Sage Journals Support

How can I check the status of my submitted paper?

Modified on Fri, 2 May at 3:52 PM

To check the status of your submission in our system, please follow the below instructions:

Log into your ScholarOne Manuscripts account
Click on 'Author'
Under the Author Dashboard Section, click on 'Submitted Manuscripts'
Here, you will see the most recent status. Please see below for the manuscript status definitions.

Please note that the following definitions generally apply to most journals. Each journal follows its own workflow, so some terms may not apply or may not appear in this list. If you are still uncertain about the status of your manuscript, please contact the journal's editorial office for clarification using the following instructions: How do I contact a journal's editorial office?

Manuscript Status	Definition
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 journal's scope and adheres to submission guidelines.
Awaiting Decision Approval	This status applies to two scenarios: 1) If your submission has not yet entered the Peer Review process, this status means the Editor in Chief is currently assessing your submission to decide whether or not to send it into the Peer Review process. 2) If your submission has entered the Peer Review process, this status means that a recommendation has been made on your submission and the Editor in Chief is assessing this recommendation in order to make their decision.
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	This means the manuscript has been assigned to an editor and is waiting for the editor to agree to evaluate the manuscript. This may not apply.
With Editor	This indicates that an editor has agreed to evaluate the manuscript, and the assignment is in their editorial queue. At this stage, the editor may complete their own manuscript screening 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.
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. The amount of time a manuscript is in review depends on reviewer availability. Please note that other statuses may fall under this umbrella, such as "Awaiting Reviewer Scores."
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 return 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 appears, the author is generally informed of the editorial decision shortly afterward.

Revise	This indicates that a decision was made and a revision has been requested. The submission is now with the author. The author is usually given a deadline of a few weeks to a few months; this may be extended upon request, for more information see Can I have extension to submit my revision? 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 checks by the journal's editorial office.
Author Declines to Revise	This 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.

Reviewed by TT on 02/05/25