Trials in Academia

You've all seen those films I take it? The one where the future hero goes through a brutal montage. Being physically and mentally abused by his/her mentor. Carrying huge blocks of wood for no apparent reason etc etc.. But in the end this trial by fire forges them into a hero! The master of their sport/ saviour of their village/ allowed into Gentings Casino while obviously drunk and so on.

Well that is very much how the academic publication system works.... Apart from I have to assume the hero stage comes later. Much. Much later. I am currently in the sobbing in a shower while holding a flannel stage.

My publication came back from the journal of tropical ecology..... With the suggestion I resubmit it as a short communication. Which basically means I have to strip a 8000 word document down to about 3000.... After all the time I spent on the damn thing it feel as if I am cutting the arms off my own child. But it has been done and I have defended myself from the reviewers comments. Most of which were along the lines of "you should do another field season". Yes, because I have a spare 2k to fund that just laying around!

But after all this I think I may have found a home for my publication! I got the comments back from my submitted short communication and I am pretty sure it will be accepted with some minor changes!! Even though the few changes are cutting more stuff out.

Soon I will be a real scientist!!