Latest review
First review round: 31.4 weeks. Overall rating: 0 (very bad).
Outcome: Rejected.
Motivation:
The manuscript was initially submitted for a special issue in November 2023. After a significantly delayed review process, we received a major revision request in June 2024. Despite the own acknowledgment of “discrepant feedback” from guest editor Raina Lamade, we worked diligently to revise the manuscript across multiple rounds, ultimately reworking it into a brief report as proposed by the guest editor for acceptance, in full compliance with content requirements—even when those contradicted earlier editorial guidance.
In April 2025, manuscrit was rejected based on concerns that were already addressed—or in some cases, stem directly from changes we were explicitly instructed to make. We were told to minimize empirical content and emphasize theory, only to be criticized for lack of empirical grounding. We were asked to condense theoretical discussion, and then faulted for insufficient theory.
The rejection of this manuscript after 1.5 years of extensive good-faith engagement and multiple substantial revisions is disheartening and represents a serious failure of the editorial process.
