Handling Revise As Well As Resubmit Decisions
Publishing good is fundamental to a successful enquiry career yet, similar many aspects of modern academic life, it is an activity that has intensified as well as industrialised over recent decades. An abbreviated version of this article appeared inwards Times Higher Education as well as tin live found here. The total version is offered below:
The editors of top-ranked journals human face upwards a deluge of novel submissions whilst struggling to convince their colleagues to bring on reviewing locomote as well as to do as well as thence inwards a timely fashion. Rejection rates possess got soared as well as surviving 3 or 4 rounds of the revise as well as resubmit wheel is an exercise inwards inventiveness as well as persistence. The mental attitude of aspiring authors inwards the context mightiness best live summarised past times Baumeister’s observation that “in thought of the misanthropic psychopaths you lot possess got on your editorial board, you lot demand to maintain sending them papers, for if they weren't reviewing manuscripts they'd in all probability live out mugging former ladies or clubbing babe seals to death."[1]
What follows is approximately advice on how to last as well as thrive inwards the province of revise as well as resubmit.
Have a Tantrum
If you’ve received a revise as well as resubmit (R&R) the soil is telling you lot something. If it comes from a low-ranked and/or novel journal, things are actually bad. They should live thanking you lot for your wonderful enquiry as well as asking if you lot possess got whatsoever friends that possess got papers looking for a home. If it emanates from the editorial offices of a prestigious journal, an R&R carries confirmation of your talent since the vast bulk of miserable lineament submissions volition possess got been directly desk rejected. Journal editors the soil over long for an editorial bot that tin generate thousands of “Dear [name], cheers for your newspaper on [topic] which we’ve rejected because [select from a brusk listing of socially polite reasons]” per threescore minutes because they currently possess got to draft them past times hand. Logically however, an R&R from a practiced mag indicates that you lot took a slice of well-executed enquiry as well as spent a reasonable amount of fourth dimension working on version 1.0 of something that is dear to your heart. To come across it eviscerated past times an editor as well as iii reviewers is traumatic as well as offend is a normal human response. Have a tantrum, howl at the injustices, rails at the tike technical inaccuracies or the typos littering the pages of insults masquerading equally “advice”. Nothing volition alter but it volition larn the inner toddler out of your system.
Take Time Out
Continuing the Super Nanny theme, ane time you’ve had your initial tantrum, bring approximately fourth dimension out. You’ll no doubtfulness possess got been laid upwards a deadline past times which the editor(s) would similar to come across a revised version of your paper. Take the start calendar week of this to larn approximately perspective on the situation. As an writer you lot demand to motion from a identify of indignance to ane of perseverance as well as willingness to try, try, attempt again. The temptation of course, is to obsessively read as well as re-read your R&R over those start few days but this tends to farther foster the estrus as well as wound of your initial reactions. Put the paper, the projection as well as the R&R to ane side as well as do something else for a while. If you lot possess got co-authors, cast a pact to abstain from grouping therapy for a fourth dimension but alone on the proviso that you lot come upwards dorsum together at an agreed time. Break the fourth dimension out into ii phases. H5N1 few days of consummate abstinence from the paper, the anger as well as the worry over the consequences for your career. Then a 2nd stage inwards which you lot allow yourself to commence to motion forwards past times gathering together copies of anything that the editor or reviewers mightiness bring upwards inwards their voluminous notes. The improve the journal, the improve qualified as well as to a greater extent than experienced the reviewers. Each volition probable possess got noted several of their ain papers equally good equally schools of thought, bodies of theory or methodological traditions that they’ve used to poke holes inwards your argument. The editor, motivated past times the citation stats for their dear journal, volition also probable possess got mentioned several things from previous issues to which you lot could usefully refer.
Think Learning Opportunity
In all probability, your R&R volition possess got come upwards alongside a concealment banker's complaint from the editor pointing out that you lot are invited to undertake a high-risk resubmission. Don’t live despondent; few people have a low-risk resubmission these days fifty-fifty at rounds two, iii or four. Instead, allow yourself to live excited that you’re soundless inwards the game. Eventual publication is soundless possible as well as you’ve had somewhere inwards the percentage of one-half a twenty-four threescore minutes catamenia of complimentary consultancy from approximately of the rattling best qualified people on the planet. An editor, who volition live an particular scholar as well as a rattling experienced publisher, has read your locomote at to the lowest degree twice inwards circular one. The start would live a relatively quick skim read to found that your newspaper was worth reviewing. The 2nd would live a to a greater extent than careful procedure of triangulating betwixt the ii as well as iii reviews that s/he received. Individual reviewers volition possess got spent at to the lowest degree an hour, as well as probable more, reading your paper, thinking virtually it deeply as well as generating anywhere betwixt a page as well as a paper’s worth of commentary. What a fantastic resource. These individuals mightiness audio similar they desire to incinerate your newspaper but inwards fact, they are only doing what you lot do to every pupil essay that you lot receive. They’re pointing out how it could live improved. Yes, they’ll possess got spent a peachy bargain of fourth dimension showing where as well as how those improvements mightiness occur. Yes, it is unhelpful that they possess got divergent views on approximately things. No, they won’t possess got been equally gushing inwards their praise equally you’d like. Remember this as well as encompass the complimentary advice.
Ask for Help
Having survived the initial indignation exactly bring that your ultimate destination of publication rests on completely rewriting your paper, gathering novel data, task to a greater extent than and/or unlike analysis, connecting to unlike literatures or perchance all of the above. These novel things mightiness require approximately exterior help. Even if you lot know the literature(s) good enough, approximately exterior assist tin live invaluable inwards damage of the nuanced deviation betwixt reviewer #1 who says “add to a greater extent than blah” as well as reviewer #3 who says “not as well as thence much blah, thanks.” Your colleagues tin add together a tremendous amount simply offering a novel reading of a subtly constructed sentence or endorsing that you lot possess got got the gist of what you’re beingness asked to do virtually right. In extremis, you lot mightiness fifty-fifty write dorsum to the editor seeking clarification on how to conduct hold “blah-gate” given the divergent views of the reviewers. However, earlier doing as well as thence consider the following. First, the editor is busier that you lot are (at to the lowest degree inwards their soil view). Second, the editor volition live rightly wary of what they mightiness perceive equally an endeavour to larn into negotiations over acceptance. Third, whilst the editor volition know that reviewer #1 is a genuine silverback inwards their community whilst reviewer#3 is to a greater extent than of an aspiring alpha, they sure won’t tell you lot this. Fourth, if the editor has given whatsoever idea to this they volition possess got offered their thought inwards the concealment letter. Finally, if they haven’t given whatsoever idea to the dilemma that you’re drawing to their attention, they mightiness non react good to you lot pointing this out.
Write a Detailed “You said, nosotros did” Letter
As you lot tumble out version 2.0 of your paper, create a 2nd document into which you lot cutting as well as glue the editor’s concealment missive of the alphabet as well as the comments from each reviewer. This “response to review” document volition possess got equally much bearing on your success or failure at the side past times side circular of reviewing equally the newspaper itself. Therefore, pass equally much fourth dimension crafting the detailed, forensic, hyper-linked as well as cross-referenced “you said, nosotros did” missive of the alphabet equally you lot do the revised paper. Use this equally the soil for politely pointing out that reviewer #1 requested “more blah” whilst reviewer #3 wanted less. Speak to each independently past times offering a dot past times dot reply to each reviewer’s critique. As you lot do as well as thence however, cross reference using your diplomatic skills to tell that “we possess got added a few drops of blah inwards relation to your asking but nosotros done as well as thence mindful of the asking from reviewer X to take blah from our argument.” Most reviewers volition read their ain review as well as your line of piece of job organisation human relationship of how you’ve responded first. Often, this is the start fourth dimension that they’ll come across what the other reviewers said virtually version 1.0. Understandably, this colours their sentence virtually whether to propose that your newspaper is accepted equally is, proceeds to circular ii or is rejected. However, other reviewers volition read version 2.0 of the newspaper on its ain merits earlier settling on their recommendation. Therefore, both the revised newspaper as well as the accompanying “you said, nosotros did” demand to read good both independently as well as equally a pair. As your newspaper makes its agency toward eventual publication, it is a query of eat, sleep, revise, repeat.
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