Dealing with Rejections in Science Peer Review

When they said, "Just revise and resubmit (your proposal), you will be fine," I am certain that they didn't mean this ⬇ 🙃 Revising and resubmitting a rejected proposal requires careful planning, consideration, and improvement of various aspects. Here are some tips. 1. Review feedback thoroughly: Start by thoroughly reviewing the feedback provided by the reviewers. Understand their suggestions, as this will be the basis for the revisions. 2. Address reviewer comments: Read each comment and criticism thoroughly from the reviewers (not in the R&R but internally to plan). Think about how you will incorporate their suggestions or why you choose not to if you believe your original approach is sound. 3. Improve clarity and organization: Ensure that the proposal is clear and well-organized. Make your goals, objectives, activities, methods, and significance of the project explicit and easy to understand. Include a TOC and/or LM. 4. (If NSF) Strengthen the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts: Emphasize the IM and BI of your project. Explain how your project advances scientific knowledge and benefits society. 5. Update data: Include new preliminary data or results that strengthen your case. This can demonstrate the progress or the feasibility of your project. 6. Highlight collaborations: If applicable, highlight any new collaborations or partnerships that have developed since your initial submission. 7. Revisit budget and timeline: Review them to ensure they are realistic and well-justified. 8. Seek external input: Consider seeking feedback from colleagues, mentors, or peers who were not involved in the initial submission. Fresh perspectives can be valuable. 9. Follow guidelines: Ensure that you follow all solicitation guidelines and formatting requirements to the letter. This includes adherence to page limits, font sizes, and other formatting rules. 10. Resubmit strategically: Timing is important. Don't rush to resubmit immediately after receiving feedback. Take the time needed to plan and make substantial improvements. 11. Write a stronger project summary: Pay attention to your project summary or abstract. It should provide a clear and compelling overview of your project. 12. Stay positive: Remember that rejection is common in the world of grant funding. Be persistent, maintain a positive attitude, and keep refining your proposal with each resubmission. 13. Maybe consider a different program: If your proposal is repeatedly rejected, it may be worth exploring whether another program might be a better fit. 14. Consult w/Program Officers: Reach out to the POs for guidance. Attend office hours/webinars. 15. Peer review: Consider having your revised proposal reviewed by colleagues/mentors who have experience with similar grants. Yes, the resubmission process can be challenging and time-consuming, but it's also a good opportunity to strengthen the proposal and increase the chances for success. 0 submission = 0 success.

In a recent post, I discussed the conditional probability of acceptance at top #journals at different stages of the #review process. I was blown away by the response—many of you found encouragement in the idea that your odds improve significantly once your paper passes the editor’s desk. Today, I want to offer further encouragement to #PhD students and junior #faculty: aim your best research at top journals—but do so with the understanding that #rejection is part of the process, and that thoughtful engagement with reviewer feedback can still move your work forward. What do I mean by this? After a rejection, it’s tempting to brush off reviewer comments and send the same version of your manuscript to another journal. I’ve been guilty of this myself earlier in my career. But there’s a better approach: Treat the feedback you receive—even with a rejection—as if it were a revise-and-resubmit. Even if the paper didn’t make it this time, the feedback can help it succeed next time. Use the reviewers’ comments to strengthen your paper before the next submission. I suggest the following: 👉 Create a task list or draft a response document to systematically work through the feedback. 👉 Revise based on the points your team finds most salient and feasible. 👉 Acknowledge any methodological or data limitations you can't fix, so the next reviewer knows you've thoughtfully considered them. 👉 Set aside comments you find unhelpful or misdirected—but be prepared to justify your rationale if the issue comes up again. You may still face rejection—probably more than once. But if you treat each round of feedback as an opportunity to improve your work, your manuscript will evolve. And with each revision and submission, you increase the likelihood of finding the right home for your research. Think of your research career like building a long-term investment portfolio. Just as financial advisors recommend diversifying assets for sustainable wealth creation, #scholars should aim to develop a balanced portfolio of publications—some in elite journals, others in strong niche or second-tier outlets, all contributing to the larger body of work you develop over time. This strategy will enable you to consistently produce rigorous, thoughtful #research that builds your reputation, deepens your expertise, and contributes meaningfully to the field—creating a foundation for long-term success and career durability. #academiclife #publishing #scholarship

On rejection and failure making you a stronger academic. If I had 100 dollars for every time that I've been rejected, I could retire tomorrow. Rejection is the hardest part of being a professor. However. Rejection can also make you a better scholar and a more resilient researcher and improve the quality of your work. If you want rejection to help make you a stronger academic, keep in mind that rejections help you: (1) Build Persistence – Every scholar has faced rejection. Learning to revise and resubmit strengthens your ability to succeed in academia. (2) Enhance Your Critical Thinking – Reviewer feedback forces you to refine arguments, clarify methodologies, and construct stronger research. (3) Improve Your Research Quality – Rejection helps identify gaps in methodology, theory, or framing, ultimately strengthening your work. (4) Teaches You How to Handle Criticism – Learning to engage with feedback professionally shifts your mindset from failure to continuous learning and growth. (5) Sharpens Your Understanding of Peer Review – Understanding common reasons for rejection improves journal selection, submission strategies, and response strategies. (6) Help You Find the Right Audience For Your Work– Papers are sometimes rejected not due to quality but because they don’t fit a journal’s scope. Learning to match research with the right outlets increases your chances of long-term success. (7) Teaches You to Look Forward - rejection isn’t an endpoint—it’s a stepping stone toward better scholarship and long-term success. If you treat rejection as a redirection—an opportunity to refine your work, strengthen your resilience, and sharpen your scholarly voice - you will find it becomes a means to help learn, adapt, and succeed as an academic. Best of luck! #rejection #academicjourney