How to Publish a Scientific Comment in 123 Easy Steps August 19, 2009

I will hopefully start PhD in the field of personalized genetics this October and just submitted my first manuscript to a genetics journal, so I’m getting closer to understand how scientific bureaucracy works. But now Prof. Rick Trebino (Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Physics) published a hilarious guide or timeline (pdf) about his own experiences.

The essence of science is reasoned debate. So, if you disagree with something reported in a scientific  paper, you can write a “Comment” on it.

Yet you don’t see many Comments.

Some believe that this is because journal editors are reluctant to publish Comments because Comments reveal their mistakes—papers they shouldn’t have allowed to be published in the first place. Indeed, scientists often complain that it can be very difficult to publish one. Fortunately, in this article, I’ll share with you my recent experience publishing a Comment, so you can, too.