On what to do when a reviewer is rude (or should you really turn the other cheek?)
Recently, I was reading a review package & the comments felt barbed.
Most of the time, I attribute barbed comments to someone exploiting the anonymity of the review process to let out a mean streak.
However.
In this particular case, the comments were callous and tailored. The reviewer questioned the theory, the design, and even how survey items were constructed. They challenged critical bits of my professional identity.
Given that the review process at this journal is single-blind, I'm pretty sure the reviewer knows who I am and that it was my paper. So I wondered about the tone & the challenge to critical elements of the paper.
Anger coursed through my veins.
After some time to process the comments, I could see how they afforded opportunities to improve my work.
It was time to work.
So, how should you? As an author? Respond to rude comments?
First, let your emotions settle.
Anger never gets you anywhere.
Share your frustration with a few friends. Please don't post about it. Get it out.
Then let it go - that doesn't mean forget why you were angry - but let the anger go.
You have work to do.
Second, kill the reviewer with kindness.
The reviewer has allowed you to improve your paper.
They may lack manners - but so what? We all have one friend with no manners.
However, that does not mean responding in kind.
Use your manners.
Thank the reviewer for the comment, update your work, & explain how their barbed suggestions improved your work.
Third, as you submit the paper, utter a bless your heart.
Where I am from, bless your heart is a polite way of dismissing someone.
In this case, as you submit, make 100% sure you've addressed the content of the comments.
Utter the bless your heart to let go of the emotion their comments evoked.
I find this ritual moment, hm, healthy?
It's better not to carry anger.
So, be it a bless your heart or another ritual specific to you, create one that helps you let go of negative emotions.
Finally, this is the most important part, remember how the barbed comments made you feel.
Reviewing, be it single-blind or double-blind, need not be unkind.
Before you submit your next review package, take time to ensure your tone, even if it is a rejection, is constructive.
When I think about reviewing, as I've entered mid-career, I always think of the words of Maya Angelou:
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
I think this way about not only the reviews that I write but also how I write a response to a reviewer.
Rather than anger, respond with gratitude, let the negative emotion go, improve your work, and be kind to the next person.
So yes, if you receive a rude review, turn the other cheek.
Let's build a better academy together!
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