Why I Miss Bill Clinton (and other thoughts):

I received notice yesterday that one of my article submissions to a scholarly journal has been "conditionally accepted" for publication. This means that some revisions have been suggested and that I need to respond to these suggestions and resubmit the paper for final acceptance. Whew! Another paper I submitted several months ago was rejected, but not roundly. The comments from the reviewers were accurate and fair. In both cases, I have found the peer review process to be encouraging and helpful, rather than punitive or disheartening. In fact, I enjoy the idea that others are reading my work and giving it thoughtful consideration - e.g. does this contribute anything to something that we need to know more about? The fact that in one case, reviewers felt that my work is a contribution to knowledge is quite affirming. Of course, as a friend noted, it is likely that only a couple hundred people will ever read the article once its published, and two of them have already done so, but still...