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Hello again, Everyone, Let's take a further look at responding to feedback from a journal. Hopefully, the journal will offer reviewers a structured template for comments as this goes some way to ensuring a review will be thorough and enable the author to respond (constructively) to what is said. IJMCE uses ScholarOne, and while no system is perfect, I find as a reviewer for several journals as well as an editor that the prompts it offers assist me in communicating what begins as an overall impression (first read of a manuscript); moves in to a word by word analysis (second read of a manuscript and making notes) and committing my review to author and editor and checking I have not missed any points I want and/or need to make (third read). So let's imagine, as often happens, that I ask for some revisions to be made. If I ask for the author to reduce the word length (IJMCE does not accept over 6000 word manuscripts) and I want the author to retain the 'essence' of each section in the script; I ask for amplification of certain sections and for consideration of additional references, I may well appear to be asking for the impossible! How could an author reduce the length, amplify some parts and add a critique and still not exceed the given word limit? That is often what can disconcert an author. Shall we see how I reduce paragraph one above? Let's talk a further look at responding to feedback from a journal.Let's look again at responding to feedback. We know I am talking about a journal already.Hopefully, the journal will offer reviewers a structured template for comments as this goes some way to ensuring a review will be thorough and to enable the author to respond (constructively) to what is said. Hopefully, reviewers can use a structured template to ensure a review is thorough and to enable a constructive response. Pruning is easy and fun! Set yourself a challenge to see how few words you need to use! My all time record was a statement for a solicitor that he transcribed from a tape recording that exceeded 26,000 words. The challenge he set was to reduce this to less than 10,000. Every redundant 'that'; 'which'; 'and' and 'however' had to go. It was superb preparation for editing and for responding to a call to reduce a wordy text. (Thanks for the mentoring too!) Now let's think about how we retain the 'essence' of each section. Take a highlighter pen and mark on a hard copy or simply highlight a section of a WORD doc to identify what is central to meaning in a particular section. Now, examine how the 'essence' is expressed. Could it be usefully reduced? Could the words that introduce it and discuss it be pruned back so that, like a beautiful rose, it is not obscured? Could we express it more simply? How can we amplify a point without adding dramatically to the length of the manuscript? Again - prune back hard then, if needs be, write the amplification needed without worry about the number of words. Once we have expressed what we need to say: then prune! Trying to express ideas creatively and simultaneously reduce word length to a minimum doesn't work for me. I hope it does for you. I need to write at length, then cut out words. Finally, this evening, let's have a think about how to engage (critically) with additional references while not exceeding the word limit allowed. Quite simply, something must disappear. Read additional references (especially if reviewers suggest specific ones). Decide which, if any, of your references in your original text can be replaced and cut superfluous titles. If a later reference covers several points, cite that and cut others. Thank you for reading this evening's offering... Tomorrow, I will return to consider how authors might structure a manuscript for publication. If there is any area of Writing for publication; turning a presentation paper into a publication, which you would like me to discuss, please email me off this list and I will do my best to include it in our sessions. There's something else that I must cover that has just occurred to me; rejection rates! Warm regards, Everyone, Sarah Dr. Sarah Fletcher Editor-in-chief; International Journal for Mentoring and Coaching in Education; http://www.emeraldinsight.com/ijmce.htm - free online access until November 1