I want to ask if this journal charges fees? I submitted an article in 2018 that was not charged, and one accepted in 2022 has been published for a year, and they sent me an email saying they want to charge $277. I had never seen this email address before, so I ignored it. Today, I received the email again, saying something about legal consequences if I don't transfer the money by June 17th. Do you think I received a scam email, guys?

(1) 讚！ | 小张

23.1.18 Submit
23.3.28 Reject with resubmit
23.5.23 Resubmit
23.7.20 Minor Revision
23.7.21 Resubmit
23.8.1   Awaiting eic decision
23.9.3   Accept
The first submission was rejected, and the revisions required were quite major, so it took nearly two months to complete the resubmission. After the resubmission, the content of the article was appreciated, but a change to one reference was needed. Therefore, Associate Editor Prof. Julia Bechteler instructed that this time it wouldn't need external review. After making the revisions, it was uploaded the next day. About a week later, the status showed awaiting eic decision, and then another month passed before receiving the acceptance email.
Overall, the review process was a bit lengthy, but the external review was still fast. However, due to the multiple steps involved in the review process, especially the final notification from the editor-in-chief to the author, it was time-consuming

(2) 讚！ | Herbert

The journal speed is indeed very slow. After submitting minor revisions over a month ago, it still shows Awaiting EIC Decision. Have you followed up with the editor, OP?

(0) 讚！ | Herbert

The selected reviewer is an expert in the specific field, so they are extremely strict. Therefore, choosing the reviewer is actually quite crucial.

(0) 讚！ | 科研新手123

As the older brother upstairs said, this journal does indeed have a slightly slower speed, but they will really use the reviewers you provided. One of the reviewers in the middle is changing jobs, so it delayed the process by a month or two. The overall time is about seven months, so it is not recommended to submit if you are in a hurry.

The intermediate process is mainly handled by an associate editor. After the associate editor sends the manuscript to the reviewers, they will read the review comments and provide their own opinions. The main basis for the editor-in-chief's decision on acceptance should be the associate editor's opinion. If the reviewers think it is good, usually the associate editor will also give a positive evaluation.

September 21, 2022 - Submitted
November 4, 2022 - Rejected with a request for resubmission
December 4, 2022 - Resubmitted
February 15, 2023 - Minor revisions required
March 6, 2023 - Resubmitted
March 30, 2023 - Minor revisions required
April 3, 2023 - Resubmitted
April 20, 2023 - Accepted

(1) 讚！ | 科研新手123

Hello, the feedback from the associate editor for my second minor revision is as follows:

As you can see the reviewer found your manuscript suitable for publication in Plant Biology but had expressed some concerns that require your attention. Thus, your manuscript needs minor revisions that will be checked by myself upon resubmission.

I look forward to receiving a new version of the manuscript and making a final recommendation on its publication.

I am not sure if the revised manuscript needs to be reviewed again after resubmission or if it will be directly reviewed by the associate editor. Also, it has been almost two weeks since I submitted the final revised version and the status is still "Under Review," which is making me frustrated.

If you have the time, I kindly request your clarification. Thank you so much!

(0) 讚！ | 科研新手123

By the way, I can only see one reviewer's comments, which include three suggestions. All three suggestions are quite reasonable, especially the third one.

(0) 讚！ | Herbert

1.18 Submit
1.19 Under review
1.27 Awaiting reviewer assignment
1.31 Under review
2.10 Awaiting reviewer assignment
3.2 Under review
3.10 Awaiting Editor Recommendation
3.11 Awaiting EIC Decision
3.28 Reject with Resubmit

This is a detailed process of submission status changes. I hope it is helpful for those who are planning to submit. I heard that some journals do not have major revisions in order to shorten the submission cycle. So, do I still have a chance? Please advise.

(1) 讚！ | Herbert

Advantages: The invited reviewers are very professional and strict; the editorial department responds quickly. Throughout the process, even if the reviewers have no further comments, the responsible editor will ask for revisions if they have any doubts, until everyone is satisfied. Germans are meticulous in their work, but it really affects the speed of the review process when they don't work on weekends.

