How to Publish a Scientific Comment in 12 3 Ea sy S te ps

Prof. Rick Trebino Georgia Institute of Technology School of Physics Atlanta, GA 30332 rick.trebino@physics.gatech.edu www.physics.gatech.edu/frog 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. There are just a few simple steps: 1.

Read a paper that has a mistake in it. 2.

Write and submit a Comment, politely correcting the mistake. 3.

Enjoy your Comment in print along with the authors’ equally polite Reply, basking in the joy of having participated in the glorious scientific process and of the new friends you’ve made— the authors whose research you’ve greatly assisted. Ha ha! You didn’t really believe that, did you? Here’s the actual sequence of events: 1.

Read a paper in the most prestigious journal in your field that “proves” that your entire life’s work is wrong. 2.