The Twin Arts of Writing and Revising Technical Articles

Abstract

Authors write papers; reviewers review them. The relationship between them is a kind of love-hate relationship. Reviewers are loved when they write nice things; they are hated when they niggle. But there is no way the authors could avoid the reviewers. They are an absolute necessity. Without them there would be no quality publishing. For authors, fame is the spur, with promotion and job security as extras. There are, however, risks. The author discloses professional secrets to a potentially hostile audience, which may or may not know much about the subject. Unfortunately, there is no choice. Sending a manuscript means disclosure.