A purely hypothetical scenario (but of course!): Let’s say one delivers a paper at a conference one sunny July. The response is gratifying, particularly for a PhD candidate, particularly because one audience member solicits the paper for a forthcoming special issue of a Rather Nice Journal. The publication has been running behind for various reasons, but they're going to wrap it up soon and would like to consider adding your paper as a latecomer — pending approval, which is reasonable. The catch: can you revise and submit within a month?
“Why, yes!” you say, being hungry for pubs, and so you do. You get a pleasant note of acknowledgment and thanks back, promising a yay or nay shortly. October comes but the response doesn’t, and so you inquire of your advisors re the proper procedure for these things and eventually drop a brief, friendly email inquiring as to the status. No response. In January, you send another one, hoping you maintained a laid-back tone, but you also mention that this is your market year and so if they won’t be needing it, you’d like to submit it elsewhere. No response.
Let’s say that it’s now been 10 hypothetical months since your submission. The special issue is not out, so far as you can tell. In a special twist, you discover that the journal is generally running behind because of financial problems.
What would you do? Assume that your piece has been rejected without comment? Assume that the lack of rejection means that it's still in play? Would you politely withdraw and submit it elsewhere as soon as possible, or would you wait until a full calendar year has passed?
