Learning how to deal with rejection in academia…

REAL TALK: I’m a full professor (have been for a few years now) and I have had …

1) journal articles desk rejected.
2) articles rejected AFTER at least one if not TWO ROUNDS of Revise-And-Resubmit
3) articles published after FIVE rounds of R&R
4) a reviewer tell me that my writing sucks “as an undergrad’s”

I don’t know if this helps junior and up-and-coming scholars (and students), but the reality is that these shitty things happen to us, on a regular basis.

Dr. Mirya Holman keeps a tally of how many rejections she gets (because it means she is getting her work out, peer-reviewed).

Dr. Sara Mitchel keeps a “shadow” CV with rejections.

It’s normal to have our work rejected. It sucks, and I (like any other human being) also sulk, get angry, dwell on it.

I’ve had manuscripts that have laid dormant for YEARS because I couldn’t tackle the necessary revisions for the R&R to get published (see my recent post on zombie papers and book manuscripts).

I hope to motivate anybody who ALSO feels like I do. I hate having my work rejected (and criticized in a way that I feel is unfair, too), but it’s part and parcel of the academic enterprise. So we need to learn how to cope with it (sorry if you came to this post hoping to find strategies to better endure and survive rejection, I don’t think I have special advice other than dust yourself off, get up and keep moving forward).

And when it’s your turn to review, be as kind as you’d like others to be with your work.

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