Thread by @spbhanot

This is surely thread-worthy! So here goes a short 🧵…

[but academic friends, please add thoughts in the comments! I am not obviously an expert]

https://twitter.com/shirhappens/status/1671248245803167744

1) Be clear about why a null matters! I’ve reviewed a few null papers where the person was like “I tried this and… null! Oh well.” Don’t do this! Tell the reader why a null is important and how it contributes to the literature (in the intro/abstract if possible).

2) Have a good discussion section where you seriously engage with your null finding in the context of key questions in the field. Talk about how future work could shed light on your finding and/or build on it in interesting ways.

3) Be prepared for non-acceptance (I don’t like the “rejection” language, it’s silly and unhelpful), and don’t take it personally (or get too mad!)… (Side note: journals are actually more open to nulls than I had expected, and the trend there is good too!)

4) If your paper is “rejected” by an editor/reviewers and the main reason is basically “but… this is a null!” - Don’t dawdle or tear your hair out revising. Submit somewhere else. [Obviously if they have ‘better’ qualms, revise!]

5) Try to ignore (every?) field’s “top journal or bust” attitude. Lots of profs/advisors have this view too. It’s problematic - a broken system, really. Tell yourself that you are a scientist, and you do science the right way. Putting it in a drawer is not very good science…

5a) Related to the previous, you do have to be willing to “go down the rankings” with journals fairly quickly. It stinks, but that’s how it is, sadly. People will call it “filler” on your CV…

… but these people either have a bunch of nulls in a drawer (bad science), are a p is always < 0.05 level genius (🤷🏾‍♂️), or faking data! There are likely some other categories they could be, but I am not genius enough to think of them right now 😂

6) Be thoughtful when you start a project. I like thinking of a new project this way: “If I DO get a null, is it still somewhat interesting?” If I’m not sure the answer is “yes,” I try to think about the idea some more. Slow science, and letting an idea sit for a bit, is good!

7) Give yourself a break emotionally. Not all ideas are great or work out. That’s normal. And academia is not really a perfect meritocracy, or completely fair. Step back and take some joy from being part of the broader scientific effort. It is trial AND error, after all 😉