An inevitable part of submitting
a paper for review in a journal is getting criticism. This can be very
difficult for people; they feel defensive and resentful. Please, take a step
back from this and think about it, a reviewer has taken a great deal of time to
read and review your paper. They do not like saying negative things any more
than you like to receive them. However, it is the reviewer's job to help you get
your paper into a publishable shape, and that is what he or she is doing when
they give you feedback. It does not matter if a hundred other people think you
are a marvelous writer, accept that this person does not, and see how you can
fix it.
How should you
approach the feedback? I suggest quickly reading the feedback and if you find
you are feeling defensive close it and think about it for a while, resist the
impulse to immediately write back. Remind yourself they are trying to help with
your paper, and they want you to have your paper published. Then when you feel
you are ready (hopefully no more than a day!), begin the revisions, take each
comment one at a time, think about it and revise. If you find you are not sure
what the reviewer means with a comment. Carefully write out an email of inquiry
to the editor of the journal. Here is an example:
Dr. X,
Thank you so much
for the thoughtful comments and suggestions on my paper, "Fear of Pencils!"
I find I do have a question about a comment from reviewer A, in which he/she
states: "I don’t know what you mean on p.3." Could I get this comment
clarified please, what precisely is he/she referring to?
Thank you again for
your help,
Jane Researcher
Always be polite,
and thank them for their help. You will find you get much further with being
open and kind than you ever will with being defensive.
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