When to inquire about a paper under review?

In our newest "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

How many months should one wait before sending a very polite email to a journal inquiring about a manuscript's status? I realize this has probably been asked on here many times, but I've also noticed that crowd opinions on this seem to have shifted in the last 1-2 years in the wake of ever-increasing journal review times.

I think we have discussed this a few times in the past, but I'm happy to discuss it again. I usually try to stay patient, as in the past when I inquired, they were almost always quickly followed up by rejections. So, these days I prefer to simply wait. Then again, now that I have tenure, I have that kind of time, and I know not everyone does. I've also heard better things from other people who inquire.

So, what do you all think? When is it appropriate to check on a paper's status, and what's tended to happen when you have?

Comments

[postdoc]

I send a short and polite email to the managing editor inquiring about the status of the manuscript three months after submission if I haven't heard anything, and another one every three months after that, to check in.

[Stewie]

I was wondering whether it's a good idea to send a list of suggested reviewers if the journal is having trouble finding reviewers after a month or two. This can serve as a reminder but may also help the editors.

[academic migrant]

Some journals allow you to see which stage the paper is at. I would enquire if a paper stayed on the editor's desk for over a month if the journal promised a two week desk decision. If I am sure that the paper has gone under review, I would enquire around 3-4 months.

If it is with reviewers, however, there's basically nothing you can do as an author. Sometimes people have to wait 5-7 months to have the 3 hour to complete a review, and they will probably not have the 3 hour because the editorial assistant asked.

[OP]

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far! I wanted to add that the submission site I'm dealing with is unfortunately one where they don't give you any sense of whether it's with reviewers or not—it's shown up as "Under Review" with no changes since the day after I submitted it. Given that, how long would you suggest waiting before reaching out?