submission review is taking too long

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I have submitted an article for a journal in which it was stated that the review time was from 80 to 120 days, that is approximately 4 months at most. The submission of my article was approximately 13 months ago and I did not get any answer in the allotted time they mentioned. I sent an email to the editor after 8 months and I was told that the review process has suffered a delay, but that they soon will fix that issue.



I waited until September and sent another email and again I got another reply of an apology and nothing more. I believe that it has passed too much time, until now it is almost like one year, so I do not what to do.



Would there be any problem if I submit my article to another journal or should I send another email to the editor of this journal? Or rather just wait until I get a response?










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  • 5




    Note that if you decide to submit elsewhere (which is your good right) you still need to first withdraw from this journal. This bad experience does not give you a card blanche to double-dip.
    – xLeitix
    Nov 26 at 14:07






  • 1




    It may help to get in touch with the editor-in-chief. Individual editors occasionally have a hard time finding willing reviewers. And if the volunteer reviewer gets wrapped up in their real life duties (leading to a delay), the bar for looking for alternate reviewers is relatively high. Been there. Not pleasant for anyone involved.
    – Jyrki Lahtonen
    Nov 27 at 4:44














up vote
13
down vote

favorite












I have submitted an article for a journal in which it was stated that the review time was from 80 to 120 days, that is approximately 4 months at most. The submission of my article was approximately 13 months ago and I did not get any answer in the allotted time they mentioned. I sent an email to the editor after 8 months and I was told that the review process has suffered a delay, but that they soon will fix that issue.



I waited until September and sent another email and again I got another reply of an apology and nothing more. I believe that it has passed too much time, until now it is almost like one year, so I do not what to do.



Would there be any problem if I submit my article to another journal or should I send another email to the editor of this journal? Or rather just wait until I get a response?










share|improve this question



















  • 5




    Note that if you decide to submit elsewhere (which is your good right) you still need to first withdraw from this journal. This bad experience does not give you a card blanche to double-dip.
    – xLeitix
    Nov 26 at 14:07






  • 1




    It may help to get in touch with the editor-in-chief. Individual editors occasionally have a hard time finding willing reviewers. And if the volunteer reviewer gets wrapped up in their real life duties (leading to a delay), the bar for looking for alternate reviewers is relatively high. Been there. Not pleasant for anyone involved.
    – Jyrki Lahtonen
    Nov 27 at 4:44












up vote
13
down vote

favorite









up vote
13
down vote

favorite











I have submitted an article for a journal in which it was stated that the review time was from 80 to 120 days, that is approximately 4 months at most. The submission of my article was approximately 13 months ago and I did not get any answer in the allotted time they mentioned. I sent an email to the editor after 8 months and I was told that the review process has suffered a delay, but that they soon will fix that issue.



I waited until September and sent another email and again I got another reply of an apology and nothing more. I believe that it has passed too much time, until now it is almost like one year, so I do not what to do.



Would there be any problem if I submit my article to another journal or should I send another email to the editor of this journal? Or rather just wait until I get a response?










share|improve this question















I have submitted an article for a journal in which it was stated that the review time was from 80 to 120 days, that is approximately 4 months at most. The submission of my article was approximately 13 months ago and I did not get any answer in the allotted time they mentioned. I sent an email to the editor after 8 months and I was told that the review process has suffered a delay, but that they soon will fix that issue.



I waited until September and sent another email and again I got another reply of an apology and nothing more. I believe that it has passed too much time, until now it is almost like one year, so I do not what to do.



Would there be any problem if I submit my article to another journal or should I send another email to the editor of this journal? Or rather just wait until I get a response?







journals peer-review






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edited Nov 26 at 11:38









Klangen

574413




574413










asked Nov 26 at 0:32









Layla

4,42833070




4,42833070







  • 5




    Note that if you decide to submit elsewhere (which is your good right) you still need to first withdraw from this journal. This bad experience does not give you a card blanche to double-dip.
    – xLeitix
    Nov 26 at 14:07






  • 1




    It may help to get in touch with the editor-in-chief. Individual editors occasionally have a hard time finding willing reviewers. And if the volunteer reviewer gets wrapped up in their real life duties (leading to a delay), the bar for looking for alternate reviewers is relatively high. Been there. Not pleasant for anyone involved.
    – Jyrki Lahtonen
    Nov 27 at 4:44












