I recently had a paper torn apart by reviewers at a society level journal. This was a paper I was actually quite proud of, and even the editor sent me a separate note apologizing. If they were really sorry, they would have sent it to a second set of reviewers. The reason I thought my paper was appropriate for the sort've fancy journal is because they recently had published one on a very similar topic, using a very different approach that had far fewer results and far less value than what I had submitted. So my idea is to resubmit my paper and to ask the editor to send the paper to the reviewers that accepted for publication the other paper. I don't know who those reviewers are, so is there any reason for the editor not to honor my request? This also subtly points to the lottery of reviewing luck that seams to be occurring at this journal. I used to publish there a lot when I was a graduate student, back when it's publisher wasn't obsessed with impact factors. I want to employ this for glam mag submissions as well. Refer the editors to a paper in their journal that is similar and you know yours is clearly better than the crap they let in.
I have certainly requested different reviewers in the past, citing that, based on first review, the reviewers haven't acted in good conscience and entirely objectively.
ReplyDeleteThen say something like: for example, highly competent individuals already in your reviewer base include the researchers who reviewed [your old papers].
Additionally, here are a few more suggestions of highly qualified potential reviewers [a few additional names].
If you are polite and address the editor as part of the solution (and not part of the precipitate *snicker*), they will send it out to others.
Good luck!