Shorter Papers
Ben Leubsdorf at the WSJ does a keen project of roofing the tidings inside economic science over too-long papers, picky editing as well as refereeing, as well as other issues.
Defensive writing is for sure component of the issue
This isn't necessarily a bad equilibrium.
Way every bit good many papers are published inwards the kickoff place. Way every bit good many of them conduct keep pretty fatal flaws: didn't the (12!) referees discovery the huge alternative bias? Simply less reviewing isn't necessarily the response -- though journals are pretty wantonly using costless referee time. And it seems to me that everyone else's papers larn amend every bit they travel through the process. As a reader, brusque papers that conduct keep been through the wringer are better!
(On the other hand, I did in ane trial ship a newspaper that was less than 10 pages to a finance periodical exclusively to live told that the periodical does non impress brusque papers. The editor invited me to expand the topic as well as ship inwards the green lx pages.)
There is also some alternative bias inwards the remembered history. Yes, at that topographic point are a few keen brusque papers, as well as papers that conduct keep problem getting published, conduct keep been immensely influential. (In add-on to the mentioned papers past times Samuelson as well as Nash, Akerlof's lemons, Bob Shiller's volatility tests -- an AER papers as well as proceedings alongside ane sexy graph, that would never conduct keep been published every bit a regular newspaper -- Bob Lucas' Critique stand upwards out inwards my mind.) But at that topographic point are many other terrible brusque papers, as well as I conduct keep seen many papers that were confused messes inwards the kickoff draft larn a lot better. The process, laborious every bit it is, does add together value.
The whole tidings raises the question, only what are journals for anyway? Journals started every bit the mesh of the 1700s -- a way to communicate results, using this keen applied scientific discipline of printing as well as paper. The combination of the mesh of the 1990s as well as increasing publication lags hateful journals create non conduct keep that utilization anymore. "Publishing" is forthwith a instant of setting a particular function inwards stone.
I think journals are trying difficult to brand papers perfect on publication, particularly given the replication crisis inwards social sciences, as well as the number of prominent economic science papers that conduct keep fallen apart nether scrutiny. There is a vision that it should non live "published" unless it's "right" thus that anything "published" is reliably true. I think nosotros demand to surrender on that hope! Publication is the start of a conversation. Most papers are forgettable. The ones that affair volition conduct keep others tear them apart. Yes, papers should live non total of obvious problems, but the 70% or to a greater extent than of weight that is what almost this as well as what almost that is belike non that useful.
Writers could create a lot to assist the whole process. Writers: Get to the point! Why non write the brusque newspaper that Amy Finkelstein describes as well as then tack on all the extra stuff? Don't forcefulness the average reader to travel through a lot of junk to larn to the results.
Current papers tend to live structured:
Often this has gone on thus long that the actual nub of the newspaper is stuffed inwards the appendix. Theory papers don't include proofs or derivations whatever more! Empirical papers don't include an actual consummate specification of the specification. This is the paper. It's what you did. Throw the residuum out!
Writers could assist a lot past times focusing laser-like on what this newspaper does, inwards the kickoff 10 pages. Then materials the residuum inwards the back. Motivate it after nosotros know what it is. Tell us how it fits alongside what everyone else is doing after nosotros know what it is. (Or exit that to historians). And thus forth. All it takes from journals as well as referees is a lilliputian tolerance for odd organization. That is non easy.
Journals are changing. I think Glenn Ellison deserves a lot of credit for starting the modern moving ridge of self-examination in The Slowdown of the Economics Publishing Process. (Publishing this newspaper was also ane of my proudest moments every bit JPE editor.) Since then, journals conduct keep all been moving to procedure papers to a greater extent than quickly, to run across themselves every bit making issue or non decisions, rather than endless refinement; a ane circular as well as and thus aye or no ethic is taking hold, desk rejections of hopeless papers are increasing, as well as editors are becoming much to a greater extent than decisive.
