Waiting for response from journal

[youllneverwalkalone]

Humanities here also. Six months is not unusual in my field. At six months, I write to the editor and respectfully ask for an update about the status of my manuscript. My longest wait for a decision has been 18 months. If you are on a timeline for tenure or promotion, I see no problem with writing to the editor for an update.

I think the OP's problem is not the slow turnaround per se but rather that the manuscript hasn't even been sent out for review yet.

Yeah, I wrote back. Cannot contact the editor directly, only through his assistant, who works on another continent on other side of the world.   And I got no answer. I am tempted to send it elsewhere. but I have few choices.

Good, give it some time and then follow up. I agree with the previous posters that in most cases it would be better to stay with the current journal rather than withdrawing. Of course if there is no progress and they keep being unresponsive you'll need to cut your losses at some point. At any rate, before withdrawing, I'd try contacting the editor directly (i.e. outside the journal submisssion system) if that is at all possible.

Well, it took seven months to get the reviewers' reports for an article of mine that is now in press, but the journal editor responded to my inquiry when I checked up on progress. I think that's the polite thing to do if a submitter has waited a reasonable amount of time (say, at least three or four months) and hasn't heard anything.

It's the "professional" thing to do, not just "polite". Assuming the inquiry is reasonable, of course.

[Myword]

UPDATE---editor says that 2 reviewers were now assigned to my article. 6 months after submission. I hope they are qualified.

Plus side: I  quickly found a good journal for my book review and my other article that received desk rejections was accepted with no changes, as is.

[Wahoo Redux]

UPDATE---editor says that 2 reviewers were now assigned to my article. 6 months after submission. I hope they are qualified.

Plus side: I  quickly found a good journal for my book review and my other article that received desk rejections was accepted with no changes, as is.

W00T!!!  Congrats!!!!