Last week I received a rejection from a journal with a very efficient electronic submission system. This was the second time the paper has been rejected, so I was feeling more than a little disappointed. I forwarded the decision to my co-author with a note that said something along the lines of: “shit, shit, shit. this is a decent paper, though. we’ll find a home for it eventually.”
Except that I didn’t forward it to my co-author. I hit “reply” and the email went straight to the editor. I didn’t realize this until I received a very kind email from him the next day, lamenting the fact that I was upset by the decision. Careless. Embarrassing. Unprofessional. A mistake I won’t make again.
