Q: Why is the journal taking a long time for initial screening and decision?
I have submitted my paper to a clinical journal, and I’m waiting for the initial desk decision. They said the initial review has been finished 2 weeks ago but still needs to wait for the editor's decision regarding whether the paper will be sent out for peer review. It seems to take a long time to get an initial decision. From your experiences, is this a good sign or bad sign?
To begin with, I don't think 2 weeks is a long time for the initial decision. It is not unusual for the initial screening and decision to take a few weeks. The fact that the editor is taking time to decide whether to send your paper for review shows that he/she is trying to do justice to your paper.
Possibly, the editor sees some value in your paper; otherwise, the paper would probably have been rejected immediately. I think the editor is taking time to carefully trying to weigh out the merits and demerits and take a fair decision.
This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage