Q: Why is there a delay in the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) decision over my manuscript?
I submitted a research paper that initially received a major revision decision. I addressed the major revision comments and submitted the revised version. In the second round, it received conditional acceptance. I addressed these conditions [comments] and submitted it again. It has presently been awaiting the EIC decision for the past one month. Should I contact the journal to know the decision? What is your opinion about a possible acceptance?
Hello Alamdar – Welcome to the forum! You have three questions (including the one in the header). So, let’s dive straight into them.
Why is there a delay in the EIC decision over your manuscript?
Yes, one month is a bit long for the EIC decision, but this is a trend we’ve been seeing this year, possibly due to the demands placed on the journal publishing and peer review systems by the COVID-19 crisis. You will find echoes of your query in this similar recent query by another researcher: How long should the 'Awaiting EIC Decision' last before a final decision?
Should I contact the journal to know the decision?
Yes, absolutely. It’s been over a month since the manuscript moved to the EIC decision stage. So, it’s absolutely fine to seek an update. Also, you have been in touch with the editor over the various revisions, and they should be quite fine in responding to your query too. So, go right ahead. In case you need help with crafting the mail, you may find this handbook helpful: A practical handbook of templates for communicating with the journal
What is our opinion about a possible acceptance?
Based on the information you have provided, your manuscript should in all probability be accepted. It has been through a major revision and also a round of changes with a notification of conditional acceptance, and you have revised it based on these changes. All the same, to calm your concerns and to know the outcome soon, you should simply write to the journal right away. And hopefully, their response should be positive. :-)
All the best for the final stages!
The paper has been finally accepted though it received another conditional acceptance!
It is a JCR ranked Journal?
Congrats! However, it’s not clear how a manuscript that has been ‘finally accepted’ can receive a ‘conditional acceptance.’ You could check with the editor about this. At the most, there might be some minor edits you need to make either before they send it for typesetting (the next stage from their perspective) or when they send it to you for proofing (after the typesetting stage). To prepare yourself for the proofing stage, you may wish to go through these resources:
- What is the minimum number of comments to be included while proofing my paper?
- Can I correct an error in citation at the page proof stage?
- Can I replace an image at the proofing stage before publication?
About this being a JCR (Journal Citation Reports) journal, for that, we would need to know which journal you have submitted to (and now, been accepted in). If you are registered on JCR, you may visit the site here and find out. Alternatively, you may visit the Master Journal List (MJL) page here and search for the journal.
Hope that helps. All the best in taking your accepted manuscript toward publication!
This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage