Q: How should I ask the journal about the status of my manuscript?

Detailed Question -

I submitted a manuscript to a journal A of American Chemical Society through ACS Paragon Plus in the beginning of April. But the editor immediately informed me that my manuscript was not suitable for their journal, and recommended transferring it to their affiliated journal B. I sent a reply accepting their recommendation in the middle of April and I transferred my manuscript to journal B through ACS Paragon Plus after revising the format. Two days later, I submitted the Complete Journal Publishing Agreement through the system. Now 6 weeks have passed, but the status in the system has not changed. Is the review of my manuscript in process? It is close to the deadline of degree application for my doctoral course, so I want to know the result as soon as possible. If I ask the journal about the current status, how should I make the inquiry? Please advise.

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Different journals have different review periods and this also depends on the subject area of the manuscript, the availability of reviewers, and the number of issues published in a year. Average review times range anywhere between 4-8 weeks but can be longer or shorter depending on the journal and the factors mentioned above. Usually, when your manuscript has been sent for review, the status in the submission system should change to ‘Under review’ or something similar.

If the status has not changed since you first submitted the manuscript, you can send an email to the journal editor to inquire. It is normal for journals to keep a manuscript under review for over 6 weeks, but since you have a tight deadline, it would be a good idea to ask. This article has a template that you can use with to send an inquiry to the journal editor about the current status of your paper

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