Apply rules of dating to publishing

The basics of courting can be a lot like the scientific publishing process.

Issue: March 2008

ByJuan J. Rivera IV

This recent Valentine’s Day, it occurred to me that dating and scientific publishing are very similar processes.

We all remember that one date: the one that should have gone right but didn’t. We spent days, perhaps weeks, choosing the right outfit, the perfect place and the right words. The day arrives, and the perfect date starts out as a disaster. You make it to the meeting place and find out that your counterpart is not alone; he or she brought along a couple of friends. All of a sudden it’s not a date anymore; it’s more like a tryout. You will be peer reviewed!

Juan Rivera, MD
Juan Rivera

I will definitely not claim to be an expert on either dating or scientific publishing. I am just trying to put my reality (which, by the way, is not dating) in context with this annual holiday that celebrates love and dating. Although, for the record, I have dated more than I have published scientific papers. Here are my arguments. You can be the judge.

Know the background information. You don’t want to pull a whammy during the early stages of the game. I have a friend that told a girl a “Dominican” joke during their first date. It turned out that although the girl was born in the United States, her parents were from the Dominican Republic. This could have been completely avoided if he had done at least a basic background check. When you are writing a scientific paper, you have to feel comfortable with previous literature that relates to your topic. This will allow you to put your findings in perspective and point out why your study results are unique. Not knowing the background will definitely prevent you from getting to first base.
Don’t lie. I have heard many people say that sooner or later the truth always surfaces. Lying on that first date is a recipe for failure. (Most of us have done it at least once.) Don’t tell your date that you can bench-press 250 lb just to let her down weeks later when you invite her to work out with you. (Of course, by then you have forgotten about the white lie). The relationship of this basic principle with scientific writing needs no explanation. Just remember the allegations of lying surrounding Hwang Woo-Suk, PhD, the infamous stem cell researcher. If you lie, your relationship as well as your scientific career could die.
Peer-review process. When you are beginning to date someone, you are not just performing for that person but for his or her family and friends as well. You may not know it, but you are being peer reviewed. Your scientific manuscript will also undergo a peer-review process. On these occasions, as opposed to dating, you have the opportunity to give suggestions regarding who you think the reviewers should be. But the bottom line is very similar; just one skeptic may be enough to prompt a rejection, causing your feelings to get hurt.
Rejection reaction. You can basically react in one of two ways: you either state your case again, asking for a second chance, or you take your data elsewhere.
Limit confounding statements, and clearly state your limitations. Make sure that you “adjust” for third variables, sometimes fourth, when you are assessing the relationship at hand. Not adjusting for pertinent variables overestimates the relationship and creates false hopes. If you state your limitations clearly, people will interpret the data based on what it really means and not based on what you would want it to be.

I rest my case.

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Juan Rivera, MD, is a Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Heart Disease and a member of the Cardiology Today Fellows Advisory Board. He also writes a cardiovascular prevention blog for Hispanics called Corazon Hispano. The blog can be viewed at: corazonhispano.blogspot.com.