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In our most recent "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:
I've got a paper that has been stuck in "Decision in Process" status in Editorial Manager for over a month now. What gives? Is it worth emailing Springer/Elsevier/whatever to ask them to gently remind the editors?
I'm not sure, but maybe they could be waiting on an editorial board meeting? In any case, I think this has happened to me on a few occasions, and I just waited it out.
What do readers think?
Absolutely do not contact the publisher. The publisher is repsonsible for production (only), and the editorial staff is responsible for the content. So it is the latter who need to act on this.
There are many reasons why a paper could be stuck in the Decision in Process stage. For example, if the editors work in Europe people really do take 3 week vacations. Or if the final decision is made by a committee or even a group of two, and their vacations do not align, then it could take 6 weeks. Or, if the journal does not really use the system as it was designed, then the label – DiP – does not mean what you think it means.
And it’s hard not to feel that editors might be offended. Recently got a rejection of an R&R despite somewhat promising recommendations for another round of revision.
Related question: What purpose does having final say lie with an editorial board serve? I’ve heard of journals that, even if the reviews are positive, the editor’s still get final say. What criteria are being used to make such a ‘final say’ if the paper has already been favorably reviewed by peers? I’m not sure I love this practice. Makes an academic journal feel more like a literary arts journal to me. ‘I like these poems, and I see our reviewers do to, but they’re not for me’. I’ve had this response to my poetry and it’s fine. I don’t like it in response to my academic work.
related q,
Nature and Science do not publish every paper that is favorably reviewed. Rather, they select on the basis of interest, and other criteria. The alternative, in the sciences, is a journal like PLOS One, which is committed to publishing any article that is methdologically sound, no matter how boring and unimportant it is. Homework assignment: go read 20 papers from Nature, and then read 20 papers from PLOS One. You will see the difference, and the value of selecting for interest.
On the OP’s question, I think it’s relevant that we’re talking about the summer. I can’t get some people to respond to emails within two weeks right now, nevermind putting together a meeting that requires multiple participants.
As for related q, every journal is different, but editors’ “final say” need not be a matter of inserting their own take on the content; it’s often more about things like ensuring correct procedures were followed during the refereeing process, managing how much space is available in the journal, etc. Analogy: Whatever institution you’re at, the dean probably has final say about whether someone gets hired, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re reading the candidate’s writing sample to see if they agree with the argument on page 4.
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