现在某些作者喜欢把referee report,主要是rejection letter挂在自己网上——当然,这通常是在自己的论文发表以后,以此显示先前的rejection是多么的不靠谱。偶然读到了这么一封挂在网上的,倒确实让人难以置信,我甚至可以想象作者读信时的恼怒。
https://urresearch.rochester.edu/fileDownloadForInstitutionalItem.action?itemId=127&itemFileId=150
(背景知识:Engines of Liberation一文最后发表在Review of Economic Studies, 2005年,这封拒信是2002年AER的)
里面这样写道:Even taken on its own terms, this paper is an incredible mess-terribly written, and terribly organized. Casual language is employed throughout mixed with high-tech language out of place in mainstream journal. Wild assertions peper the text, historical evidence appears at random with no apparent understanding of the context, research by sociologists and social historians is berated- I could go on. In short, this paper is nowhere close to being in a state where it could be considered for publication by any economic journal, much less a major one.
拒信的最后一段这样写道:
I do hope the authors continue to think about applying dynamic GE models to historical issues. I also hope that they spend more time with knowledgeable economic historians - or, if none are close at hand, persuade their colleagues to hire one.