  • 5




    Note that if you decide to submit elsewhere (which is your good right) you still need to first withdraw from this journal. This bad experience does not give you a card blanche to double-dip.
    – xLeitix
    Nov 26 at 14:07






  • 1




    It may help to get in touch with the editor-in-chief. Individual editors occasionally have a hard time finding willing reviewers. And if the volunteer reviewer gets wrapped up in their real life duties (leading to a delay), the bar for looking for alternate reviewers is relatively high. Been there. Not pleasant for anyone involved.
    – Jyrki Lahtonen
    Nov 27 at 4:44







5




5




Note that if you decide to submit elsewhere (which is your good right) you still need to first withdraw from this journal. This bad experience does not give you a card blanche to double-dip.
– xLeitix
Nov 26 at 14:07




Note that if you decide to submit elsewhere (which is your good right) you still need to first withdraw from this journal. This bad experience does not give you a card blanche to double-dip.
– xLeitix
Nov 26 at 14:07




1




1




It may help to get in touch with the editor-in-chief. Individual editors occasionally have a hard time finding willing reviewers. And if the volunteer reviewer gets wrapped up in their real life duties (leading to a delay), the bar for looking for alternate reviewers is relatively high. Been there. Not pleasant for anyone involved.
– Jyrki Lahtonen
Nov 27 at 4:44




It may help to get in touch with the editor-in-chief. Individual editors occasionally have a hard time finding willing reviewers. And if the volunteer reviewer gets wrapped up in their real life duties (leading to a delay), the bar for looking for alternate reviewers is relatively high. Been there. Not pleasant for anyone involved.
– Jyrki Lahtonen
Nov 27 at 4:44










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
25
down vote













It seems like a long time by any standard. Contact them. You can give them a date by which you will formally withdraw your article from consideration. Maybe a couple of weeks. If they don't jump you can submit elsewhere without worry.



The final nudge is just a courtesy. You could actually just inform them that you are withdrawing for submission elsewhere. But if the journal is reputable it might be worth the courtesy.






share|improve this answer




















  • There is a vague possibility that something unethical is going on - purposeful delays in order to trump a publication. Though I hope not...
    – Yair Zick
    Nov 26 at 3:43






  • 5




    @YairZick I would assume that if the paper is about some critical finding. If not, it is more likely that reviewers are slow or editors have a problem finding reviewers. Generally, I personally found that reviewers have become slower, less motivated and less reliable over the last decade and half, probably because of the spate of review requests while submission quality and originality has decreased on average (from my personal observation).
    – Captain Emacs
    Nov 26 at 9:52






  • 10




    Maybe important to emphasize that you indeed need to withdraw first before submitting elsewhere. I am not sure if the OP is aware of that based on their original phrasing.
    – xLeitix
    Nov 26 at 14:06

















up vote
11
down vote













I agree with @Buffy's answer. A polite letter to the editors asking for clarification would be good. If you or a colleague know anyone on the editorial board - contact them. I had a case where a paper was sitting idle for close to a year after an accept with minor revisions because of a miscommunication between the reviewers and the editor in charge.



Another point to consider: perhaps I am being a bit paranoid, but if your paper was sitting there for a very long time and has not been published, it may be a good idea to have a version of it on ArXiv or some other relevant open repository. This serves the purpose of timestamping your publication.



There are (thankfully rare) horror stories of unscrupulous reviewers purposely delaying decisions in order to get the results themselves. If your review is taking so long and results in your field take a long time to come by (say, experiments need to be run), this may be a cause for concern.



Also seriously consider whether this journal is worth submitting to in the future. Journals should not be rewarded for this kind of behavior.






share|improve this answer
















  • 1




    Submitting to the journal has already "timestamped" the work.
    – David Richerby
    Nov 26 at 13:15






  • 1




    @DavidRicherby: ... but not if the paper is rejected.
    – Oleg Lobachev
    Nov 26 at 16:59










  • @OlegLobachev Even if the paper is rejected, you can still ask the journal's editor to vouch for the fact that you submitted it. In reality, it seems very unlikely that one would need to prove that a paper existed in some specific date, anyway.
    – David Richerby
    Nov 26 at 17:00







  • 1




    Maybe, but if another person just happens to release similar results, it may take a really long time to get the editor to move on this. They may even be reluctant to get into this mess altogether as it may paint them and their editorial process as unethical/incompetent. Why not just go for an independent, free, open format that’s indisputable and has zero hassle?
    – Yair Zick
    Nov 27 at 0:36

















up vote
5
down vote













Write to the editor with pointed questions. How many reviewers have been invited? How many agreed/declined? When are the review due dates?



