This question was asked in the Q&A session of an online talk presented by International Science Editing. In this blog, we discuss how to respectfully dispute the findings of others. Acknowledge the good Begin by acknowledging what you liked. Rarely is a paper so poorly written that you cannot find a single aspect to commend. […]
“Reject with option to resubmit.” Why do editors choose this option?
An editorial decision of “reject with option to resubmit” is inherently confusing, for inexperienced and seasoned authors alike. Has the paper been rejected? Should you revise and resubmit? To complicate matters further, for those journals that offer this option, a “reject with option to resubmit” can have very different meanings. In this blog, we examine […]
E-learning module: Responding to a manuscript review
In this e-learning module, Professor Emeritus Peter Jones discusses how to respond to a manuscript review. Professor Jones has over 40 years experience in plant science research, from molecular to crop community and has published >100 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and books. In addition, he was an associate editor for the European Journal of Plant […]
Would a lottery system improve #TrustInPeerReview?
An increasing number of agencies are using lottery systems to distribute research funding. Supporters of the approach have even suggested lotteries could be used by journals to select which papers to publish [1]. In this blog, we discuss how this would potentially work, and look at the pros and cons of such a system. How […]
Active versus passive voice in scientific writing (infographic)
In this infographic, we discuss the use of the active and passive voice in scientific writing. The infographic contains the following text: The active voice promotes simple, straightforward writing. As such, most scientific journals encourage the use of the active voice over the passive voice. Active voice – the subject acts. Passive voice – […]
