Little thread on publishing. What I have learned being an editor.... #AcademicTwitter

Reviewers are people and are not always right. I have had reviewers all suggest a manuscript should be accepted when there were serious challenges with the manuscript. And I have had situations where two reviewers loved it & one hated it. And I aligned with the two positives.

In addition, editors are people. I may reject a manuscript that could go onto win an award at another journal. Or publish something that you may not think is that good. Scholarship, even in the social sciences, is an art...and a conversation about ideas.

Getting rejected at R2 sucks. I get it. Sometimes we want to give you a chance to see if you can cook it more. Sometimes you don't get there. It is not fun to tell you that. But we have all been there. Thank the universe for the feedback & the time people spent & keep swimming.

Sometimes people don't get your stuff. It happens. Move on and keep the faith. But remember it is your job to make the argument as to why your work is awesome & important.

One of the most important things I have learned from editing (which is helping me as a scholar), is really think about what you want to say. What is the punchline that you want people to walk away with? Use the review process to really hone that.

Just accepted (pending revisions) a manuscript that I thought was quite cool that one reviewer really didn't like. Made me philosophical :) Our work is never going to please everyone. But if you use the review process as a way to clarify your vision, you will never lose.

As always, I am but one person. Take this all with a shaker of salt. And as always, practice kindness to all involved in our work. We are pretty freaking lucky we get to think big thoughts for a living. And about public service---what would be cooler?