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Dealing with Rejection

Gitanjali Batmanabane M.D., Ph.D Professor of Pharmacology JIPMER Pondicherry gitabatman@gmail.com. Dealing with Rejection. The only way to avoid rejection is to never submit a manuscript. . Rejection is part of being a writer the same way that falling is part of being a hurdler….

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Dealing with Rejection

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  1. Gitanjali BatmanabaneM.D., Ph.D Professor of Pharmacology JIPMER Pondicherry gitabatman@gmail.com Dealing with Rejection Gitanjali

  2. The only way to avoid rejection is to never submit a manuscript. Gitanjali

  3. Rejection is part of being a writer the same way that falling is part of being a hurdler…. 62% of published papers have been rejected at least once1. 1. Hall SA, Wilcox AJ (2007) The fate of epidemiologic manuscripts: a study of papers submitted to Epidemiology. Epidemiology 18:262–265. Gitanjali

  4. Many famous people have had their work rejected* We are not alone • Prof. R. Williams – discovered one of the B vitamins – J Clinical investigation rejected the paper. • Raymond P Ahlquist – paper on adrenoceptors published in Am J Physiol was rejected by J Pharmacol Exper Ther • Rosalind Yallow - J Clinical investigation rejected the paper. • Nature rejected Hans Krebs letter describing the citric acid cycle *Campanario JM. Consolation for the Scientist: Sometimes it is Hard to Publish Papers that are Later Highly- Cited. Soc Studies Sci 1993;23:342-62 Gitanjali

  5. Rejection letters serve two purposes: • It proves you have actually written up your work • May provide good constructive criticism – use to write up a better manuscript Gitanjali

  6. Types of Rejection • Slush pile rejection – editor has not even read the manuscript • Criticism rejection • Near miss rejection Gitanjali

  7. “It hasn’t been published yet. Bloody idiots wouldn’t recognize a great book if it jumped up and bit them” Gitanjali

  8. How common is manuscript rejection? • Very common – 69% of papers would have been rejected at least once. • Top journals have high rejection rate Wooley CHEST 2009; 135:573-7 Gitanjali

  9. What is rejected and what is salvageable? • Lack of new knowledge , major methodological flaws - most common reason for rejection • Some errors in research methodology like data analysis, language flaws - can be salvaged to someextent. • Errors in manuscript organization, including methods,results, figures, tables, graphs, and references, are correctable. Gitanjali

  10. The Top 10 Reasons Why Manuscripts Are Not Published* 10. Picking the wrong journal 9. Submitting a manuscript in a format that does not match what the journal publishes 8. Not following the manuscript preparation instructions 7. Poor writing 6. Getting carried away in the discussion *Pierson DJ. The top 10 reasons why manuscripts are not accepted for publication. Resp Care 2004;49:1246-52. Gitanjali

  11. The Top 10 Reasons Why Manuscripts Are Not Published…contd… 5. Suboptimal reporting of the results 4. Inadequate description of the methods 3. Poor study design 2. Failure to revise and resubmit following peer review 1. Failure to write and submit a full manuscript after presenting the abstract at meetings Gitanjali

  12. Top ten reasons for rejection of manuscripts in Indian Pediatrics 23% N=347, Indian Pediatrics, 2006 (rejection 50%) Gitanjali

  13. Is rejection fatal? Gitanjali

  14. Flow diagram illustrating the choices authors can make after receiving a manuscript rejection letter from the editor of their first-choice journal. (Wooley KL et al. Handling manuscript rejection. Chest 2009;135:573-7). No chance of publication success Give up Gitanjali

  15. Flowchart of choices authors can make after receiving a rejection letter from the first journal Give up No chance of publication success Gitanjali

  16. Flow diagram illustrating the choices authors can make after receiving a manuscript rejection letter from the editor of their first-choice journal. (Wooley KL et al. Handling manuscript rejection. Chest 2009;135:573-7). No chance of publication success Give up Gitanjali

  17. Outright rejection No chance of publication success Identify reason for rejection Give up Not suitable for journal Fatal Flaw Submit to a more appropriate and probably a lower impact journal Inappropriate to pursue publication Incorporate reviewers & editorial comments. Better than reasonable chance of publication success. No chance of publication success Reasonable chance of publication success Gitanjali

  18. Coping • Be positive • Persevere • Keep writing Gitanjali

  19. We all have different ways of dealing with rejection slips, but I find going to bed for five days with eight kilos of choc chip works for me! Dealing with rejection

  20. Preventing grant proposals from being rejected • Choose the funding agency to suit your topic • Check whether it is the thrust area • Get a recent application format • Read the instructions carefully and follow them • Keep to limits Gitanjali

  21. Preventing manuscripts from being rejected – some tips • Choose the journal carefully – scope, visibility, importance of the work done • Get the most recent instructions to authors – read them • Follow the instructions • Ask a colleague to critically assess your paper Gitanjali

  22. Three golden rules of replying to referees’ comments* • Respond completely • Respond politely • Respond with evidence • Respond promptly *Williams HC. How to reply to referees’ comments when submitting manuscripts for publication. J Am AcadDermatol 2004;51:79-83 Gitanjali

  23. Trust, like glass, is fragile… Be honest about… • Re-analysing data • Additional data collection • References • Conflicts of interest • “Foreign” collaborators

  24. How to predict which papers will be rejected? Gitanjali

  25. Gitanjali

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