Elsevier status meaning from submission to acceptance

 

Some researchers always find it difficult to understand and explain the status of their submitted Elsevier papers. This could due to some variations associated with a specific Elsevier journal organogram in terms of status date, handling editor, and availability of reviewers with similar research interest.

 

In the Elsevier online submission system, there are different stages from the initial date of submission, peer review process and the final acceptance.

 

The multi objective of this article is to throw more insight on each of the Elsevier status meaning from submission to acceptance.

Follow as we discuss the Elsevier status meaning below.

 

Elsevier status meaning

 

The Elsevier online status with their meanings are discussed below.

 

Submitted to journal:

Most Elsevier journals uses this status to show that a specific research paper have been submitted to the journal pending when the editorial screening will take place. Whereas some Elsevier journal system do not use this status, rather, they automatically assign the manuscript to the handling editor who will handle the paper from desk submission to acceptance.

 

With editor:

This status indicates that a specific research paper is already with the assigned handling editor with manuscript number. The duty of the handling editor is to oversee the affairs of the submitted paper in terms of its novelty and invitation of reviewers with similar research interest. In some journals, this status can be automatically generated.

 

Suggest transfer:

This status appears when an editor feels that the submitted paper is not within the scope of their research. The editor may suggest to the authors an article transfer to similar journal site with similar research interest. The authors don’t need to submit afresh. A unique link will be sent to the authors to accept or decline the request. Once the authors accept the request, the status of the manuscript will be updated to transferred.

 

Reviewer invited:

This status in the Elsevier online system indicates that one or more reviewers with similar research interest have been invited.

 

Under review:

This status is very important to researchers during tracking of their submitted manuscript. Researchers always see this status as the starting point of their break through but however, it is very dicey. It shows that one or more reviewers have accepted the invite from the handling editor to review the said paper.

The work of the reviewers is to criticize and analyze the submitted manuscript in terms of its novelty, research interest, wide readership. The outcome from this status can be categorized into three sections, namely;

1.     Major revision.

2.     Minor revision.

3.     Rejection.

Major revision entails that the reviewers’ suggestions, recommendations will be extensive and intensive before paper publication. The editor will now evaluate and give his or her recommendation based on the evaluation reports from the reviewers.

Minor revision indicates that little modification or correction is needed before paper publication.  The editor will also still evaluate and give his or her recommendation based on the evaluation reports of the reviewers.

Rejection. This status indicates that the reviewers’ comments came out negative. This means that the submitted paper lacks novelty, lacks research interest and have some common grammatical errors. The handling editor will out rightly reject such paper.

 

Required reviews completed:

This status shows that the number of invited reviewers with their comments have been received by the handling editor who will now evaluate and take the final decision on the manuscript. His decision can be to revise, or to reject the submitted paper.

 

Under editors’ evaluation:

Many a times after a manuscript have undergone a review process, there is probability that there would be conflict of interest in the review reports (i.e. positive and negative comments). If the handling editor is not quite satisfied with the reviewers’ comments, the editor will still re-evaluate the submitted paper and invite another reviewer to criticize the already reviewed paper.

At this stage, the status will automatically read under editor’s evaluation. The handling editor will take his final decision based on the final report submitted by the reviewers. There is a 50:50 chance that the paper will be recommended for revised and resubmit. Or outright rejection.

 

Revise:

This status indicates that based on the reviewers’ comments, the handling editor has found it worthy to recommend the submitted paper for revision strictly based on the reviewers’ comment. This status does not necessarily mean that the revised paper will automatically be accepted. It is now the duty of the researchers to carry out their revision based on the reviewers reports prior to acceptance.

 

Decision in process:

This status is of two sections, namely:

1.     At the early stage of the submitted paper.

2.     Prior to acceptance.

When this status appears after submission of a paper, it means desk rejection (i.e. rejection without review) due to out of scope, similarity checks or lack of novelty.

In the same vein, when this status appears after a submitted paper must have undergone a peer review process, it means that the handling editor have started keying in editorial decision on the platform which can be positive or negative.

 

Ready for decision:

This status means that the overall reviewers comments are in and is left for the handling editor to take the final decision on the submitted paper.

 

Acceptance:

This status shows that the submitted paper has passed through all the rigorous peer review process and came out successfully based on the reviewers’ comments. Finally, the handling editor makes the final decision of acceptance on the submitted paper.

 

Production event:

Prior to the notification from the handling editor to the authors of the manuscript, the accepted manuscript will automatically be transferred to the production department of the Elsevier publishing firm where the proof, copy editing, corrections, and DOI will be generated.

Before the proof of the paper will be sent to the authors for final approval, the authors of the accepted paper will be requested to fill some online forms like -write an access form, copy right form, subscription or open access form and authorship. Once the authors have filled all these forms, the link of the proof will be automatically sent to the authors for approval.

When the correction of the proof of the accepted paper is received by Elsevier, the article will be posted online as impress and the authors will be notified accordingly.

In Elsevier, it takes 7 days for the final copy of the accepted paper to be published online. A unique link will be sent to the authors to have access to the final copy of the accepted paper which normally expires after 50 days.

In conclusion

We have discussed various Elsevier status meaning from submission to acceptance to help new and young researchers understand and solve some of the problems they encounter on the Elsevier platform.

We hope that we are able to clarify these issues pertaining to publishing of academic journals.