PLANT BIOLOGY

Advantages: The invited reviewers are very professional and strict; the editorial department responds quickly. Throughout the process, even if the reviewers have no further comments, the responsible editor will ask for revisions if they have any doubts, until everyone is satisfied. Germans are meticulous in their work, but it really affects the speed of the review process when they don't work on weekends.

The entire process took 7 months, which is really long for me.
Submitted on 17-Mar-2022, minor revisions on 10-Aug-2022.

There were a total of 4 rounds of minor revisions in between, all of which involved debates and modifications with the reviewers. Completing 4 rounds in a little over two months is considered relatively fast. Finally, in the month of October, it was accepted.

The slowest part was when it took three to four months to receive the first set of comments. Unable to bear it, I sent an email to the editor, who said they couldn't find the reviewers, so they had to find new reviewers. This is the biggest flaw of this journal, as if they can't find reviewers, it will keep showing "under review", so it is necessary to send emails to urge them, otherwise it will remain stagnant. The actual review process of this journal is "awaiting reviewers score". Additionally, another factor affecting the speed of the review process is that after receiving the reviewer's comments, the responsible editor of that field will write a recommendation letter to the editor-in-chief based on the reviewer's comments. The editor-in-chief will then personally write their comments to the author based on the reviewer's comments and the recommendation letter. The entire submission process is very meticulous.

Finally: If the reviewers are found quickly, the review process will be very fast!

As the older brother upstairs said, this journal does indeed have a slightly slower speed, but they will really use the reviewers you provided. One of the reviewers in the middle is changing jobs, so it delayed the process by a month or two. The overall time is about seven months, so it is not recommended to submit if you are in a hurry.

The intermediate process is mainly handled by an associate editor. After the associate editor sends the manuscript to the reviewers, they will read the review comments and provide their own opinions. The main basis for the editor-in-chief's decision on acceptance should be the associate editor's opinion. If the reviewers think it is good, usually the associate editor will also give a positive evaluation.

September 21, 2022 - Submitted
November 4, 2022 - Rejected with a request for resubmission
December 4, 2022 - Resubmitted
February 15, 2023 - Minor revisions required
March 6, 2023 - Resubmitted
March 30, 2023 - Minor revisions required
April 3, 2023 - Resubmitted
April 20, 2023 - Accepted