Low morale after receiving reviewer's comments - (Sep/02/2011 )

Hi,

I recently received the reviewers' comments from the journal editor regarding my paper manuscript submission, and although the reviewers generally start the comments with "overall good" etc etc, the holes that they poked about my manuscript left me feeling dejected. I am aware of some of the flaws of my research, and have anticipated the comments and even have some backup data I can put in, but I'm having a hard time getting over my emotional response. One particular comment really hit home, as the reviewer said the flaws "diminished (the manuscript's) significance somewhat". How should I respond to this last comment?

I would really appreciate any helpful advice. Thanks.

most reviewers try to be constructive with their criticism. they may be correct in saying that the flaws diminish the significance of the findings, but that's not a personal attack. they appear to be trying to give advice to improve the quality of the paper and, while you may not agree with all of the comments, you should address them, either by showing the requested data or by answering the comments in a reply letter (or both).

try to remember that, in most cases, the comments are not personal.

Hey..mdfenko is right.. don't take it too personally. If they still give you a chance to respond to their reviews, there is still hope. Just wait until your emotional responses subside, go out and clear your head, take a deep breath and come back and address the comments rationally.

Thanks, mdfenko and zienpiggie, for your encouraging advice. Took a good break over the weekend, and now I can see that the comments aren't personal, and I'm going to try and deal with them rationally.