ADDENDUM TO PRE-SUBMISSION BLOG:
In my zeal to focus on colleagues to review a manuscript, I forgot to mention a traditional strategy most of us used throughout our pub career, probably beginning in grad school: PLAGIARISM! Oops! Wrong strategy. I meant: PRESENT THE PAPER AT A CONFERENCE. Linda McPhee mentioned this in one of her blog comments yesterday.
A conference presentation can furnish 2 sets of reviews:
1. When you submit a proposal to your conference committee, you can obtain reviews from 3 anonymous reviewers in a blind-review process, and
2. If it is accepted and presented, at the conclusion of your presentation session in a paper or symposium format, 1 or 2 discussants will critique all of the papers. Although this critique is not as detailed as a written review, it will usually hit the main points, both positive and negative. Sometimes, the discussant will give you a copy of his or her comments; if not, request them.
What valuable feedback this step provides before you submit to your fave journal. Thank you, Linda. (NOTE: Please continue to read the comments on the Higher Education Teaching and Learning group of LinkedIn. They’re too numerous to repeat here.)
QUESTION: Should you make the minor or major revisions?
ANSWER: Yup. Take Nike’s advice: “Just Do It!” Despite the bruised ego, it is worth the effort to revise. You can whip out the “minor revisions” lickety split. You already have conditional acceptance.
However, many professors do not make the “major revisions” because they become very discouraged. Fight that urge to give up if the editor gives you the opportunity to revise and resubmit. Your career in academia could hang in the balance. No pressure to revise, huh?
WHAT’S YOUR QUITING QUOTIENT?
What’s your “Quiting Quotient” or QQ? What does it take in the form of reviewers’ comments to bring you to your knees? Certainly, after pouring your mind, heart, and soul into a major work, whether it’s a research article, review, essay, or another work of significance to you, the comments you receive can be painful. However, you need to raise your QQ, get up from your knees, and KEEP MOVING FORWARD. We’ve all been there and we’re still writing, submitting, getting rejected, revising, resubmitting, and revising; along that path we’re receiving acceptance e-mails for our contributions.
Does revision improve your chances of publication? What do you do if the editor asks for more changes and another revision? Those issues will be addressed in my next blog.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
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