The coloured band at the top of your submission page tells you where that one manuscript is, and whether anything is needed from you. It says nothing about any other paper, and nothing about how the decision is likely to go.
A shorter version of the same thing appears on each row of your submissions list.
The colours
| Colour | What it means | States you may see |
|---|---|---|
| Amber | Something is needed from you | Not yet submitted · Revisions requested |
| Blue | The manuscript is moving through peer review | In review · Reviews with the editor · Revisions with the editor |
| Green | Accepted, or on its way to publication | Accepted · Copy-editing · Production · Scheduled · Published |
| Red | Not accepted | Not accepted |
| Slate | With us, and no action from you | Awaiting editor assignment · With the editorial office |
Amber is the only colour that asks something of you. If the banner is not amber, nothing is waiting on you.
The four-step tracker
Underneath the headline is a tracker with four stages:
Submission → Review → Copy-editing → Production
It shows which of the four your manuscript has reached. A manuscript does not always pass through them at an even pace, and the tracker does not predict how long the next stage takes.
The line under the headline
This is what happens next, in one sentence. Where the next thing is ours to do, it says so. Where it is yours, it says what.
Depending on the journal, the banner may also show the round of review, the date you submitted, and how many reviews have come in so far. It never shows who the reviewers are. See What we do not tell you about peer review.
"With the editorial office"
If you see this, it means your manuscript is with us and the exact state is not something the banner will describe. We would rather show you that than guess at a more specific label and be wrong.
It is not a warning sign, and it does not mean anything has gone wrong.
If the banner is missing, or looks stuck
If there is no banner at all on a submission you completed, tell us and we will check the record.
If the banner has not changed for a while and you want to know more than it says, write to contact@asidejournals.com with the journal and the submission number. We will look at your record and tell you what it shows. We will not guess at a date.