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Suspense. Any news on WHEN the NIH/FDA study might come out?

Eric Johnson from I&I

Senior Member
Messages
337
CAA said on the 9th that the paper was expected "within weeks."

What someone said here last night, I have heard before elsewhere: PNAS sometimes takes stuff off embargo days before it is actually published. Thus, you can read about something in the newspapers for three or four days before the actual paper is available to anyone.
 

Eric Johnson from I&I

Senior Member
Messages
337
Well, being in PNAS vs elsewhere is really a pretty big deal. PNAS is #3/4 across all of biomed (and maybe beyond) - and there really is no #5. Who #5 is varies by field and subfield.
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
If the PNAS is serious about re-accepting the article, I doubt that taking it to another journal would speed things up.

Someone in a relatively recent post (about a discussion over dinner with their colleagues - I looked everywhere I could think of for the thread - my apologies) made an excellent point about the pressure on the PNAS to move forward. PNAS doesn't have forever.

Me!:victory: It's in the Community Lounge.

I am out-of-date with regard to the logistics of publication. I have been assuming that what looks like delay is just the normal time lag between PNAS receiving the modified/adapted paper and getting it into publication format. It's been less than a month, right?

I've been saying not to expect to see the paper before mid-Aug, thinking about the logistics of publication, but today's procedures could be faster than I'm familiar with.

Can anyone more current on scientific publication comment? What is the normal time lag these days?
 

George

waitin' fer rabbits
Messages
853
Location
South Texas
I don't know about the timelines. I mean we've seen everything from 6 months for the Science paper to like what, 5 days for the Weasel paper? So I think it depends on what the editor had for breakfast. (grins) But seriously, it looks like there are quite a bit of politics involved in these journals as well. I'm sure there are fantastic important papers that are never published at one journal because they go against an editors beliefs or the politics of the moment.

I really do think that all the blah, blah, blah from the CAA * and "sources" are mostly just to keep us from kicking up to big a fuss and to buy some time. Which I understand. I would not want to be the DHHS/FDA/NIH (I add the CDC but no use mixing up the peas and carrots) when the paper does come out. And be seen as having my pants down around my ankles, no answers, no test, nothing about blood safety. I mean talk about a weiney roast, sheessss. (sorry guys, grins)

And the CFS/ME story is going to make the media very, very, very happy for at least a year. It has all the makings of a Pulitzer prize. I mean next to AIDES this is wonderful, corrupt government officials, tragic loss, big scary retrovirus. I mean I figure I'll see half of you guy on the The View or the Todays Show or some other show before the end of next year. (grins)

But I give it to till the 30th of August. If I don't see it before then I plan on screaming to the top of my lungs in the middle of highway 90 right across from channel 4. (grins)

* (note I thinks the CAA tries really hard to do the right thing)
 

knackers323

Senior Member
Messages
1,625
If the PNAS is serious about re-accepting the article, I doubt that taking it to another journal would speed things up.

Someone in a relatively recent post (about a discussion over dinner with their colleagues - I looked everywhere I could think of for the thread - my apologies) made an excellent point about the pressure on the PNAS to move forward. PNAS doesn't have forever. Other research groups are doing this work and it is just a matter of time before someone else steps forward to claim the first confirmation of the Science paper. If that were to happen, it would be a huge loss for PNAS. The next best thing to being first (perhaps even better in many ways) is being the first to confirm.

Are they serious about releasing it? Thats the question.
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
Everybody just keeps getting quietly reassured. I hate to keep the reference alive.... but seriously? We've all seen the movie.... we all know what they did to HIV....

DHHS (wasn't it them?) said the Alter paper is in the hands of PNAS. If they are lying (which I doubt) then they've put PNAS on the firing line if the DHHS suppresses the paper. PNAS won't put up with that. I'm guessing the paper is going through the publication process at PNAS and there's nothing (or very little) the CAA can (or should) do to hurry that process.
 

jspotila

Senior Member
Messages
1,099
DHHS (wasn't it them?) said the Alter paper is in the hands of PNAS. If they are lying (which I doubt) then they've put PNAS on the firing line if the DHHS suppresses the paper. PNAS won't put up with that. I'm guessing the paper is going through the publication process at PNAS and there's nothing (or very little) the CAA can (or should) do to hurry that process.

The paper will be published, according to what we've been told. PNAS is in charge of the timing, and no one knows (besides them) when the paper will actually be published.
 

V99

Senior Member
Messages
1,471
Location
UK
How long does it take to review the extra bit?

