Q: What is the meaning of the status ‘In copy editing’ after submitting for a major revision?
Four months after submitting my research paper, I was asked for a major revision. I submitted the paper after the revision. Then, the status of the paper changed to ‘In copy editing.’ I don't understand whether this means my paper has been accepted or not?
The status changes to ‘In copy editing’ typically after a manuscript has been accepted for publication. This means that the journal editing team is preparing the proof of the accepted paper, which they will send to you for a final check before sending the document for publication. However, for this to have happened, you should have received a mail or some notification about the manuscript being accepted. It is unlikely that the journal would begin copy-editing the manuscript after submitting for a major revision without first informing you. You should check your Spam/Junk folder to see if the mail went there. If not, and you can’t find this mail/notification, you should write to the journal to check whether or not the manuscript has indeed been accepted.
Here are a couple of related queries (by other researchers previously) that may offer additional insights:
- What is the meaning of the status "In Editing"?
- What does the status "In editing" mean when a decision note says "Decline submission"?
And in case it’s an accept, you’ll need to begin preparing for the proofing stage, for which you’ll find these resources useful:
- What is the minimum number of comments to be included while proofing my paper?
- Can I correct an error in citation at the page proof stage?
All the best for the next/final stages!