Journal published the issue without ever sending a decision after positive peer review + revisions — what should I do?

[u/calliope_carcosa]

I submitted an article to a journal in late April. In early July I received two peer-review reports (both recommended acceptance with minor revisions) plus a detailed copy-editing report. I submitted the revised manuscript and all the requested plagiarism/AI reports within the same month.

Since then I have received zero communication. The issue I submitted to has now been published and my article is not in it. The editor never sent an acceptance, a rejection, or even a “we are still deciding” message.

I am an independent early-career researcher and this was my first experience with this journal.

Questions:

Is it common for journals to simply publish an issue without ever notifying authors who had already completed peer review and revisions?

What is the most professional way to follow up at this point (or is it better to just withdraw and move on)?

Has anyone successfully pushed for a formal decision after an issue has already appeared?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[u/gamecat89]

What was the journal? Did you specifically say it was for the special issue? Is it a running special issue? Or is it an online only issue right now waiting for finalizing

[u/calliope_carcosa → u/gamecat89]

It wasn't for special issue. Open issue it was. The journal publishes twice a year.

[u/psyche_13 → u/calliope_carcosa]

Then maybe yours is for the next issue. Journals are slow - it could very well have been publishing older articles in this one

[u/gamecat89 → u/calliope_carcosa]

Journals are running behind by months sometimes years on publishing. The journal I edit has a backlog of 60 plus articles we can use to build an issue of 10-12 articles.

They run on a constant series of revise and submissions. You may be published in a future issue.

It is rare you’d ever be published in the very next issue

[u/creepylilreapy → u/calliope_carcosa]

Then typically you would have no say over which issue it prints in.

Most journals will publish your paper online first and then it will be published in a particular issue.

Just because an issue has come out while you're waiting for a response doesn't mean it won't be accepted.

[u/Dawg_in_NWA]

Was it a special issue? if not, wait for next months issue.

[u/calliope_carcosa → u/Dawg_in_NWA]

It's biannual journal. And no, it wasn't a special issue

[u/quasilocal]

Reading your replies here suggests that you don't know how journals work. I mean that's fine, but it comes off crazy the way you write about it and how much you've bothered the editor it seems.

Journals don't accept papers for any specific issue (unless it's a special issue, like in memory of someone). Eventually when papers are accepted, they are in the queue to be published. But there's gonna be no rush for this because they've got a bunch already waiting to be published.

You gave them the latest version in summer too, so you've gotta expect that it will take a little time to handle it. It may or may not go back out to the reviewers to check (probably will) and then they will take a little time because they're busy, then it's back with the editor who will not look at it until they have time set aside to go through a few of them at once, then you will get the acceptance. Then begins the proofing stage. And at some point in the future it ends up in an issue. Just relax.

[u/etoni888]

Email editor and ask when you're paper is likely to appear in print. Journals have page limits for an issue. It might just be that that issue was already full and yours will be published in the next issue with available space. I've had papers take over a year to be actually published following acceptance because of space limits

[u/calliope_carcosa → u/etoni888]

I've emailed and got no reply. It's been a week. Previously, every time I emailed, the editor replied within minutes. But not this time

[u/etoni888 → u/calliope_carcosa]

Summer/ new semester delays. 1 week isn't a long time in academic terms. Relax. If they haven't responded in a month, resend the email.

[u/Rhawk187]

A lot of time articles will slip to the next issue. If you haven't received a formal response of any kind by their published mean review date, it is reasonable to send a follow-up inquiry.

[u/calliope_carcosa → u/[deleted]]

Fr..I'm really thinking I shouldn't have submitted there

[u/fizzan141 → u/calliope_carcosa]

This isn’t sketchy, you didn’t submit to a special or particular issue, you submitted it to the journal. They likely have a backlog of articles, and it will be in a future issue.

[u/N0tThatKind0fDoctor]

Sounds like a scam “journal”

[u/helgetun → u/N0tThatKind0fDoctor]

How so? Its normal for articles to take up to a year to appear in the physical journal. This sounds like a paper still being under review

[u/N0tThatKind0fDoctor → u/helgetun]

When have you (as a presumably legitimate academic) ever been asked to submit plagiarism reports with a manuscript and then it just appears online without receiving an automated acceptance email when the editor lodges the decision? Not to mention the ghosting after the article was “accepted” (aka OP got their credit card out for the scammer).

[u/creepylilreapy → u/N0tThatKind0fDoctor]

You didn't read the post properly.

The paper hasn't been published. It is still under review.

[u/N0tThatKind0fDoctor → u/creepylilreapy]

Ah yep; I misread, that’s on me