Don't wait! Communicate (with editors)
I've submitted a paper to an international journal but have not heard back from the editor yet. How long should I wait? (and HOW you communicate that SERIOUSLY affect your article's chances ...)
Welcome to one of the most common questions we are asked in workshops and webinars. Sadly, researchers are often scared or nervous about communicating with journal editors once they’ve made their submission. But they also want to know about updates on the status of their paper, especially if they can see (via the online submission system) that nothing has changed for a good few weeks.
“I’ve been waiting for news on my submitted paper for months. Nothing has changed on the online submission system. What should I do?”
Don’t wait: Communicate! Don’t be afraid to reach out to journal editors to enquire about your submitted paper. Be polite and constructive: Make the editor’s job as easy as possible and suggest some additional peer reviewers. Chances are: Your paper is delayed in the system because the editor forgot about it and/or they have had issues securing peer reviews. Or perhaps the peer reviewers who have been invited are just taking time and need a little encouragement.
Either way, it’s important not to let your paper stew in the submission system: Write and request and update after an appropriate time has passed.
How long to wait? What would be an ‘appropriate’ length of time?
When editors receive submissions from authors, these enter a process called “triage”. No different really from getting hit by a bus and being rushed into the emergency room, an editor and/or editorial office will assess your article against a standard checklist. Ethical approval, all figures and tables in the right place, and so on: This takes time. Usually up to a week.
Then your paper will be (hopefully) sent out for peer review. And this also takes time. Editors have to select peer reviewers, invite them, and wait for their acceptance. Up to 70% of peer review requests get turned down. This selection process can also take several weeks to complete.
Then there’s the waiting time for peer reviews to come back. Editors will usually be aiming for 2-3 reviewers. But sometimes they need to balance negative reviews (or overly positive ones) with more. This can also take a good number of weeks.
So: A good rule of thumb here is to wait for 6-8 weeks at least before writing to your journal editor and asking for an update.
When I write to an editor, what should I say?
This question is so commonly asked by researchers, I’ve put together a template to help with this. An email you can ‘cut out and keep’ to oil the wheels of this process. Being polite is important. Giving your editor all the information they need to find your paper quickly in their system is important. Providing your editor with additional suggestions for peer reviewers is important as well as this stage.
You don’t want to end up in this situation: I remember a workshop I delivered in Shanghai before the pandemic. One colleague raised a hand and asked “I’ve been waiting for my paper to come back from peer review for two years now. What do you think I should do”.
Answer: Don’t wait: Communicate! You’ve only got the one career. You can’t afford to wait and editors will appreciate it if you reach out to them ….
