Q: Should I contact editor to inquire about the revised manuscript?
I submitted a revised manuscript on 19/2/2023. The paper changed to With Editor after few days (2 times) and changed to Under review on 10/3/2023 after I sent an inquiry about the status (this time, EiC told that the previous Editor was retired, and the paper was assigned to a new Editor). The system now shows that the re-review invitation was sent to 2 reviewers and one reviewer quickly returned the evaluation on 16/3/2023. However, the second review still do not accept the re-review invitation since 10/3. Should I contact Editor about the invitation problem with the second reviewer?
As the EiC was responsive and let you know that the paper was assigned to a new Editor, it seems they’re doing their best to give your manuscript a fair chance. Also, papers that receive a major revision request are almost always sent for a second round of review, and while the re-review usually does not take as long as the first review if the paper is sent to the same set of reviewers, the editor can choose to send it to new reviewers, in which case, it can take longer.
It’s possible that the second reviewer may have other commitments that may have delayed their acceptance of the review, but since it’s been nearly a month since the invite was sent, you could send a polite reminder enquiring about the status of the re-review. However, I would advise against sending too many reminders too often. Your manuscript is reaching closure and you wouldn't want to appear impatient at this stage.
All the best!
This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage