Ben Leubsdorf at the WSJ does a nifty chore of roofing the tidings inside economic science over too-long papers, picky editing in addition to refereeing, in addition to other issues.
Defensive writing is sure part of the issue
This isn't necessarily a bad equilibrium.
Way also many papers are published inward the get-go place. Way also many of them cause got pretty fatal flaws: didn't the (12!) referees honor the huge choice bias? Simply less reviewing isn't necessarily the respond -- though journals are pretty wantonly using gratis referee time. And it seems to me that everyone else's papers instruct ameliorate equally they snuff it through the process. As a reader, brusque papers that cause got been through the wringer are better!
(On the other hand, I did i time shipping a newspaper that was less than 10 pages to a finance periodical solely to live on told that the periodical does non impress brusque papers. The editor invited me to expand the topic in addition to shipping inward the park sixty pages.)
There is also some choice bias inward the remembered history. Yes, at that topographic point are a few nifty brusque papers, in addition to papers that cause got problem getting published, cause got been immensely influential. (In improver to the mentioned papers yesteryear Samuelson in addition to Nash, Akerlof's lemons, Bob Shiller's volatility tests -- an AER papers in addition to proceedings amongst i sexy graph, that would never cause got been published equally a regular newspaper -- Bob Lucas' Critique stand upward out inward my mind.) But at that topographic point are many other terrible brusque papers, in addition to I cause got seen many papers that were confused messes inward the get-go draft instruct a lot better. The process, laborious equally it is, does add together value.
The whole tidings raises the question, merely what are journals for anyway? Journals started equally the mesh of the 1700s -- a way to communicate results, using this nifty technology scientific discipline of printing in addition to paper. The combination of the mesh of the 1990s in addition to increasing publication lags hateful journals create non cause got that business office anymore. "Publishing" is right away a instant of setting a particular operate inward stone.
I think journals are trying difficult to brand papers perfect on publication, peculiarly given the replication crisis inward social sciences, in addition to the number of prominent economic science papers that cause got fallen apart nether scrutiny. There is a vision that it should non live on "published" unless it's "right" thence that anything "published" is reliably true. I think nosotros postulate to surrender on that hope! Publication is the start of a conversation. Most papers are forgettable. The ones that affair volition cause got others tear them apart. Yes, papers should live on non total of obvious problems, but the 70% or to a greater extent than of weight that is what virtually this in addition to what virtually that is in all probability non that useful.
Writers could create a lot to aid the whole process. Writers: Get to the point! Why non write the brusque newspaper that Amy Finkelstein describes in addition to then tack on all the extra stuff? Don't forcefulness the average reader to snuff it through a lot of junk to instruct to the results.
Current papers tend to live on structured:
Often this has gone on thence long that the actual heart in addition to someone of the newspaper is stuffed inward 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 aid a lot yesteryear focusing laser-like on what this newspaper does, inward the get-go 10 pages. Then materials the residuum inward the back. Motivate it after nosotros know what it is. Tell us how it fits amongst what everyone else is doing after nosotros know what it is. (Or locomote out that to historians). And thence forth. All it takes from journals in addition to referees is a piffling 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 i of my proudest moments equally JPE editor.) Since then, journals cause got all been moving to procedure papers to a greater extent than quickly, to run across themselves equally making release or non decisions, rather than endless refinement; a i circular in addition to thence yep or no ethic is taking hold, desk rejections of hopeless papers are increasing, in addition to editors are becoming much to a greater extent than decisive.
The procedure is ongoing. Open refereeing in addition to tidings forum are hot topics that I promise volition comport fruit sooner rather than later. We are wasting a lot of fourth dimension on a simulated judicial process. The insights of people who cause got read in addition to thought virtually the paper, such equally conference discussants, are lost inward the editorial process; get-go circular referee points are also lost, in addition to a huge amount of endeavor is duplicated. Achieving such an opened upward forum amongst a modicum of civility is an of import challenge.
Hmm. H5N1 post virtually also long papers has gone on far also long.
Defensive writing is sure part of the issue
“If y'all desire to release a newspaper inward a summit journal, fifty-fifty if y'all think y'all cause got i fundamental insight that tin live on conveyed succinctly, the referees are non going to accept 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 accept or decline papers, referees suggest editors, in addition to it is ever the editor's chore to brand publication decisions.
From an early on phase of an academic career, “it becomes pretty clear that y'all postulate to banking concern 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, in addition to situate your inquiry inward the deep existing literature on the subject, it “quickly adds upward to a long paper,” said University of Massachusetts-Amherst economist Arindrajit Dube,....
Mr. Dube said that newspaper is right away inward the procedure of beingness revised ahead of publication—including acting on a asking to brand it shorter.However, journals don't encourage length, in addition to at that topographic point is some feel to the electrical flow equilibrium. You write a newspaper amongst lots of defensive "what if this what if that." You shipping it to journals. My typical newspaper is rejected at 2-3 journals, thence yesteryear the fourth dimension it's published I cause got vi to 12 reports. My referees are typically thoughtful in addition to diligent, in addition to the newspaper grows inward addressing all of their what-abouts too. Since I haven't been doing detailed empirical operate lately, the requests are non nearly equally extensive equally those authors receive. Then nosotros in conclusion locomote inward at publication, in addition to the editor says "now cutting it downward to xl pages. You tin materials all that into an mesh appendix if y'all like." Which nobody reads.
This isn't necessarily a bad equilibrium.
Way also many papers are published inward the get-go place. Way also many of them cause got pretty fatal flaws: didn't the (12!) referees honor the huge choice bias? Simply less reviewing isn't necessarily the respond -- though journals are pretty wantonly using gratis referee time. And it seems to me that everyone else's papers instruct ameliorate equally they snuff it through the process. As a reader, brusque papers that cause got been through the wringer are better!
(On the other hand, I did i time shipping a newspaper that was less than 10 pages to a finance periodical solely to live on told that the periodical does non impress brusque papers. The editor invited me to expand the topic in addition to shipping inward the park sixty pages.)
There is also some choice bias inward the remembered history. Yes, at that topographic point are a few nifty brusque papers, in addition to papers that cause got problem getting published, cause got been immensely influential. (In improver to the mentioned papers yesteryear Samuelson in addition to Nash, Akerlof's lemons, Bob Shiller's volatility tests -- an AER papers in addition to proceedings amongst i sexy graph, that would never cause got been published equally a regular newspaper -- Bob Lucas' Critique stand upward out inward my mind.) But at that topographic point are many other terrible brusque papers, in addition to I cause got seen many papers that were confused messes inward the get-go draft instruct a lot better. The process, laborious equally it is, does add together value.
The whole tidings raises the question, merely what are journals for anyway? Journals started equally the mesh of the 1700s -- a way to communicate results, using this nifty technology scientific discipline of printing in addition to paper. The combination of the mesh of the 1990s in addition to increasing publication lags hateful journals create non cause got that business office anymore. "Publishing" is right away a instant of setting a particular operate inward stone.
I think journals are trying difficult to brand papers perfect on publication, peculiarly given the replication crisis inward social sciences, in addition to the number of prominent economic science papers that cause got fallen apart nether scrutiny. There is a vision that it should non live on "published" unless it's "right" thence that anything "published" is reliably true. I think nosotros postulate to surrender on that hope! Publication is the start of a conversation. Most papers are forgettable. The ones that affair volition cause got others tear them apart. Yes, papers should live on non total of obvious problems, but the 70% or to a greater extent than of weight that is what virtually this in addition to what virtually that is in all probability non that useful.
Writers could create a lot to aid the whole process. Writers: Get to the point! Why non write the brusque newspaper that Amy Finkelstein describes in addition to then tack on all the extra stuff? Don't forcefulness the average reader to snuff it through a lot of junk to instruct to the results.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor David Autor compared a 94-page working newspaper virtually the minimum wage to “being bludgeoned to expiry amongst a Nerf bat” in addition to started a Twitter hashtag, #ThePaperIsTooDamnedLong.Well, if the newspaper (I cause got non read, I'm inferring) had gotten to the indicate -- the 10 page newspaper followed yesteryear the what-ifs, thence most readers would non cause got had to read 83 pages.
Current papers tend to live on structured:
- Motivation -- why y'all should care. Useless equally it's virtually a upshot y'all don't empathise yet.
- What everyone else is doing on the dependent champaign in addition to what's incorrect amongst it. Generally impossible to follow unless y'all already know it already.
- Review of literature, what other people are doing on the topic. Ditto
- Preview of results. But without what y'all did to instruct the results, commonly useless.
- If empirical: Data sources in addition to transformations. Plots of data. Preliminary analysis. Cute facts. Simple results. Finally, around tabular array 4, page 35, in addition to an hr in addition to 10 minutes into the seminar presentation, the principal result. Then extended what if this what if that.
- If theoretical: (good papers) H5N1 unproblematic instance that shows the basic idea, thence the principal result. (most papers) An incredibly full general setup. Then simplifying assumptions, in addition to in conclusion the principal result. Then the unproblematic example.
- Conclusion outlining the researcher's plans for the residuum of career
- Long appendix.
Often this has gone on thence long that the actual heart in addition to someone of the newspaper is stuffed inward 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 aid a lot yesteryear focusing laser-like on what this newspaper does, inward the get-go 10 pages. Then materials the residuum inward the back. Motivate it after nosotros know what it is. Tell us how it fits amongst what everyone else is doing after nosotros know what it is. (Or locomote out that to historians). And thence forth. All it takes from journals in addition to referees is a piffling 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 i of my proudest moments equally JPE editor.) Since then, journals cause got all been moving to procedure papers to a greater extent than quickly, to run across themselves equally making release or non decisions, rather than endless refinement; a i circular in addition to thence yep or no ethic is taking hold, desk rejections of hopeless papers are increasing, in addition to editors are becoming much to a greater extent than decisive.
The procedure is ongoing. Open refereeing in addition to tidings forum are hot topics that I promise volition comport fruit sooner rather than later. We are wasting a lot of fourth dimension on a simulated judicial process. The insights of people who cause got read in addition to thought virtually the paper, such equally conference discussants, are lost inward the editorial process; get-go circular referee points are also lost, in addition to a huge amount of endeavor is duplicated. Achieving such an opened upward forum amongst a modicum of civility is an of import challenge.
Hmm. H5N1 post virtually also long papers has gone on far also long.