The entire process took 7 months, which is really long for me. 
Submitted on 17-Mar-2022, minor revisions on 10-Aug-2022.

There were a total of 4 rounds of minor revisions in between, all of which involved debates and modifications with the reviewers. Completing 4 rounds in a little over two months is considered relatively fast. Finally, in the month of October, it was accepted.

The slowest part was when it took three to four months to receive the first set of comments. Unable to bear it, I sent an email to the editor, who said they couldn't find the reviewers, so they had to find new reviewers. This is the biggest flaw of this journal, as if they can't find reviewers, it will keep showing "under review", so it is necessary to send emails to urge them, otherwise it will remain stagnant. The actual review process of this journal is "awaiting reviewers score". Additionally, another factor affecting the speed of the review process is that after receiving the reviewer's comments, the responsible editor of that field will write a recommendation letter to the editor-in-chief based on the reviewer's comments. The editor-in-chief will then personally write their comments to the author based on the reviewer's comments and the recommendation letter. The entire submission process is very meticulous.

Finally: If the reviewers are found quickly, the review process will be very fast!

(4) 讚！ | 连雨飘

I was rejected 2 days after submitting my manuscript. I plan to revise and resubmit it after language editing. After resubmission, it took 2 months for minor revisions and 1 more month to be accepted directly. Dr. Heinz Rennenberg, the editor, was particularly responsible for this process.

(5) 讚！ | huifeideshuwu

It has been over a year since submission, and it has been consistently "Awaiting Reviewer Scores." I am considering withdrawing my submission.

(0) 讚！ | 风雨

It has been almost two years for me, and I still haven't received any news. Does this mean I can switch to another option?

(1) 讚！ | 风雨

3.20 submit - This means that something was submitted on March 20th.
4.30 外审结束，awaiting EIC decision - This means that an external audit has been completed and is now awaiting a decision from the EIC (Editor-in-Chief).
5.23 awaiting EIC decision - This means that something is still awaiting a decision from the EIC (Editor-in-Chief) as of May 23rd.

(0) 讚！ | lessure

Hello, do I need to upload original data for this journal? Do I need to pay for it?

(0) 讚！ | 行云青亦

May I ask where you uploaded the copyright certificate?

(0) 讚！ | 纯阳松山

Hello, how long have you been feeling this way?

(0) 讚！ | 云来柔蔓

Hello, may I ask how long this condition has been going on before it ends?

(0) 讚！ | 云来柔蔓

Plant biology
5.12 submit
6.18 Awaiting Reviewer Assignment
7.10 Under review
7.21 Awaiting Reviewer Scores
8.23 minor revision
9.11 submit
9.24 Awaiting Reviewer Scores
10.14 Awaiting Editor Recommendation
12.3 reject
Wasted half a year... rejected after minor revision... be cautious when submitting.

(0) 讚！ | 大神请多指教

Don't rush

(0) 讚！ | Upton Bradley

What's going on? Is it being edited and reviewed, without external review?

(0) 讚！ | 五河宏博

Research focus: Gene function validation; Sharing experience in botany: Submitted on October 7th, under review on October 10th, received reviewer comments from the journal on October 17th, waiting for Editor's decision

(0) 讚！ | 努力啊大月桂

Review speed: 1.0
Main research direction: Gene function validation
Experience sharing: Submitted on October 7th, under review on October 10th, received reviewer comments from journal on October 17th, waiting for editor's decision

(0) 讚！ | 努力啊大月桂

9.23 was rejected.

(0) 讚！ | wang911234

Submitted on October 8th.
The editor took 3 or 4 days to find reviewers.
The review process took about 27 days.
The Awaiting Editor Recommendation stage lasted 9 days.
On September 21st, it changed to Awaiting EIC Decision.
I have not yet received any suggested revisions on September 22nd. I don't know what the outcome will be. Wish me luck!

(0) 讚！ | 作物栽培小天才

After a year of waiting, I finally got hired. However, I noticed that some people were hired within just one month. It seems that it is related to the research topic, as if the reviewers cannot be found, one can only wait.

(0) 讚！ | 姚宇