My E-interview With a Dutch Newspaper About the Writing Course
My responses to questions posed by a journalist about my two session class, How to Write High Impact Papers and What to Do When Your Manuscript is Rejected.
Image from Wikimedia. Credit https://www.microbizmag.co.uk/
1. Don’t editors of scientific journals choose the scientifically most valuable papers to guard the impact of their journal, even if it is not written very well, or if the English is poor? Or can even a very important breakthrough remain unpublished?
Unfortunately, most editors are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of manuscripts coming their way. They must make decisions about whether even to send a paper out for review based on the cover letter, title, and abstract. Poor writing can terminate the processing of a manuscript before anyone reviews it.
Generally speaking, editors and reviewers are sympathetic to the difficulties of non-native speakers, but manuscripts must survive the first critical cut. An author whose English is less than optimal can win encouragement to get the assistance of native speakers because the data or ideas of a manuscript are worth the effort and can be recognized as such a first glance—in the cover le…