Without knowing the answers to these questions, deciding whether to wait or to withdraw and resubmit is just a crapshoot. With the answers, it's possible to make a much more informed decision about whether the reviewers are likely to finish their reviews.



If the editors refuse to answer, you can still guess if the delay is because of them or because of the reviewers based on how long it takes to answer your question. If they take a long time to answer, I'd guess that the delay is because of them, in which case I'd be more inclined to withdraw and submit elsewhere.






share|improve this answer






















  • Good advice here, get the editor to state what has happened & is happening...
    – Solar Mike
    Nov 26 at 5:10

















up vote
3
down vote













Three times in my (pretty long) career editors took an outrageously long time (more than a year) to decide on a submission. I was confident that the papers were correct and appropriate for those journals, so did not want to withdraw them and resubmit elsewhere. Eventually my frequent mail to the editors (snail and later e-) led to acceptance in each case. In at least one of them I think the editor gave up on nagging the referees and checked the paper herself.






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    4 Answers
    4






    active

    oldest

    votes








    4 Answers
    4






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes








    up vote
    25
    down vote













    It seems like a long time by any standard. Contact them. You can give them a date by which you will formally withdraw your article from consideration. Maybe a couple of weeks. If they don't jump you can submit elsewhere without worry.



    The final nudge is just a courtesy. You could actually just inform them that you are withdrawing for submission elsewhere. But if the journal is reputable it might be worth the courtesy.






    share|improve this answer




















    • There is a vague possibility that something unethical is going on - purposeful delays in order to trump a publication. Though I hope not...
      – Yair Zick
      Nov 26 at 3:43






    • 5




      @YairZick I would assume that if the paper is about some critical finding. If not, it is more likely that reviewers are slow or editors have a problem finding reviewers. Generally, I personally found that reviewers have become slower, less motivated and less reliable over the last decade and half, probably because of the spate of review requests while submission quality and originality has decreased on average (from my personal observation).
      – Captain Emacs
      Nov 26 at 9:52






    • 10




      Maybe important to emphasize that you indeed need to withdraw first before submitting elsewhere. I am not sure if the OP is aware of that based on their original phrasing.
      – xLeitix
      Nov 26 at 14:06














    up vote
    25
    down vote













    It seems like a long time by any standard. Contact them. You can give them a date by which you will formally withdraw your article from consideration. Maybe a couple of weeks. If they don't jump you can submit elsewhere without worry.



    The final nudge is just a courtesy. You could actually just inform them that you are withdrawing for submission elsewhere. But if the journal is reputable it might be worth the courtesy.






    share|improve this answer




















    • There is a vague possibility that something unethical is going on - purposeful delays in order to trump a publication. Though I hope not...
      – Yair Zick
      Nov 26 at 3:43






    • 5




      @YairZick I would assume that if the paper is about some critical finding. If not, it is more likely that reviewers are slow or editors have a problem finding reviewers. Generally, I personally found that reviewers have become slower, less motivated and less reliable over the last decade and half, probably because of the spate of review requests while submission quality and originality has decreased on average (from my personal observation).
      – Captain Emacs
      Nov 26 at 9:52






    • 10




      Maybe important to emphasize that you indeed need to withdraw first before submitting elsewhere. I am not sure if the OP is aware of that based on their original phrasing.
      – xLeitix
      Nov 26 at 14:06












    up vote
    25
    down vote










    up vote
    25
    down vote









    It seems like a long time by any standard. Contact them. You can give them a date by which you will formally withdraw your article from consideration. Maybe a couple of weeks. If they don't jump you can submit elsewhere without worry.



    The final nudge is just a courtesy. You could actually just inform them that you are withdrawing for submission elsewhere. But if the journal is reputable it might be worth the courtesy.






    share|improve this answer












    It seems like a long time by any standard. Contact them. You can give them a date by which you will formally withdraw your article from consideration. Maybe a couple of weeks. If they don't jump you can submit elsewhere without worry.



