Where to follow your manuscript
- Sign in and open your author dashboard.
- Your submissions are grouped into Submissions being processed, Incomplete submissions, Submissions with decision and Submissions needing attention.
- Open a manuscript to see its current status, its full timeline (each step with its date), the decision letters and, later, the proof.
You also receive an email at each step that needs your action. Only the corresponding author receives these emails, so keep your co-authors informed.
Every status, step by step
Before submission
- Incomplete · with you
Your submission is saved as a draft but has not been sent yet. You can come back to it at any time from "Incomplete submissions" in your dashboard, finish the missing steps and submit.
Initial checks
- Under consideration · with the editorial office
Your manuscript has been received and is having its technical check: completeness of the files and declarations, formatting, scope and similarity screening. You received a confirmation email with your manuscript number.
- Revision required (technical) · with you
If something is missing or needs correcting before review, the manuscript comes back to you with a list of what to fix. Make the changes and resubmit from "Submissions needing attention". This is not a rejection.
- With editor · with the handling editor
The technical check is complete and an editor has been assigned. The editor reads the manuscript and decides whether to send it for peer review. Manuscripts that are clearly out of scope or not ready may be declined at this stage.
Peer review
- Under review · with the reviewers
Independent experts have been invited to review your work (double-blind). Your manuscript's timeline shows when reviewers are invited, when they accept and when reports come back. This is usually the longest stage, because it depends on reviewers' availability.
- Pending decision · with the handling editor
The reports are in and the editor is weighing them to reach a decision.
Decision
- Minor revision · with you
The manuscript is close to acceptable. Address the comments, upload the revised manuscript and a point-by-point response to every comment, and resubmit.
- Major revision · with you
Substantial changes are needed (for example, more analysis or a rewritten discussion). The revised version is usually reviewed again.
- Revision submitted · with the editorial office
Your revised version has been received. It goes back to the editor (it appears as "With editor (revision)") and, if needed, to the reviewers.
- Accepted
Congratulations: your manuscript has been accepted for publication. You receive the decision letter, and the article moves to production. Remember to switch to numbered references if you have not already.
- Rejected
The journal cannot publish the manuscript. The decision letter explains why and includes the reviewers' comments when the manuscript was reviewed.
Production and publication
- Accepted, awaiting production · with the production team
The accepted manuscript is queued for copy-editing and typesetting.
- Proofs being created · with the production team
The article is being typeset into its final layout.
- Proof reading · with you
Your proof is ready. Open it from your dashboard, check it carefully, correct typesetting errors and answer any queries directly on the proof, then submit your corrections by the deadline in the email.
- Proof submitted · with the production team
Your corrections have been received and are being applied.
- Awaiting publication · with the production team
The final version is ready and scheduled for online publication.
- Published
Your article is online, open access, with its DOI. Share the link and add it to your ORCID record.
How long does each step take?
| Step | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Submission to first editorial decision | about 3 days |
| Peer review | about 72 days |
| Submission to acceptance | about 80 days |
| Acceptance to online publication | about 7 days |
Times vary with the manuscript, the availability of reviewers and how quickly revisions are returned.
When to contact us
If your manuscript has shown the same status much longer than the typical times above, or a status does not match what you expected, write to editorial@sustainaterra.org with your manuscript number (for example SUST-26-000123). To protect the double-blind process, we cannot share reviewers' names.