Out of the blue

Abstract

To the Editor: Whether it follows an application to a prestigious university, an amorous advance, the coveted but passed over promotion, or a manuscript submitted after months of assiduous toiling, there are few experiences more painful than rejection. As someone who over the course of a career has had numerous manuscripts rejected by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, one as recently as last month, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Armstrong et al's study on the fate of manuscripts rejected by the JAAD.1Amstrong A.W. Idriss S.Z. Kimball A.B. Bernhard J.D. Fate of manuscripts declined by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008; 58: 632-635Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (29) Google Scholar The April 2008 issue of the JAAD not only taught me about the efficacy of weekly cryotherapy for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis,2Mosleh I.M. Geith E. Natsheh L. Schonian G. Abotteen N. Kharabsheh S. Efficacy of a weekly cruotherapy regimen to treat Leishmania major cutaneous leishmaniasis.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008; 58: 617-624Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (47) Google Scholar oral curcurmin's lack of benefit in psoriasis,3Kurd S.K. Smith N. VanVoorhees A. Troxel A. Badmaev V. Seykora J.T. et al.Oral curcumin in the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis vulgaris: a prospective clinical trial.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008; 58: 625-631Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (109) Google Scholar and the skin effects of systemic chemotherapy,4Heidary N. Naik H. Burgin S. Chemotherapeutic agents and the skin: an update.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008; 58: 545-570Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (189) Google Scholar but it instilled in me some life lessons as well. After reading Armstrong et al's study, my mother's clichéd advice, delivered during my childhood, was validated: “Even if you don't succeed, try and try again.” A rejected manuscript is not necessarily fated to be buried deep within the academic dung heap. Additionally, heeding the counsel of expert reviewers seems to have merit, even though one's initial blustery reaction after reading the rejection notification usually is to blame those “idiotic” reviewers, who obviously were incapable of understanding the profundity of the submission. Furthermore, in my case, not only did I learn that I have 102 other dermatology journals to which to peddle my manuscript (one that I still think is quite good, may I humbly add), but several of them have impact factors that surpass the JAAD! While I will continue to submit work to the esteemed “Blue Journal,” I promise not to be as “blue” when submissions are not embraced with the enthusiasm for which I hope and yearn. I vow not to be discouraged and to ultimately persevere by using reviewers' comments to improve my work. However, with today's endeavor, I realize that I'm going out on a limb: after rejection of this submission—a letter to the Editor about an article published in the JAAD—it will be extremely difficult to get this work published in any other journal. Fate of manuscripts declined by the Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyJournal of the American Academy of DermatologyVol. 58Issue 4PreviewSubmissions to the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD) undergo a rigorous peer-review process. However, little is known regarding the fate of manuscripts declined by the JAAD. Full-Text PDF