    The final nudge is just a courtesy. You could actually just inform them that you are withdrawing for submission elsewhere. But if the journal is reputable it might be worth the courtesy.







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered Nov 26 at 0:37









    Buffy

    31.6k6100165




    31.6k6100165











    • There is a vague possibility that something unethical is going on - purposeful delays in order to trump a publication. Though I hope not...
      – Yair Zick
      Nov 26 at 3:43






    • 5




      @YairZick I would assume that if the paper is about some critical finding. If not, it is more likely that reviewers are slow or editors have a problem finding reviewers. Generally, I personally found that reviewers have become slower, less motivated and less reliable over the last decade and half, probably because of the spate of review requests while submission quality and originality has decreased on average (from my personal observation).
      – Captain Emacs
      Nov 26 at 9:52






    • 10




      Maybe important to emphasize that you indeed need to withdraw first before submitting elsewhere. I am not sure if the OP is aware of that based on their original phrasing.
      – xLeitix
      Nov 26 at 14:06
















    • There is a vague possibility that something unethical is going on - purposeful delays in order to trump a publication. Though I hope not...
      – Yair Zick
      Nov 26 at 3:43






    • 5




      @YairZick I would assume that if the paper is about some critical finding. If not, it is more likely that reviewers are slow or editors have a problem finding reviewers. Generally, I personally found that reviewers have become slower, less motivated and less reliable over the last decade and half, probably because of the spate of review requests while submission quality and originality has decreased on average (from my personal observation).
      – Captain Emacs
      Nov 26 at 9:52






    • 10




      Maybe important to emphasize that you indeed need to withdraw first before submitting elsewhere. I am not sure if the OP is aware of that based on their original phrasing.
      – xLeitix
      Nov 26 at 14:06















    There is a vague possibility that something unethical is going on - purposeful delays in order to trump a publication. Though I hope not...
    – Yair Zick
    Nov 26 at 3:43




    There is a vague possibility that something unethical is going on - purposeful delays in order to trump a publication. Though I hope not...
    – Yair Zick
    Nov 26 at 3:43




    5




    5




    @YairZick I would assume that if the paper is about some critical finding. If not, it is more likely that reviewers are slow or editors have a problem finding reviewers. Generally, I personally found that reviewers have become slower, less motivated and less reliable over the last decade and half, probably because of the spate of review requests while submission quality and originality has decreased on average (from my personal observation).
    – Captain Emacs
    Nov 26 at 9:52




    @YairZick I would assume that if the paper is about some critical finding. If not, it is more likely that reviewers are slow or editors have a problem finding reviewers. Generally, I personally found that reviewers have become slower, less motivated and less reliable over the last decade and half, probably because of the spate of review requests while submission quality and originality has decreased on average (from my personal observation).
    – Captain Emacs
    Nov 26 at 9:52




    10




    10




    Maybe important to emphasize that you indeed need to withdraw first before submitting elsewhere. I am not sure if the OP is aware of that based on their original phrasing.
    – xLeitix
    Nov 26 at 14:06




    Maybe important to emphasize that you indeed need to withdraw first before submitting elsewhere. I am not sure if the OP is aware of that based on their original phrasing.
    – xLeitix
    Nov 26 at 14:06










    up vote
    11
    down vote













    I agree with @Buffy's answer. A polite letter to the editors asking for clarification would be good. If you or a colleague know anyone on the editorial board - contact them. I had a case where a paper was sitting idle for close to a year after an accept with minor revisions because of a miscommunication between the reviewers and the editor in charge.



    Another point to consider: perhaps I am being a bit paranoid, but if your paper was sitting there for a very long time and has not been published, it may be a good idea to have a version of it on ArXiv or some other relevant open repository. This serves the purpose of timestamping your publication.



    There are (thankfully rare) horror stories of unscrupulous reviewers purposely delaying decisions in order to get the results themselves. If your review is taking so long and results in your field take a long time to come by (say, experiments need to be run), this may be a cause for concern.



    Also seriously consider whether this journal is worth submitting to in the future. Journals should not be rewarded for this kind of behavior.






    share|improve this answer
















    • 1




      Submitting to the journal has already "timestamped" the work.
      – David Richerby
      Nov 26 at 13:15






    • 1




      @DavidRicherby: ... but not if the paper is rejected.
      – Oleg Lobachev
      Nov 26 at 16:59










    • @OlegLobachev Even if the paper is rejected, you can still ask the journal's editor to vouch for the fact that you submitted it. In reality, it seems very unlikely that one would need to prove that a paper existed in some specific date, anyway.
      – David Richerby
      Nov 26 at 17:00







    • 1




      Maybe, but if another person just happens to release similar results, it may take a really long time to get the editor to move on this. They may even be reluctant to get into this mess altogether as it may paint them and their editorial process as unethical/incompetent. Why not just go for an independent, free, open format that’s indisputable and has zero hassle?
      – Yair Zick
      Nov 27 at 0:36














    up vote
    11
    down vote













    I agree with @Buffy's answer. A polite letter to the editors asking for clarification would be good. If you or a colleague know anyone on the editorial board - contact them. I had a case where a paper was sitting idle for close to a year after an accept with minor revisions because of a miscommunication between the reviewers and the editor in charge.



    Another point to consider: perhaps I am being a bit paranoid, but if your paper was sitting there for a very long time and has not been published, it may be a good idea to have a version of it on ArXiv or some other relevant open repository. This serves the purpose of timestamping your publication.



    There are (thankfully rare) horror stories of unscrupulous reviewers purposely delaying decisions in order to get the results themselves. If your review is taking so long and results in your field take a long time to come by (say, experiments need to be run), this may be a cause for concern.



    Also seriously consider whether this journal is worth submitting to in the future. Journals should not be rewarded for this kind of behavior.






    share|improve this answer
















    • 1




      Submitting to the journal has already "timestamped" the work.
      – David Richerby
      Nov 26 at 13:15






    • 1




      @DavidRicherby: ... but not if the paper is rejected.
      – Oleg Lobachev
      Nov 26 at 16:59










    • @OlegLobachev Even if the paper is rejected, you can still ask the journal's editor to vouch for the fact that you submitted it. In reality, it seems very unlikely that one would need to prove that a paper existed in some specific date, anyway.
      – David Richerby
      Nov 26 at 17:00







    • 1




      Maybe, but if another person just happens to release similar results, it may take a really long time to get the editor to move on this. They may even be reluctant to get into this mess altogether as it may paint them and their editorial process as unethical/incompetent. Why not just go for an independent, free, open format that’s indisputable and has zero hassle?
      – Yair Zick
      Nov 27 at 0:36












    up vote
    11
    down vote










    up vote
    11
    down vote









    I agree with @Buffy's answer. A polite letter to the editors asking for clarification would be good. If you or a colleague know anyone on the editorial board - contact them. I had a case where a paper was sitting idle for close to a year after an accept with minor revisions because of a miscommunication between the reviewers and the editor in charge.



    Another point to consider: perhaps I am being a bit paranoid, but if your paper was sitting there for a very long time and has not been published, it may be a good idea to have a version of it on ArXiv or some other relevant open repository. This serves the purpose of timestamping your publication.



    There are (thankfully rare) horror stories of unscrupulous reviewers purposely delaying decisions in order to get the results themselves. If your review is taking so long and results in your field take a long time to come by (say, experiments need to be run), this may be a cause for concern.



    Also seriously consider whether this journal is worth submitting to in the future. Journals should not be rewarded for this kind of behavior.






    share|improve this answer












    I agree with @Buffy's answer. A polite letter to the editors asking for clarification would be good. If you or a colleague know anyone on the editorial board - contact them. I had a case where a paper was sitting idle for close to a year after an accept with minor revisions because of a miscommunication between the reviewers and the editor in charge.



    Another point to consider: perhaps I am being a bit paranoid, but if your paper was sitting there for a very long time and has not been published, it may be a good idea to have a version of it on ArXiv or some other relevant open repository. This serves the purpose of timestamping your publication.



    There are (thankfully rare) horror stories of unscrupulous reviewers purposely delaying decisions in order to get the results themselves. If your review is taking so long and results in your field take a long time to come by (say, experiments need to be run), this may be a cause for concern.



    Also seriously consider whether this journal is worth submitting to in the future. Journals should not be rewarded for this kind of behavior.







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered Nov 26 at 3:41









    Yair Zick

    88510




    88510







    • 1




      Submitting to the journal has already "timestamped" the work.
      – David Richerby
      Nov 26 at 13:15






    • 1




      @DavidRicherby: ... but not if the paper is rejected.
      – Oleg Lobachev
      Nov 26 at 16:59










    • @OlegLobachev Even if the paper is rejected, you can still ask the journal's editor to vouch for the fact that you submitted it. In reality, it seems very unlikely that one would need to prove that a paper existed in some specific date, anyway.
      – David Richerby
      Nov 26 at 17:00







    • 1




      Maybe, but if another person just happens to release similar results, it may take a really long time to get the editor to move on this. They may even be reluctant to get into this mess altogether as it may paint them and their editorial process as unethical/incompetent. Why not just go for an independent, free, open format that’s indisputable and has zero hassle?
      – Yair Zick
      Nov 27 at 0:36












    • 1




      Submitting to the journal has already "timestamped" the work.
      – David Richerby
      Nov 26 at 13:15






    • 1




      @DavidRicherby: ... but not if the paper is rejected.
      – Oleg Lobachev
      Nov 26 at 16:59










    • @OlegLobachev Even if the paper is rejected, you can still ask the journal's editor to vouch for the fact that you submitted it. In reality, it seems very unlikely that one would need to prove that a paper existed in some specific date, anyway.
      – David Richerby
      Nov 26 at 17:00







    • 1




      Maybe, but if another person just happens to release similar results, it may take a really long time to get the editor to move on this. They may even be reluctant to get into this mess altogether as it may paint them and their editorial process as unethical/incompetent. Why not just go for an independent, free, open format that’s indisputable and has zero hassle?
      – Yair Zick
      Nov 27 at 0:36







    1




    1




    Submitting to the journal has already "timestamped" the work.
    – David Richerby
    Nov 26 at 13:15




    Submitting to the journal has already "timestamped" the work.
    – David Richerby
    Nov 26 at 13:15




    1




    1




    @DavidRicherby: ... but not if the paper is rejected.
    – Oleg Lobachev
    Nov 26 at 16:59




    @DavidRicherby: ... but not if the paper is rejected.
    – Oleg Lobachev
    Nov 26 at 16:59












    @OlegLobachev Even if the paper is rejected, you can still ask the journal's editor to vouch for the fact that you submitted it. In reality, it seems very unlikely that one would need to prove that a paper existed in some specific date, anyway.
    – David Richerby
    Nov 26 at 17:00





    @OlegLobachev Even if the paper is rejected, you can still ask the journal's editor to vouch for the fact that you submitted it. In reality, it seems very unlikely that one would need to prove that a paper existed in some specific date, anyway.
    – David Richerby
    Nov 26 at 17:00





    1




    1




    Maybe, but if another person just happens to release similar results, it may take a really long time to get the editor to move on this. They may even be reluctant to get into this mess altogether as it may paint them and their editorial process as unethical/incompetent. Why not just go for an independent, free, open format that’s indisputable and has zero hassle?
    – Yair Zick
    Nov 27 at 0:36




    Maybe, but if another person just happens to release similar results, it may take a really long time to get the editor to move on this. They may even be reluctant to get into this mess altogether as it may paint them and their editorial process as unethical/incompetent. Why not just go for an independent, free, open format that’s indisputable and has zero hassle?
    – Yair Zick
    Nov 27 at 0:36










    up vote
    5
    down vote













    Write to the editor with pointed questions. How many reviewers have been invited? How many agreed/declined? When are the review due dates?



    Without knowing the answers to these questions, deciding whether to wait or to withdraw and resubmit is just a crapshoot. With the answers, it's possible to make a much more informed decision about whether the reviewers are likely to finish their reviews.



    If the editors refuse to answer, you can still guess if the delay is because of them or because of the reviewers based on how long it takes to answer your question. If they take a long time to answer, I'd guess that the delay is because of them, in which case I'd be more inclined to withdraw and submit elsewhere.






    share|improve this answer






















    • Good advice here, get the editor to state what has happened & is happening...
      – Solar Mike
      Nov 26 at 5:10














    up vote
    5
    down vote













    Write to the editor with pointed questions. How many reviewers have been invited? How many agreed/declined? When are the review due dates?



    Without knowing the answers to these questions, deciding whether to wait or to withdraw and resubmit is just a crapshoot. With the answers, it's possible to make a much more informed decision about whether the reviewers are likely to finish their reviews.



    If the editors refuse to answer, you can still guess if the delay is because of them or because of the reviewers based on how long it takes to answer your question. If they take a long time to answer, I'd guess that the delay is because of them, in which case I'd be more inclined to withdraw and submit elsewhere.






    share|improve this answer






















    • Good advice here, get the editor to state what has happened & is happening...
      – Solar Mike
      Nov 26 at 5:10












    up vote
    5
    down vote










    up vote
    5
    down vote









    Write to the editor with pointed questions. How many reviewers have been invited? How many agreed/declined? When are the review due dates?



    Without knowing the answers to these questions, deciding whether to wait or to withdraw and resubmit is just a crapshoot. With the answers, it's possible to make a much more informed decision about whether the reviewers are likely to finish their reviews.



    If the editors refuse to answer, you can still guess if the delay is because of them or because of the reviewers based on how long it takes to answer your question. If they take a long time to answer, I'd guess that the delay is because of them, in which case I'd be more inclined to withdraw and submit elsewhere.






    share|improve this answer














    Write to the editor with pointed questions. How many reviewers have been invited? How many agreed/declined? When are the review due dates?



    Without knowing the answers to these questions, deciding whether to wait or to withdraw and resubmit is just a crapshoot. With the answers, it's possible to make a much more informed decision about whether the reviewers are likely to finish their reviews.



    If the editors refuse to answer, you can still guess if the delay is because of them or because of the reviewers based on how long it takes to answer your question. If they take a long time to answer, I'd guess that the delay is because of them, in which case I'd be more inclined to withdraw and submit elsewhere.







    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited Nov 26 at 5:35

























    answered Nov 26 at 0:56









    Allure

    24.5k1375124




    24.5k1375124











    • Good advice here, get the editor to state what has happened & is happening...
      – Solar Mike
      Nov 26 at 5:10
















    • Good advice here, get the editor to state what has happened & is happening...
      – Solar Mike
      Nov 26 at 5:10















    Good advice here, get the editor to state what has happened & is happening...
    – Solar Mike
    Nov 26 at 5:10




    Good advice here, get the editor to state what has happened & is happening...
    – Solar Mike
    Nov 26 at 5:10










    up vote
    3
    down vote













    Three times in my (pretty long) career editors took an outrageously long time (more than a year) to decide on a submission. I was confident that the papers were correct and appropriate for those journals, so did not want to withdraw them and resubmit elsewhere. Eventually my frequent mail to the editors (snail and later e-) led to acceptance in each case. In at least one of them I think the editor gave up on nagging the referees and checked the paper herself.






    share|improve this answer
























      up vote
      3
      down vote













      Three times in my (pretty long) career editors took an outrageously long time (more than a year) to decide on a submission. I was confident that the papers were correct and appropriate for those journals, so did not want to withdraw them and resubmit elsewhere. Eventually my frequent mail to the editors (snail and later e-) led to acceptance in each case. In at least one of them I think the editor gave up on nagging the referees and checked the paper herself.






      share|improve this answer






















        up vote
        3
        down vote










        up vote
        3
        down vote









        Three times in my (pretty long) career editors took an outrageously long time (more than a year) to decide on a submission. I was confident that the papers were correct and appropriate for those journals, so did not want to withdraw them and resubmit elsewhere. Eventually my frequent mail to the editors (snail and later e-) led to acceptance in each case. In at least one of them I think the editor gave up on nagging the referees and checked the paper herself.






        share|improve this answer












        Three times in my (pretty long) career editors took an outrageously long time (more than a year) to decide on a submission. I was confident that the papers were correct and appropriate for those journals, so did not want to withdraw them and resubmit elsewhere. Eventually my frequent mail to the editors (snail and later e-) led to acceptance in each case. In at least one of them I think the editor gave up on nagging the referees and checked the paper herself.







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered Nov 26 at 16:39









        Ethan Bolker

        3,3421017




        3,3421017



























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