Category Archives: peer review

why journal articles get rejected – #3

Posted on May 2, 2022 by pat thomson

Every journal article is expected to make a contribution. The writer has to say something that adds to the conversation about the particular topic in the target journal. And through this addition, they participate in the discussion in the field. … Continue reading →

Posted in contribution, journal article, peer review, rejection, significance | Tagged contribution, journal article, Pat Thomson, peer reveiw, rejection, significance | 1 Comment

familiarity and peer review

Posted on March 7, 2022 by pat thomson

I’ve been doing some literature work. Now don’t get me wrong, I love literature work. But I am finding it all a bit same old same old right now. All the papers read the sme, even though they have different … Continue reading →

Posted in familiarity, genre, mere exposure effect, peer review | Tagged academic writing, familiarity principle, genre, mere exposure effect, Pat Thomson, peer review | 3 Comments

revising? start strategically

Posted on November 8, 2021 by pat thomson

Whether you are revising your own writing or responding to reviewer feedback, you need to work out what to do. But you also need to work out where to start. You may have made a revising plan or written out … Continue reading →

Posted in crappy first draft, peer review, revision, revision strategy | Tagged communication, Pat Thomson, revision, revision strategy | Leave a comment

style, tone and grammar – native speaker bias in peer reviews

Posted on October 12, 2020 by pat thomson

This is a guest post from Dr Randi Stebbins. Randi is Director of the University of Iceland Centre for Writing. Peer review is a central part of academic publication. The process of back and forth between authors and reviewers is … Continue reading →

Posted in English language, grammar, journal article, peer review, reviewing, style | Tagged "native speaker", grammar, peer reviewing, publication in English, Randi Stebbins, style | 2 Comments

dealing with rejection

Posted on August 31, 2020 by pat thomson

This is a guest post from Dan Cleather. Dan is a strength coach, educator, scientist and anarchist. His latest book, “Subvert! A philosophical guide for the 21st century scientist”, was published in May. Being an academic requires a thick skin. Very … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, peer review, rejection, research funding | Tagged Dan Cleather, peer review, rejection, research funding | 4 Comments

peer reviewing your first paper

Posted on October 14, 2019 by pat thomson

Patter now has over 800 posts. It’s pretty hard to find things on here, even when you know what you’re looking for. Some of the elderly posts are, I hope, still useful. I’ve decided to start an occasional ‘best of’ … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, feedback, journal article, peer review, refereeing, reviewing, reviews | Tagged journal article, peer review, reviewing a paper | 1 Comment

revise and resubmit

Posted on March 25, 2019 by pat thomson

Yep. Those dreaded words when you get the email back from the journal. R and R. Anything but Rest and Relaxation. Groan. In essence, the message says We have considered your paper and we have decided that – well it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, journal article, reviewer speak, revise and resubmit, revision | Tagged journal, Pat Thomson, reviews, revise and resubmit | 4 Comments

professors of the poison pen

Posted on October 30, 2017 by pat thomson

Paul Stein’s 1939 film, The Poison Pen, is set in a small English village whose residents receive anonymous letters alleging sexual and moral misbehaviour. The recipients become increasingly angry and bent on revenge. A formerly quiet and placid place becomes … Continue reading →

Posted in peer review, poison pen, Professor | Tagged Pat Thomson, peer review, Poison Pen Professor | 4 Comments

when peer review is scent marking

Posted on June 19, 2017 by pat thomson

Continuing random posts on peer reviewer behaviour… So we all know what scent marking is. It’s when animals set out the boundaries of their territory by leaving their scent in strategic places. Scentmarked territories are often used for sleeping and/or mating … Continue reading →

Posted in disciplines, journal article, peer review, subfield, territoriality, Uncategorized | Tagged journal article, Pat Thomson, peer review, territoriality | 2 Comments

self-citation by proxy

Posted on May 15, 2017 by pat thomson

Meet Dr Oozing-Confidence. He knows his work is important. Very important. Superior even. He gets very miffed when he reads anything that is on his topic, or connected with it, that doesn’t recognise his contributions and their significance. He is always keen … Continue reading →