The procedure is ongoing. Open refereeing as well as tidings forum are hot topics that I promise volition demeanor fruit sooner rather than later. We are wasting a lot of fourth dimension on a mistaken judicial process. The insights of people who conduct keep read as well as thought almost the paper, such every bit conference discussants, are lost inwards the editorial process; kickoff circular referee points are also lost, as well as a huge amount of attempt is duplicated. Achieving such an opened upwards forum alongside a modicum of civility is an of import challenge.
Hmm. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 post service almost every bit good long papers has gone on far every bit good long.
Defensive writing is for sure component of the issue
“If yous desire to issue a newspaper inwards a superlative journal, fifty-fifty if yous think yous conduct keep ane telephone substitution insight that tin live conveyed succinctly, the referees are non going to conduct keep it,” Ms. Finkelstein said.I think Amy would desire to clarify this agency referees at other journals. Editors are also to blame. We must remember, referees create non conduct keep or spend upwards papers, referees suggest editors, as well as it is e'er the editor's project to brand publication decisions.
From an early on phase of an academic career, “it becomes pretty clear that yous demand to banking corporation check off a pretty long listing of items to actually convince people that the way you’re interpreting your results is indeed the correct way to create it,” Mr. Bazzi said.
..... When you’re trying to anticipate possible criticisms on a controversial topic similar the minimum wage, as well as situate your enquiry inwards the deep existing literature on the subject, it “quickly adds upwards to a long paper,” said University of Massachusetts-Amherst economist Arindrajit Dube,....
Mr. Dube said that newspaper is forthwith inwards the procedure of beingness revised ahead of publication—including acting on a asking to brand it shorter.However, journals don't encourage length, as well as at that topographic point is some feel to the electrical current equilibrium. You write a newspaper alongside lots of defensive "what if this what if that." You ship it to journals. My typical newspaper is rejected at 2-3 journals, thus past times the fourth dimension it's published I conduct keep half-dozen to 12 reports. My referees are typically thoughtful as well as diligent, as well as the newspaper grows inwards addressing all of their what-abouts too. Since I haven't been doing detailed empirical function lately, the requests are non nearly every bit extensive every bit those authors receive. Then nosotros lastly brand it at publication, as well as the editor says "now cutting it downwardly to xl pages. You tin materials all that into an mesh appendix if yous like." Which nobody reads.
This isn't necessarily a bad equilibrium.
Way every bit good many papers are published inwards the kickoff place. Way every bit good many of them conduct keep pretty fatal flaws: didn't the (12!) referees discovery the huge alternative bias? Simply less reviewing isn't necessarily the response -- though journals are pretty wantonly using costless referee time. And it seems to me that everyone else's papers larn amend every bit they travel through the process. As a reader, brusque papers that conduct keep been through the wringer are better!
(On the other hand, I did in ane trial ship a newspaper that was less than 10 pages to a finance periodical exclusively to live told that the periodical does non impress brusque papers. The editor invited me to expand the topic as well as ship inwards the green lx pages.)
There is also some alternative bias inwards the remembered history. Yes, at that topographic point are a few keen brusque papers, as well as papers that conduct keep problem getting published, conduct keep been immensely influential. (In add-on to the mentioned papers past times Samuelson as well as Nash, Akerlof's lemons, Bob Shiller's volatility tests -- an AER papers as well as proceedings alongside ane sexy graph, that would never conduct keep been published every bit a regular newspaper -- Bob Lucas' Critique stand upwards out inwards my mind.) But at that topographic point are many other terrible brusque papers, as well as I conduct keep seen many papers that were confused messes inwards the kickoff draft larn a lot better. The process, laborious every bit it is, does add together value.
The whole tidings raises the question, only what are journals for anyway? Journals started every bit the mesh of the 1700s -- a way to communicate results, using this keen applied scientific discipline of printing as well as paper. The combination of the mesh of the 1990s as well as increasing publication lags hateful journals create non conduct keep that utilization anymore. "Publishing" is forthwith a instant of setting a particular function inwards stone.
