.
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This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage