What does the status of my submission mean in Editorial Manager?

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Last updated on July 29, 2025

Please watch the “Submission status explainer” video below for more information.

If you have submitted your manuscript to an Editorial Manager journal but you have not yet received a final decision, you can check its status online.

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About the editorial process:

As there are many steps involved in the editorial process, this may in some cases take longer than you had anticipated. Editors need to identify, invite and get (often two or more) reviewers to agree to review. These reviewers then need sufficient time to conduct a thorough review on your manuscript. Finally, editors need to assess these reviews and formulate a decision. Especially the status 'Under review' encompasses many steps; while it may appear your manuscript is not progressing through the editorial process, a lot of activities may be happening during this part of the review process.

Editorial Manager displays status terms as described in the table below. Each indicates a particular phase of the review process that usually happens in a certain order, however an individual submission can skip a phase, or return back to an earlier phase, depending on Editor actions. Each journal is able to customize the wording of the status terms, but the same status phases apply to all journals using Editorial Manager.

If you want to find out more about when to expect a decision from the Editor, click here.

Statuses you are likely to see:

Journals can customize the wording of status terms.

Status	Description
Incomplete	The submission is waiting for you to complete the submission (or revision) process. The submission remains at this status until you select "Build PDF for Approval". New submissions that remain Incomplete more than 90 days will be removed.
Needs Approval or Revision Needs Approval	A PDF has been built, either by you or by the editor, that requires your approval to move forward. Locate the submission in Submission Requiring Author Approval or Revisions Requiring Author Approval, and see here for more details.
Sent Back to Author	Your new or revised submission has been sent back by the Editorial Team for changes prior to review. You should have received an email detailing the changes needed to your submission.
Submitted to Journal	You have completed the submission and approval steps, and the article has been submitted to the journal. The journal's Editorial team will check the submission and either send back to the author for action, or assign to an Editor. Most journals assign a manuscript number upon initial submission and send an automated notice to advise you of the number (if not now, the manuscript number will be assigned when the first editor is assigned).
With Editor	An Editor has been assigned, and has not yet taken an action that triggers some other status. The Editor may be reading and assessing the submission, assigning additional editors according to the journal's polices, or taking some other action outside of the system. This status will remain until an Editor takes an action in the system to change the status, usually inviting reviewers.
Under Review	Reviewers have been invited and the peer review process is underway. There are several factors that influence the time taken for review, most notably availability of article referees. Peer review times vary per journal. Note that once completed reviews for your submitted article have been received and are under evaluation by the handling Editor the status may later return to 'Under Review' if additional reviews are sought.
Required Reviews Completed	The target number of required reviews has been completed, and the Handling Editor is considering the reviews. The Editors may take time to discuss the reviews and may invite more reviewers or assign another editor, returning the submission to an earlier status. When the Editors begin to enter a decision it will move the status to 'Decision in Process'.
Decision in Process	The Editors have begun a decision in the system. The decision may need to be confirmed by multiple Editors in some journals, and the Editors may decide to seek additional reviews or assign another Editor, returning the manuscript to an earlier status. When the decision is finalized, you will receive a direct email with the overall editorial decision, Editor and/or reviewer comments, and further instructions.
Revise	The Editor has made a decision and requested you revise the submission. This status will remain until you begin the process of submitting your revision.
Completed - Accept/Reject	The submission process has completed with either an Accept or Reject decision.
Transfer Pending	The Editor has recommended the submission be transferred to another journal, and your response is needed. See How does the Article Transfer Service work for authors?
Submission Transferred	Submission has been transferred to another journal, see How does the Article Transfer Service work for authors?

Accepted articles are automatically sent to the production department once the Editor has made a final decision of 'Accept'. At this point the status of your article will change to 'Completed' and no further modifications can be made in Editorial Manager. For some journals, the status may include the decision term e.g. 'Completed - Accept'.

You will receive more information via email from the production team regarding the publication process. Once your article is accepted for publication, you can track its status with the track your accepted article tool.