I think journals are trying difficult to brand papers perfect on publication, particularly given the replication crisis inwards social sciences, as well as the number of prominent economic science papers that conduct keep fallen apart nether scrutiny. There is a vision that it should non live "published" unless it's "right" thus that anything "published" is reliably true. I think nosotros demand to surrender on that hope! Publication is the start of a conversation. Most papers are forgettable. The ones that affair volition conduct keep others tear them apart. Yes, papers should live non total of obvious problems, but the 70% or to a greater extent than of weight that is what almost this as well as what almost that is belike non that useful.
Writers could create a lot to assist the whole process. Writers: Get to the point! Why non write the brusque newspaper that Amy Finkelstein describes as well as then tack on all the extra stuff? Don't forcefulness the average reader to travel through a lot of junk to larn to the results.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor David Autor compared a 94-page working newspaper almost the minimum wage to “being bludgeoned to travel alongside a Nerf bat” as well as started a Twitter hashtag, #ThePaperIsTooDamnedLong.Well, if the newspaper (I conduct keep non read, I'm inferring) had gotten to the betoken -- the 10 page newspaper followed past times the what-ifs, as well as thus most readers would non conduct keep had to read 83 pages.
Current papers tend to live structured:
- Motivation -- why yous should care. Useless every bit it's almost a outcome yous don't sympathise yet.
- What everyone else is doing on the plain of study as well as what's incorrect alongside it. Generally impossible to follow unless yous already know it already.
- Review of literature, what other people are doing on the topic. Ditto
- Preview of results. But without what yous did to larn the results, normally useless.
- If empirical: Data sources as well as transformations. Plots of data. Preliminary analysis. Cute facts. Simple results. Finally, around tabular array 4, page 35, as well as an hr as well as 10 minutes into the seminar presentation, the chief result. Then extended what if this what if that.
- If theoretical: (good papers) Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 uncomplicated instance that shows the basic idea, as well as thus the chief result. (most papers) An incredibly full general setup. Then simplifying assumptions, as well as lastly the chief result. Then the uncomplicated example.
- Conclusion outlining the researcher's plans for the residuum of career
- Long appendix.
Often this has gone on thus long that the actual nub of the newspaper is stuffed inwards the appendix. Theory papers don't include proofs or derivations whatever more! Empirical papers don't include an actual consummate specification of the specification. This is the paper. It's what you did. Throw the residuum out!
Writers could assist a lot past times focusing laser-like on what this newspaper does, inwards the kickoff 10 pages. Then materials the residuum inwards the back. Motivate it after nosotros know what it is. Tell us how it fits alongside what everyone else is doing after nosotros know what it is. (Or exit that to historians). And thus forth. All it takes from journals as well as referees is a lilliputian tolerance for odd organization. That is non easy.
Journals are changing. I think Glenn Ellison deserves a lot of credit for starting the modern moving ridge of self-examination in The Slowdown of the Economics Publishing Process. (Publishing this newspaper was also ane of my proudest moments every bit JPE editor.) Since then, journals conduct keep all been moving to procedure papers to a greater extent than quickly, to run across themselves every bit making issue or non decisions, rather than endless refinement; a ane circular as well as and thus aye or no ethic is taking hold, desk rejections of hopeless papers are increasing, as well as editors are becoming much to a greater extent than decisive.
The procedure is ongoing. Open refereeing as well as tidings forum are hot topics that I promise volition demeanor fruit sooner rather than later. We are wasting a lot of fourth dimension on a mistaken judicial process. The insights of people who conduct keep read as well as thought almost the paper, such every bit conference discussants, are lost inwards the editorial process; kickoff circular referee points are also lost, as well as a huge amount of attempt is duplicated. Achieving such an opened upwards forum alongside a modicum of civility is an of import challenge.
Hmm. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 post service almost every bit good long papers has gone on far every bit good long.
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