Q: What does the status 'awaiting final decision' mean?

“Final decision” does not necessarily mean rejection. The fnal decision on a manuscript can be either acceptance with major or minor revisions or rejection. The current status of your manuscript indicates that your paper is with the editor, and he/she is evaluating your manuscript to arrive at a decision. However, it is not clear from your description whether there have been other status changes before the current status. If your paper has been under review before this, then it stands a better chance of getting accepted. However, if it has not gone through peer review, but is directly showing the status “awaiting final decision,” then there is a possibility that your paper might be rejected after initial screening by the editor. Since the average time for the first decision is one month, you should be informed about the decision soon. Hope for the best!
 

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