Manuscript Submitted!

Sorry for the delay on this update. This is academia, after all!

The reason why I’ve been waiting on this particular post was I wanted to put up something exciting that’s been brewing for a while. After a year of working on this project, we have submitted my manuscript on Two-Component Signaling to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences! This has been a very exciting project to have worked on, especially considering we do a bit of real bioinformatics in gathering data to support our theories. We presented this work both as a poster presentation and a contributed talk this year at q-bio, where it was well received. Now to keep fingers crossed as we wait to hear back from them to see if we get triaged or get sent to review.

The delay comes from the game itself: the great Game of Academia. Some professors don’t like that term, as one’s career should never be a game. But politics are everywhere. Can you imagine how much time the President’s speechwriters spend making sure that each word chosen, the structure of every sentence set so that it conveys exactly what the administration wants to say? It’s the same in academia. You have to write your articles so that it is engaging, tells a story. But you have to make sure that you do not suggest much more than what you can show when presenting results. The best scientists are amongst the greatest communicators as what good is your science if you cannot communicate it to others?

So we had to play the game. Make sure the discussion isn’t redundant, but doesn’t overstep and become too hypothetical. Make sure the math supports the text. Make sure we use the same terminology as the leaders in the field so we don’t look like we don’t belong. Even the cover letter has to be worded well: you have to grab the editor’s attention immediately and make the case for why their journal should publish your work. And it gets difficult saying the same thing over and over again without sounding redundant or without wearing out key phrases.

Now that this manuscript is submitted there is not much we can do for it for the time being. We have to wait and see what happens. But rather than twiddle my thumbs, it’s on to the next project. During the editing process I already established a strong head start. I know the story, and it comes down to the figures. Yet another form of the game, but this time you have to make sure that the graphs you show support your story while being easy enough to read. I’ve encountered my share of articles with mind-bogglingly complicated plots, some of which I still don’t understand. Complexity and large amounts of data do not make one a great scientist if others cannot just pick it up, glance at it, and understand what point you’re trying to make by including it. Once I can finish up these figures I can get on to writing the next manuscript!

Anyway, to sum it all up: take the time to make sure your text says what you want, your story is captivating, and your figures make sense!

Keep calm and research on!