Let it go
"Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door."
- The movie Frozen
Well, friends, the day has come. The time is here. As the Germans say, "es ist soweit."
Today, I submitted my Svalbard image analysis for publication.
Eek!
Will it be accepted? I don't know. Will it be rejected? I don't know. Will it come back with a request for "major revision," which is science-speak for "nice job, but really, I think you should ditch everything and start over"? I don't know!
When I first started writing papers as an undergrad, I expected to take a victory lap after each one. You know, I thought I would submit a manuscript, high-five my adviser, and take the afternoon off. In reality, it never quite works that way. Getting a manuscript published is not so much a celebration of science as it is a heavy weight-lifting challenge. Every analysis seems easy enough at first, but as you add layers of detail, dozens of references, and revisions from multiple different authors, the manuscript starts to feel like a heavy weight. As I lift it higher, it gets heavier, until eventually, when I think it's almost complete, I start getting shot at by reviewers, taking hits from all sides. I finally find a place for the manuscript on a high, remote shelf, and as I slide it into place, I breathe a sigh of relief. Phew - one down.
Ok, granted, the publication process is not always this dramatic, but it definitely takes a thick skin. I have no idea how the reviewers will respond to this particular manuscript. Maybe they'll love it; who knows! I'm happy for now to have submitted my manuscript. The rest is up to the scientific community.
I'm letting go. I'm letting go. I'll turn away and slam the door. Letting go.
Turn away and slam the door."
- The movie Frozen
Well, friends, the day has come. The time is here. As the Germans say, "es ist soweit."
Today, I submitted my Svalbard image analysis for publication.
Eek!
Will it be accepted? I don't know. Will it be rejected? I don't know. Will it come back with a request for "major revision," which is science-speak for "nice job, but really, I think you should ditch everything and start over"? I don't know!
When I first started writing papers as an undergrad, I expected to take a victory lap after each one. You know, I thought I would submit a manuscript, high-five my adviser, and take the afternoon off. In reality, it never quite works that way. Getting a manuscript published is not so much a celebration of science as it is a heavy weight-lifting challenge. Every analysis seems easy enough at first, but as you add layers of detail, dozens of references, and revisions from multiple different authors, the manuscript starts to feel like a heavy weight. As I lift it higher, it gets heavier, until eventually, when I think it's almost complete, I start getting shot at by reviewers, taking hits from all sides. I finally find a place for the manuscript on a high, remote shelf, and as I slide it into place, I breathe a sigh of relief. Phew - one down.
Ok, granted, the publication process is not always this dramatic, but it definitely takes a thick skin. I have no idea how the reviewers will respond to this particular manuscript. Maybe they'll love it; who knows! I'm happy for now to have submitted my manuscript. The rest is up to the scientific community.
I'm letting go. I'm letting go. I'll turn away and slam the door. Letting go.
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