Scientific output has a trend to increase, while the cost containment at the scientific publishing houses is an ever since necessity. However, sometimes there are just bureaucratic reasons. The ways of the Lord are unprofessed!

Really a very lengthy delay and we are doing research for scientific promotion

I also believe that the number of submissions to academic journals has greatly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in a shortfall of suitable reviewers (who are being overwhelmed by requests to review). I have also experienced delays as an author and an increasing number of requests as a reviewer!

I have written a paper, viz. “Writing for Publication for Students and University Staff”, which discusses the possibilities while experiencing such delays. The paper is freely available on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342549330_Writing_for_Publication_for_Students_and_University_Staff.

Thé same for me dear Rodney Duffett,

Many scientists using this pandemic to increasing editing and writting. Thé delay is associated to quality of journal and number of submissions.

Probably from Covid

As researchers we have obligations to publish our work . This is part of the evaluation process for the the university professors. Delay by journals is absolutely unjustified and will do a lot of harm to university professors. Such as delay in promotion, not good evaluation and even affect the income.

I agree with colleagues!

The main reason for the delay depends on the CHOVID-19. On the one hand, the number of manuscripts is increasing. On the other hand, a number of reviewers and editors are sick.

I feel the COVID - 19 pandemic may have a toll on the delayed responses. I agree with you Andrey Skorobogatov

May be due to the high rate of submission.

The time it takes for a journal to get the review process completed varies across journals and fields. While some take a month or two, others can take up to 6 months or more. As you have correctly observed, Statistics/Mathematics journals usually take a longer time, and may at times, take even up to a year to complete. https://www.editage.com/insights/how-many-weeks-after-submitting-a-manuscript-is-it-a-good-time-to-email-editors-of-statistics-methodsapplications-journals-about-when-to-expect-the-reviews

While writing a peer review may take between 4 and 8 h, in only 19% of all reported cases authors were informed about the outcome in less than a month. In about one third of the cases (32%) authors had to wait 3 months or more and in 10% of the cases even more than 6 months before being informed. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-017-2310-5

Check https://www.journals.elsevier.com/social-science-and-medicine/policies/peer-review-policy-and-publication-times

Check https://www.journals.elsevier.com/social-science-and-medicine/policies/peer-review-policy-and-publication-times

It all depends on the journal on their pages you can read how long it takes to review an article. Now this is being influenced by the pandemic, but major journals are informing the authors about it.

Springer journals have mentioned the period of whole process on their websites, i think all other journals must follow this trend so that we may decide where to submit our work by keeping in mind their time frame of reviewing process

https://www.editage.com/insights/what-to-do-in-case-of-delay-at-the-journal-end-and-no-response-from-the-editor?amp

Free journals take some time while paid ones are quick

Reviewers may be taking more time. I am also guilty of that. But what can one do. All of us are busy, and if because of that we refuse reviewing, there would not be may to do he job.

M Arshad@ You may be right. But, then, are the paid publications passed through the same rigorous regime as the unpaid ones?

Dear Prof. M.Qasim JAN

Thank you for your comments. But the delay of publication causing delay in promotion of many professors. Furthermore, some universities demand that the work of M.Sc and Ph.D students must be published as part of graduation requirement. Such delay really hurt many students financially .

Dear prof. Moosa, time that is passing since submission through review process to publication is definitely too long - it may disrupt scientific plans, cause difficulties in research grant settlement etc. In Poland we are pushed to seek for good quality journals with IF, however, even after acceptance of submission we need to wait for 1-1.5 year for publication. What I'd highly recommend are open access journals with numerous issues per year. Then, it makes sense. Otherwise, at the time of publication my data as well as results may be already outdated with little chance for any citations.

Dear Prof. Sebastian Bobowski

Greetings

Thank you very much for your reply. I totally agree with you about the delay in publishing causes disruption in the scientific plans and difficulties in research grant settlement. Good quality journals with IF, demand too much money for publications and we have to wait for 1-1.5 year. I also might add that some editors dont answer any E-mail and we have to keep E-mailing them.

Quizás la pandemia ha detenido esta actividad, es una probabilidad

Gustavo Eduardo Toledo Lara This is an important question. I agree with Atiqe Ur Rahman that all journals should menion the period of whole process on their websites, like Springer journals and some other journals are doing. Four or five months is too long time to wait for the feedback.

Dear Prof. Kaasila, once I submitted, together with my team, a paper to highly rated journal in UK and after review process which lasted approx. 3 months, they gave us..... 6 (!) months to make corrections. And then 2nd round of reviews etc. Finally paper was rejected but it was already so outdated that there was no sense to submit it anywhere.

Recently its a very common proproblem.

There are likely multiple reasons, sometimes for a particular topic, reviewers are difficult to find and then some of them don't agree to peer review the manuscript. With low impact journals, it's extremely difficult for editor to rope in a good quality review timely since despite sending manuscript to many reviewers on the subject, only very few agree for review and then the editors have no choice but to prolong the deadline of review report if that reviewer doesn't send in his comments timely. This sometimes gets really prolonged and frustrating for the author.

For high impact journals a timeline is usually in place and a week or two maximum up may go before a decision.

Yes in current uncertainty scenario this unpredicability in when a reviewer gives a response has increased absorbent high impact journals have been affected and left without a choice.

Dear Prateek Bhatia

Thank you for your comments. I must stress that all these journals are well established time wise. These journals have been in business for many years and for sure they have well qualified reviewers. The delay occurs only if if there is disagreements between the reviewers, then a third party will make the decision.

I agree with Sebastian Bobowski that 6 months is definitely too long time to do corrections. I agree with Prateek Bhatia that for a particular topic, reviewers are difficult to find. Sometimes, in the second round of review process a part of the reviewers can be changed, and the new reviewers can propose very different kind of revisions than the original reviewers. This did happen also in high level journals.