Q: What does a status change to Associate Editor (AE) Review mean?

A status change from AE Assigned to AE Review means that the manuscript has been picked up by the AE for review. The AE will now go through the manuscript to check for things such as a match with the scope of the journal, the quality of the writing, and even the novelty of the study. Based on these factors, the AE will decide whether or not to send the manuscript for peer review. As it has been only about two weeks since submission and given that AEs have many manuscripts – at many different stages of submission and review – to go through, you could expect to wait for a few weeks for the AE’s decision on your submission.

Related reading:

• Why is the status of my paper showing "Assigned to AE" for so long?
• What does a status change to 'Evaluating recommendation' from 'AE assigned, under review' mean?
• Behind the scenes: A journal editor's insight into what happens post manuscript submission