Q: Why does the status change from "Editor Assigned" to "Editor Invited" and back to "Editor Assigned"?
Any idea what is happening to my manuscript with Springer? The status was "Editor assigned" for three months, then "Editor invited" for about three weeks, then "Editor assigned" again for another week as of today. The journal website states that it takes an average of 91 days from submission to first decision. Is my manuscript heading to peer review or desk reject?
The change from "Editor Assigned" to "Editor Invited" indicates that the editor who was initially assigned for your paper must have declined to handle your paper. This could be because he/she is too busy with other work or because he/she has a conflict of interest with your paper. However, another editor has been assigned to your manuscript, so it will hopefully, be processed more quickly now.
It is not really possible to predict the outcome based on these status changes. However, the next status change might make things clearer. If your paper is sent for peer review, the status will change to "Reviewer invited" or "Reviewer assigned." However, if the status changes directly to "Decision in process," it will mean that your paper will receive a desk rejection.
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This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage