Q: Should I send a reminder if my paper is in peer review for 5 months?
I have submitted my manuscript in IEEE TCAS-II on 1st Feb 2017, and since 5 months, the status of the paper is "In peer review". Generally how much time does TCAS-II take to complete the review? Is it the right time to send a reminder? Or should I wait for another month?
Peer review in general can take anywhere between a few weeks to several months. I could not find the average review time on the website of IEEE TCAS-II, but five months is still on the higher side, and you should have written to the journal earlier. Ideally, you should write to the journal if the paper is under review for over two months. Sometimes, the editor might just forget about a paper that's been in review for a very long time. On such occasions, a gentle nudge from the author might lead the editor to start following up with the reviewer more proactively. You should write to the journal immediately and keep following up every 2-3 weeks till you see a status change.
Related reading:
- How long will the status of my paper show "Under Review?"
- Is it fine to inquire about a paper that's been under review for over 8 months?
- What should I do if my paper has been under review for more than 120 days?
This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage