Water Research 'Under Review': What Each Status Means and When to Expect a Decision

Before the paper reaches external reviewers, a Water Research handling editor evaluates whether the water-treatment significance, process rigor, practical significance, and cost-effectiveness warrant Water Research's editorial slots. About 20 to 30 percent of submissions are desk-rejected at this stage. A desk rejection most often means the handling editor concluded that the work would fit better at a sister Elsevier water journal (Water Research X for open-access cascade, Journal of Water Process Engineering for engineering applications, Desalination for desalination specialty) or that the practical-application or cost-analysis bar is not met. Papers lacking practical application or cost analysis face lower priority.

The Water Research editorial office confirms files are complete: manuscript with figures embedded, Supporting Information with water characterization data and analytical method validation, Elsevier template formatting, cover letter directed to the editor naming practical significance and cost analysis where applicable, conflict-of-interest declarations, ethics-statement documentation, and data-availability statement.

Elsevier's technical check screens the submission for language quality, scope fit, and originality via plagiarism check. Submissions that need English language improvements, are out of scope, or present excessive duplication with published sources can be desk rejected before editor review.

The handling editor reads the paper and evaluates water-treatment significance, process rigor, practical significance, cost-effectiveness, and Water Research subspecialty routing.

In parallel with the handling editor's primary read, ambiguous-fit papers are discussed across the Elsevier water editorial team where peer handling editors weigh in on whether the paper would fit better at Water Research flagship or at sister Elsevier water journals. This editorial-team discussion runs alongside the desk-screen and adds 3 to 5 days to the timeline that is invisible to the author in the portal.

Water Research handling editors typically invite 2 to 3 water treatment experts, with reviewer recruitment typically taking 7 to 14 days. The recruitment window can take longer because reviewers with topic-matched water treatment subspecialty expertise (especially across membrane processes, advanced oxidation, biological treatment, disinfection, and water-quality monitoring boundaries) are scarce.

Once reviewers agree to review, the typical Water Research peer-review cycle lasts 6 to 14 weeks per reviewer, contributing to the 100 to 120 day first-decision window. Reviewers are asked to evaluate novelty, process rigor, practical significance, and cost-effectiveness. Reviewer reports for Water Research tend to be thorough; 2000 to 4000 word reports are typical given the practical-application focus.

After reports return, the handling editor synthesizes them. Total submission-to-acceptance commonly runs 5 to 10 months for successful papers, including revision rounds. Publication occurs 2 to 4 weeks after acceptance.

• Rejection within 1 to 7 days: Technical check rejection (language, scope, originality) per Elsevier policy.
• Rejection within 7 to 21 days: Handling editor desk rejection per the 20 to 30 percent figure.
• Still Under Review after 3 weeks: Strong signal. Paper passed the Water Research handling editor filter.
• Still Under Review after 16 weeks: Reviewer-recruitment or reviewer-report delay. A polite inquiry via the Editorial Manager portal is appropriate.
• Status changes to "Decision in Process": Reports are in; expect a decision within 2 to 3 weeks.

This is the most common anxiety we hear from Water Research authors during the active editorial window. The honest answer: no, 10 weeks (~70 days) puts you in the early-to-middle portion of Water Research's 100 to 120 day first-decision window. Reports may still be arriving with the handling editor preparing for editorial synthesis. Most reviewer-driven delays come from reviewer-recruitment timing for water treatment subspecialty experts rather than slow reviews. If the portal still says Under Review at the 16-week mark, the most likely explanation is that one of the assigned reviewers asked for an extension and the handling editor granted it. This is normal practice at Water Research.

What you should NOT do during the 10-to-16-week window is email the editorial office. Water Research handling editors are working academic water researchers managing 50+ active papers; an inquiry at 10 weeks adds friction without accelerating the timeline.

If your Water Research paper is rejected after review, the natural cascade depends on what the reviewers and handling editor cited:

Water Research X is the natural Elsevier open-access cascade for water-treatment papers where the priority bar of Water Research flagship is not met but the rigor is high. Elsevier supports manuscript-transfer with reviewer reports preserved.

Journal of Water Process Engineering is the Elsevier cascade for water engineering applications.

Desalination is the Elsevier cascade for desalination specialty.

Environmental Science & Technology is the external ACS environmental flagship. ES&T uses ACS Paragon Plus at acsparagonplus.acs.org; editorial contact esthag@acs.org.

Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology (RSC) is the external Royal Society of Chemistry cascade for water-research papers.

Nature Water is the external Springer Nature top-tier water cascade. The Nature Water Manuscript Tracking System at mts-natwater.nature.com handles submission; natwater@nature.com handles publisher-level inquiries.

Elsevier asks reviewers at Water Research to evaluate four things specifically. The table below maps each to actionable preparation.

In our pre-submission work with Water Research-targeted manuscripts, three named patterns generate the most consistent reviewer concerns and the most common reasons papers miss the editorial bar or fail the desk screen.

Bench-scale-only framing flagged at handling editor screen. When the work presents bench-scale water-treatment without practical-application data (pilot-scale, real-water testing, scalability), Water Research handling editor desk rejection within 1 to 3 weeks is common. The strongest manuscripts include practical-application validation.

Cost-analysis gaps surface as reviewer concerns. When the work does not include cost analysis or cost-effectiveness comparison, reviewers consistently flag concerns about practical application. The strongest revisions add cost analysis from the start. Papers lacking cost analysis face lower priority.

Elsevier water family cascade offers from handling editor. When the handling editor concludes the work is rigorous but the practical-significance bar of Water Research is not met, transfer offers to Water Research X (open-access) or Journal of Water Process Engineering (engineering applications) are common. Elsevier editors take these transfers seriously.

This page was created from Elsevier's public Water Research guide for authors at sciencedirect.com/journal/water-research/publish/guide-for-authors, Elsevier Editorial Manager documentation (20 to 30 percent desk rejection rate, 100 to 120 day first-decision window, 2 to 3 water treatment expert reviewers, single-anonymized peer review, practical-application and cost-analysis prioritization), and Manusights pre-submission review experience with Water Research-targeted manuscripts.

For the water research landscape beyond Water Research, see Water Research X (Elsevier open-access cascade), Journal of Water Process Engineering (engineering applications), Desalination (desalination specialty), and external water alternatives (Environmental Science & Technology, Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, Nature Water). The choice across these titles depends on whether the central contribution is top-tier water-treatment with practical significance (Water Research), Elsevier open-access water (Water Research X), water engineering (Journal of Water Process Engineering), desalination (Desalination), top ACS environmental (ES&T), RSC water research (Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology), or top Nature Portfolio water (Nature Water).

Reviewers at Water Research typically draw from 2 to 3 water treatment subspecialty experts. Editors screen and triage manuscripts before any external reviewer sees them, and preparing a response template that addresses both practical-significance and cost-effectiveness perspectives accelerates revision rounds substantially.

For a pre-upload check of your manuscript against the Water Research practical-significance-plus-cost-effectiveness bar before submission, our Water Research pre-submission diagnostic flags the framing and practical-application weaknesses most likely to surface in reviewer reports.