PLOS ONE 'Under Review': What Each Status Means and Realistic Timelines
If your PLOS ONE submission shows Under Review or another editorial status, here is what each stage means, how long it typically takes, and when to contact the editorial office.
Research Scientist, Neuroscience & Cell Biology
Author context
Works across neuroscience and cell biology, with direct expertise in preparing manuscripts for PNAS, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, eLife, and Nature Communications.
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Decision cue: PLOS ONE's editorial statuses are more transparent than most journals, but "Under Review" can still mean different things at different time points. The median first decision is 35 to 45 days. If you are past 60 days with no update, something may be stuck and a polite inquiry is reasonable.
Quick answer
PLOS ONE assigns an Academic Editor (a working scientist, not PLOS staff) to handle your manuscript. The Academic Editor decides whether to send it for review and selects reviewers. The journal reviews for scientific soundness, not novelty or significance. The median first decision is 35 to 45 days, but papers can take longer if reviewers are slow to respond.
The acceptance rate is approximately 31%. Desk rejections are less common than at selective journals but do happen, especially for scope issues or methodological problems visible in the abstract.
PLOS ONE's review pipeline
Status | What is happening | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|
Manuscript Submitted | Files received, administrative check | 1 to 2 days |
Editor Invited | PLOS staff inviting an Academic Editor to handle the paper | 2 to 5 days |
Editor Assigned | Academic Editor accepted, reviewing the manuscript | 3 to 7 days |
Reviewer(s) Invited | Academic Editor searching for reviewers | 3 to 10 days |
Under Review | Reviewers actively evaluating the manuscript | 2 to 4 weeks |
Review Complete | All reviewer reports received | 1 to 3 days |
Decision Pending | Academic Editor preparing recommendation | 3 to 7 days |
Decision Sent | Check email for the outcome | Same day |
What each status actually means
Manuscript Submitted (days 1 to 2)
Administrative staff at PLOS confirm that files are complete, formatting is acceptable, and the submission meets basic requirements. This is routine. If there is a problem (missing ethics statement, incomplete author information), the manuscript is returned at this stage.
Editor Invited (days 2 to 7)
PLOS ONE uses Academic Editors, not in-house editors, for peer review decisions. Finding the right Academic Editor can take several days. The editor must have expertise in the manuscript's subject area and must be willing to handle the paper.
If this stage takes more than a week, it usually means the first choice editor declined and PLOS is inviting alternatives. This is normal for a high-volume journal and does not reflect on the quality of the paper.
Editor Assigned (days 5 to 14)
The Academic Editor has accepted the manuscript. They read the paper and make an initial assessment: send for review, request revisions before review, or decline.
At PLOS ONE, most papers that pass the editor's initial read go to review. The editor is checking for basic soundness and scope fit, not significance or novelty. Papers declined at this stage usually have visible methodological problems or fall outside PLOS ONE's scope.
Reviewer(s) Invited (days 7 to 20)
The Academic Editor selects and invites reviewers. PLOS ONE typically sends papers to 2 reviewers, sometimes 3. Finding reviewers can take time because many invitations are declined before someone accepts.
The status may show "Reviewer(s) Invited" for an extended period if multiple invitations are needed. This is the most common reason for delays in the PLOS ONE process.
Under Review (days 14 to 45)
Reviewers have accepted and are actively evaluating the manuscript. PLOS ONE asks reviewers to submit reports within 10 to 14 days, but actual turnaround varies. Some reviewers respond quickly; others take 3 to 4 weeks.
Reviewers are evaluating:
- are the methods sound and described in enough detail to reproduce?
- are the conclusions supported by the data?
- are the statistical analyses appropriate?
- is the reporting complete (correct checklist, data availability)?
- is the writing clear enough to follow?
They are NOT evaluating novelty, significance, or impact. That is the defining feature of PLOS ONE's review model.
Decision Pending (after reviews complete)
The Academic Editor has received all reviewer reports and is writing their recommendation. This stage usually takes 3 to 7 days. The editor weighs the reviews and makes a final recommendation, which PLOS editorial staff typically approve.
