Finishing old projects in the new year

When I start a new project, there is always a burst of energy and enthusiasm. As the project continues, it often takes a concerted effort to keep it moving forward, and the longer the project the more effort. And then the end finally comes, and we are filled with relief. A research project often follows this course. After the project is complete and the paper written, we send it off to a journal for review and hopefully, acceptance. And then we wait and wait and wait. The wait can extend six months or more. And then we finally hear from the journal editor. The paper was rejected. We get a list of reasons and suggestions from the reviewers. We gather ourselves up and vow to make the suggested changes and get the research published. We make the changes and select a different journal and send it off again to wait and wait. We finally hear from the journal editor, and the paper is rejected again. This time the comments are the opposite and contradict the comments from the first group of reviewers. We now decide to get a third opinion from a different journal and, hopefully, a group of reviewers that can recognize our brilliant work! The third time we are rejected again, but for entirely different reasons. I have no enthusiasm for another rework of the paper, and so it goes on the shelf.

After three years, my co-author contacts me about redoing the paper one more time. I tell him to go ahead and take his best shot. He does and we get some good comments and encouragement, but no acceptance. The reviewer’s comments suggest a major rewrite, which my co-author asks me to do. I agree without much enthusiasm. Since it has been several years since the original research, I need to go back and do a literature review to see what has happened in that niche of the research field since the original research. After months of fitting this in between everything else going on in my life (yes, nothing is static), I finally start the rewrite, which unfortunately, is major. And today is a great day, the paper is finished and sent to my co-author for review. Life is wonderful and hopefully, we get an acceptance somewhere. I can start the new year with that off my plate, and it feels great.