Are You Ready for Some Football?

Greetings! By the time you read this editorial (hopefully you do), some of you will have begun to see summer yield to autumn. Here in Louisiana, September really is just extended summer. In fact, September is equally as oppressive as July and August, and we’re a full month from being blessed with cooler temperatures. However, we do begin to see signs of fall, such as the first migrations of bluewinged teal into our marshes and the beginning of college football. College football is a way of life here, and I’ve never witnessed such passion for something so basic, outside of a few waterfowl hunters that I know (e.g., me)! I must admit, I’ve become nearly as obsessed with watching college football as I have hunting waterfowl. Obsessions such as these pull our attention away from the stresses in life. More importantly, I think they put things in perspective and allow our minds to rest. I realize the obvious question becomes, what does college football have to do with an editorial in the Journal? That’s a valid question, but I have a simple answer. A common issue that crosses my desk from authors boils down to several simple questions. Why did my manuscript fail? What could I have done differently to avoid having the manuscript rejected? How do I move forward with revising the work in a way that will improve success in the future? These questions prompted me to write this editorial, and trying to conceptualize it made me think of college football. I liken construction of a manuscript to fielding a football team. What makes a solid football team? At the risk of being contacted by the coaches in our ranks, I’ll simplify my answer. Basics. Fundamentals. Details. Preparation. These are the building blocks of a good football team and, in my opinion, of a solid manuscript that will perform well in peer review. Successful football teams are well-grounded in basics, understand fundamentals of the game, pay attention to details, and prepare week in and week out. Those that lack in any category ultimately fail because a good football team will expose whatever weakness is present. As an author, I try to keep these 4 qualities in mind as I write. Likewise, when reviewing manuscripts, I use these qualities as a template to judge the work. As Editor-in-Chief, I envision basics in a manuscript as experimental design and methodology of the study being presented. Without a doubt, the factor that contributes most to manuscripts being rejected is critical flaws in experimental design and (or) insurmountable problems with research methodology. Once the basics are covered and are sound, the fundamentals associated with data analysis and presentation greatly influence whether the manuscript fulfills its objectives. A manuscript with solid basics and poor fundamentals will inevitably fail to reach its potential. Details then become important, whether they be in methodology, analysis, or interpretation. The reader must be able to repeat the work, follow the methods, and understand the interpretation. Often, the seemingly minor details (intangibles for you football fans) come to the forefront here and are capable of ensuring a solid manuscript. Lastly, it comes down to preparation. Even the best football team can fail because of poor preparation. How many times have you heard a coach lament on television about how his or her team was not properly prepared for the task at hand? Likewise, I see many manuscripts fail because of poor preparation, typically through a lack of clarity in writing. Regardless of how unique the work is, or how solid the study design, poor preparation will result in poor performance during peer review. Using my football example, it is the coaches’ responsibility to ensure that the team is prepared; authors have that same responsibility to ensure that their manuscript is well-prepared prior to submission. If they don’t, they should expect to shoulder the blame just as the coach does. When a manuscript is submitted to the Journal, its basics, fundamentals, details, and preparation are critically evaluated. A successful author will formulate manuscripts with this in mind.