Editor: blink, blink, "looks like before", blink, blink.
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
How long does it take to review the extra bit?

Editor: blink, blink, "looks like before", blink, blink.

It's probably all technical stuff -- the whole thing has to be reformatted, galleys produced and sent around for approval, committee agreement about which paper in the production schedule is going to be bumped to get the Alter paper in, etc, etc. Boring, but necessary.

If they're actually peer-reviewing the changes, which is quite likely, then there's always a delay there. They can't expect busy researchers to drop everything the minute the paper shows up for review. Even if PNAS is in a hurry that alone could take a couple of weeks.
 

V99

Senior Member
Messages
1,471
Location
UK
Editor: blink, blink, "CDC says they used the same method" blink, blink, he he he he he, grin.
 

Hope123

Senior Member
Messages
1,266
Just FYI, if the paper is out for peer review again, it likely will take a few weeks unless the editor specifically asks for a shorter deadline. In case people don't know, reviewers are usually not paid to review papers and do it in addition to their usual paid work. Reviewers do it partly because it allows them early access to research results. I think one reason for anonymous reviews is so that reviewers can critique a paper freely without fear of reprise. The academic world in a specific field is much smaller than the general public realizes and many researchers know or are connected to each other in different ways. Human nature being what it is, researchers occasionally have feuds with other researchers based on bad reviews, prior bad experiences with the other researcher, personality clash, etc. Some journals will allow researchers submitting a paper to request a specific reviewer (who still might be anonymous) or ask that a specific person not review the paper for a specific reason (e.g. a competing group). These requests are granted case-by-case. One of my past acquaintances was a science journal editor.
 

floydguy

Senior Member
Messages
650
The world of scientific research is definitely not my area of expertise. It's very disappointing to keep seeing that it operates more like a junior high school girls locker room than a professional organization in search of enlightenment. It's also discouraging to see what a waste of money many of these studies are.
 

ukxmrv

Senior Member
Messages
4,413
Location
London
Wasn't the Editor going to be on leave for a while? I'm searching through the reports trying to find where it was said and for how long.

Did find this quote though

Dr. Randy Schekman, editor in chief of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said last week that he expected the matter to be resolved within weeks, although he would not discuss specifics of the study or the journal’s review of it. The journal, he added, had been “inundated by e-mails from people with chronic fatigue syndrome begging us to release this paper.”
 

George

waitin' fer rabbits
Messages
853
Location
South Texas
The world of scientific research is definitely not my area of expertise. It's very disappointing to keep seeing that it operates more like a junior high school girls locker room than a professional organization in search of enlightenment. It's also discouraging to see what a waste of money many of these studies are.


Dang Floyd and I was going to say like a guys high school locker room. (big grins) The paper went back to PNAS (according to Mindy) The week of July 5th. The editor (smart man) did take two weeks vaction but is back (as of the 20th (per Mindy) The paper has has had 4 weeks to be peer reviewed and licked, polished (o.k. o.k. the licking part was my ideal) proofed, poofed, galleyed and inserted.

So I wonder what the hold up could be???? (me putting on my duh, stupid face)

I'm sorry when did Dr. Le Grice send his essays to the other labs to begin the manufacturing process????????????

(George wandering off behind the little animals)
 

V99

Senior Member
Messages
1,471
Location
UK
I'm sorry when did Dr. Le Grice send his essays to the other labs to begin the manufacturing process????????????
Do you think the publication date and this will match up?
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
It's very disappointing to keep seeing that it operates more like a junior high school girls locker room than a professional organization in search of enlightenment.

And just how do you know about junior high girls' locker rooms, floydguy? [raised eyebrow]

I'm seeing more teen-aged male posturing, myself. But I can't speak for their lockerooms as I have no experience therein [self-righteous sniif]
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
Dang Floyd and I was going to say like a guys high school locker room. (big grins) The paper went back to PNAS (according to Mindy) The week of July 5th. The editor (smart man) did take two weeks vaction but is back (as of the 20th (per Mindy) The paper has has had 4 weeks to be peer reviewed and licked, polished (o.k. o.k. the licking part was my ideal) proofed, poofed, galleyed and inserted.

So I wonder what the hold up could be???? (me putting on my duh, stupid face)

In th' good ole days, 4 weeks wasn't near enough time t' do that there job -- maybe 8 weeks, or 12 was more like it. Nowadays, with these young'ens rushin' around with their comp-yooters and their inter -nets might have it down to 6 weeks, but I'd be mightily surprised if it was much less.

:sofa: