To check the status of your submission in our system, log into your ScholarOne Manuscripts account, and click on “Author.” Under the Author Dashboard Section, click on “Submitted Manuscripts.”
Please note that the following definitions generally apply to most journals. Each journal follows its own workflow, so some terms may not apply. Please contact the journal's editorial office for clarification.
| Manuscript status | Meaning |
| Manuscript Submitted | This means the author has successfully submitted and approved the manuscript. After this, the manuscript usually goes through a formatting check by the journal staff before it is assigned to an editor. |
| Awaiting Admin Processing | Your submission is waiting for initial review by the editorial office. This may involve checking that the submission is within the scope of the journal and adheres to submission guidelines. |
| Awaiting Editor Assignment | Multiple editors may be assigned to your submission, depending on the journal's workflow. This status typically means your manuscript is awaiting assignment to an editor after the initial review of the submission. Depending on the journal's workflow, this status could also indicate when the editorial office determines if your submission is eligible for peer review. This may not apply. |
| Editor Invited | It means the manuscript has been assigned to an editor and is waiting for the editor’s acceptance of the assignment. This may not apply. |
| With Editor | This status indicates that an editor has accepted the manuscript assignment. At this stage, the editor may complete their own screening of the manuscript, and determine if it is suitable for peer review. If the manuscript does not match the journal's scope or does not meet the journal's standards, it may be returned without review or be desk rejected. In such cases, it might show “Decision in Process” as the next status, and in all probability, the author will be informed of the rejection shortly. |
| Reviewer Invited | If the manuscript is suitable for peer review, this step indicates that the editor is searching for viable peer reviewers. When the system shows the status “Reviewer invited,” it means that invitations have been sent out to reviewers, but they have not yet accepted the invitation. Sometimes, the tracking system may show the “Reviewer Invited” status for some time and then move back to “With Editor.” This probably means that the peer reviewers have declined the invitations, and the editor will now have to look for other reviewers. Sage Journals usually have a required minimum of two external reviews. |
| Under Review | This status means that the manuscript is under peer review. Peer review is an honorary service that requires detailed scrutiny and evaluation of the manuscript and therefore takes time. Depending on reviewer availability, it can take anywhere between one to six months. |
| Required Reviews Complete | This status indicates that all peer reviews are completed and have been received by the editorial office. Sometimes, the editor, after going through the reviews, might feel that an additional review is required. In such cases, the status might return to “Under Review.” Once the additional review is completed, the status will come back to “Required Reviews Complete.” |
| Decision in Process | This means that the editor is now determining a decision based on the peer reviewer's comments and their own assessment. The editor may consult the editorial board or other editorial office members if required. Once this status shows up, the author is generally informed of the editorial decision shortly afterward. |
| Revise | This indicates that the editorial decision is either a major or minor revision based on the reviewer's comments. The submission is now with the author. The author is usually given a deadline of a few weeks to a couple of months; this may be extended upon request. Additionally, some journals ask the author to submit a point-by-point response to the reviewer's comments with their revised manuscript. |
| Revised Manuscript Submitted | This indicates that the author has submitted the revised document (and a point-by-point response to the reviewer's comments, if required). The document is now awaiting a check by the journal's editorial office. |
| Author Declines to Revise | It shows that the author has clicked on an action link indicating that they do not wish to submit a revised version of the manuscript. In other words, the author is not ready to make the revisions suggested and would like to withdraw their paper. This may not apply. |
| Completed Withdrawal | This status only appears when the editorial office has completed an author's request to withdraw their paper. An e-mail from the editor confirming the withdrawal is absolutely necessary before the manuscript can be submitted to another journal. Without this step, it may be considered a duplicate or simultaneous submission. This may not apply. |
| Completed Reject | If the author's revision satisfies the editor's review, the final decision on the manuscript could be either “accept” or “reject.” The paper could be rejected if the editor is unsatisfied with the revisions. This status shows that based on the revisions and the author’s responses to the reviewer's comments, the editor has decided to reject the paper. |
| Completed Accept | This status indicates that the editor is satisfied with the revisions made by the author and has made a final decision of acceptance. |
Please see our resources on the peer review process and tips on How to Get Published.