I woke up on Saturday morning to an editor's love note in my inbox - reject!
The review package is extremely helpful. I'm thankful. My team will be able to take the feedback and craft a more precise, more focused paper.
While thankful, I have a bone to pick with academe & editors.
When did the academy become a 24/7 endeavor? Why can't it respect the weekend?
I remember when #reviewcycles were measured.
I recall putting #articles in brown envelopes. I waited patiently for the postman, sometimes for months. I recall the joy of receiving a thick envelope with reviews. I still have my first acceptance letter.
I loved the measured pace. There was time to reflect.
#OnlineReviewSystems sped everything up. Papers no longer get lost in the mail. Progress!
BUT.
Why are paper decisions arriving on the weekend? Especially negative ones?
Editors must compress review cycles. It's necessary. Early career academics need faster feedback to meet demands for more productivity. I've commented on that issue here: https://lnkd.in/gEXciw2Q
However.
Weekend decisions are unnecessary.
Editors construct #MeasuredReviewProcesses, which compress review cycles while showing compassion for how the timing & pace of decisions impact authors.
So how do we construct a measured review process?
First, #editors can tighten #cycletimes. Even for high submission #journals, assigning a review panel to a submission within a week, no more than two, would seem reasonable.
Second, editors must ask for #TimelyReviews. I'm not a big believer in asking for #QuickReviews. I am a big believer in timely reviews. Twenty business days should be enough to review a paper.
Third, editors must dismiss #LateReviewers. I have never found a seriously late review (e.g., more than 14 days) worth waiting for.
Fourth, a measured review cycle means editors' time #reviewinvitations & #paperdecisions to respect weekends & holidays.
Review invitations sent on the weekend can be ignored, resented, or simply forgotten - slowing the speed & quality of the #editorialprocess.
Editorial decisions sent on the weekend disrupt personal time with friends & family - increasing the stress & trauma tied to publication.
(Note: Yes, you can wait to read the email, but in our hyperconnected world, is this realistic?)
Fifth, editors can automate the delivery of correspondence in batches. Decisions entered on weekends can be sent on the next business day.
Finally, editors can build #mindful cultures. Editors can wait to send out-of-system correspondence during the workweek. Forty-eight hours has never destroyed a career.
Establishing measured editorial processes will improve the #quality, & the #humaneness, of the #publicationprocess.
Together, we can construct a better #academy, one that respects the off-work hours of its members.
No one needs to be rejected on a Saturday - not any more!
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