Q: What does a quick change from 'Under consideration' to 'Decision made' back to 'Under consideration' mean for Nature?

Detailed Question -

Hello. I submitted a manuscript to a Nature journal six days ago. It stated 'Under consideration' until today, when it changed to 'Decision made,' and then back to 'Under consideration.' What could this mean?

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Such quick changes may mean a glitch, but given that it’s a Nature journal, that’s unlikely. :-)

So, it probably means that the associate editor (AE), who handles the manuscript through the review and publication process, had a look at your manuscript and made a decision on it, most probably for rejection. However, when they communicated their decision to the Editor-in-Chief (EiC), who makes the final decision, it was decided to reconsider your manuscript. This is known as a rescinding.

The EiC may have seen merits in your paper after all (or a fit, if that was the issue). Alternatively, they may be considering that you submit to another journal within Nature, where there may be a better match.

Hopefully, the exact situation will become clear with the next status update. Until then, you may find it worthwhile to go through the following resources about journal statuses:

All the best for whatever’s next! :-)