I recently got an acceptance from a journal for my article: “Exploring the disconnect in policy implementation: A case of enterprise policy in England” but only after nearly 3 years of writing, rewriting, editing, and addressing comments from colleagues, reviewers, and the editor. No-one told me that the publication game took so much time, patience and perseverance not to mention pain. The only mantra I heard over and over again was “publish or perish” – this old adage is alive and kicking, and more often than not, keeping me awake at night!
All early career researchers like myself need to understand the time in which it takes not only to write the article – the article must be articulate, highlight the aims and contributions (ideally theoretical contributions) and ‘join the conversation’ of whichever journal the article will be submitted to – but also the time after the writing. After submitting the article, it can take anything from up to 3 months to 9 months to receive a ‘reject’ (the editor thinks it’s not worthy of the journal), or a Revise and Resubmit (where the article has been anonymously reviewed) and can fall under ‘reject’ with comments or a possible acceptance if changes are to be made given the reviewers comments. Once the comments from reviewers are addressed and then sent back to the journal and editor, the wait is back on. Will the editor and the reviewers accept the article now? Luckily, for me, my hard work paid off and the editor sent an email of acceptance four weeks after, giving me an early Christmas present.
Three years is a very long time! Are there any particular techniques you utilized to stay motivated and drive through, despite the obstacles faced?
Hi Cameron
I stayed positive because I knew what I was doing was good research and deserves to be in the public domain. I also had great colleagues who encouraged me – talking to them about the research and the difficulties helped lighten the load.
Norin