I submitted my manuscript on 8 May 2026. On 11 August, after 95 days, the coordinating editor requested straightforward reference and formatting corrections before external review. No substantive scientific revisions were requested. I submitted the corrected manuscript and a point-by-point response the following day, on 12 August.
An email inquiring about the status of the review sent on 9 September remained unanswered as of 6 October. The manuscript remained at “Editor Assigned” until the status changed to “Editor Invited,” dated 5 October.
On 6 October, nearly five months after the original submission and almost eight weeks after resubmission, I requested withdrawal. At that point, external peer review had not been confirmed, and I had received no explanation of the delay. Withdrawal confirmation is pending at the time of writing.
The requested corrections were clearly specified and straightforward to implement. However, the prolonged editorial processing and lack of a response to my status inquiry led me to seek another journal.
