Q: Status of my paper stuck at "in review" for a long time. How can I get a response from the journal?

Detailed Question -

Hello,

I submitted a paper to a journal (which is usually published three times a year (March, July, and November). For three and a half months, I noticed that the status of my paper was still "IN REVIEW". I contacted the editor twice, but I haven’t received any answer. The November issue has not been published yet. I don't know now whether it is a problem with my paper or with the journal itself. I don't know who to contact for this query. Any suggestion would be very useful. Many thanks.

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Four months is a long time for a paper to be under review, and we can understand your concern. However, journal review time varies by field of study, with some journals responding within 1 month and others taking several months.

 

First, we recommend that you check the average review time for this journal. Many journals mention the expected peer review time on their websites. Another way to get an estimate of the time taken is to calculate it from the dates of submission, acceptance, and publication mentioned on published papers in previous issues. If it seems that your paper has taken longer than usual that determined from the abovementioned estimates, it could point to some problem (not necessarily with the paper), considering that the issue itself is delayed as well. Do not be alarmed if the journal is a legitimate and prestigious one (and not predatory). There are several possible reasons for such a delay, e.g., overload of papers under review, difficulty in finding suitable reviewers, and reviewers taking longer than usual owing to their own constraints. Further, as you say that you have contacted the editor twice but have not received a response, we cannot rule out the possibility that the editorial board is undergoing a change.

 

Please check the journal’s website for more details on the editorial board. You could try identifying a managing editor or senior editor besides the one you contacted and write to them, detailing your manuscript ID, submission date, and any other details relevant to your submission.

 

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How long should I wait for a response from the journal?

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