When to follow up
Situation | Action |
|---|---|
Under Review for 35 to 45 days | Normal. Wait. |
Under Review for 45 to 60 days | Slightly slow but within range. Wait unless urgent. |
Under Review for 60+ days | Polite inquiry to the editorial office is reasonable |
Editor Invited for 10+ days | Normal. Multiple invitations being sent. |
Reviewer(s) Invited for 20+ days | May be stuck finding reviewers. Inquiry is reasonable. |
No status change for 30+ days | Contact the editorial office through the submission system |
PLOS ONE's editorial office is responsive to author inquiries. Use the manuscript tracking system to send a message rather than emailing individual editors.
What each decision means
Accept
The paper is accepted for publication without further changes. Relatively uncommon on first round but possible for well-prepared manuscripts.
Minor Revision
Small changes requested. Typically formatting corrections, minor clarifications, or additional statistical details. Respond within 2 to 4 weeks. The Academic Editor usually handles the revision without returning to reviewers.
Major Revision
Substantive concerns about methodology, analysis, or interpretation. The revised paper will return to the original reviewers. Respond within 30 to 60 days. Address every reviewer point explicitly in a response letter.
Reject and Resubmit
The current version is not acceptable, but a substantially revised version could be reconsidered as a new submission. This means starting the process over with a new manuscript number but potentially the same Academic Editor.
Reject
The paper does not meet PLOS ONE's standards for scientific soundness. This is less common than at selective journals but happens when methods are fundamentally flawed, data do not support conclusions, or the paper falls outside scope.
Common reasons for slow processing
Reviewer delays
The most common cause of long wait times. PLOS ONE relies on volunteer reviewers who have competing priorities. If one reviewer is responsive and the other is not, the process stalls.
Academic Editor unavailability
Academic Editors handle PLOS ONE manuscripts alongside their own research. Holiday periods, conference seasons, and grant deadlines can all slow editor response times.
Multiple revision rounds
Some papers go through 2 to 3 rounds of revision before a final decision. Each round adds 4 to 8 weeks to the total timeline. This is normal for papers with significant methodological concerns.
How PLOS ONE status tracking compares
Feature | PLOS ONE | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Status granularity | High (editor invited, reviewer invited, under review) | Moderate | Low (Under Consideration) | Moderate (public reviews) |
Median first decision | 35 to 45 days | ~120 days | ~30 days | ~18 days (editorial), varies (review) |
Desk rejection rate | Low (~15 to 20%) | Low (~20%) | ~50% | ~80 to 85% (editorial screen) |
Review model | Soundness only | Soundness only | Significance | Significance + public review |
Decision transparency | Private reviews, standard letter | Private reviews | Private reviews | Public reviews + eLife Assessment |
What to do while waiting
- do not contact the editorial office during the first 45 days unless there is an urgent reason
- use the waiting period to prepare supplementary data or additional analyses that reviewers might request
- do not submit the same manuscript to another journal while it is under review
- if you need the paper for a grant deadline or tenure review, note that PLOS ONE's timeline is typically faster than many alternatives
- check the submission system status page periodically rather than emailing
Check whether your paper is ready to submit with a free readiness scan. It takes about 60 seconds.
Sources
On this page
Reference library
Use the core publishing datasets alongside this guide
This article answers one part of the publishing decision. The reference library covers the recurring questions that usually come next: how selective journals are, how long review takes, and what the submission requirements look like across journals.
Dataset / reference guide
Peer Review Timelines by Journal
Reference-grade journal timeline data that authors, labs, and writing centers can cite when discussing realistic review timing.
Dataset / benchmark
Biomedical Journal Acceptance Rates
A field-organized acceptance-rate guide that works as a neutral benchmark when authors are deciding how selective to target.
Reference table
Journal Submission Specs
A high-utility submission table covering word limits, figure caps, reference limits, and formatting expectations.
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