Page 131 - How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper, 8th Edition 8th Edition

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publication) without ever realizing that only they could have prevented whatever it is they are complaining about. For
example, authors many times complain that their pictures have been printed upside-down or sideways. When I have
checked out such complaints, I have found in almost all instances that the part of the photograph marked "top" on the
proof was also the top in the journal; the author simply missed it. Actually, the author probably missed twice, once by
neglecting to mark "top" on the photograph submitted to the journal and again by failing to note that the printer had
marked "top" on the wrong side of the proof.
So, if you are going to complain, do it at the proof stage. And, believe it or not, your complaint is likely to be received
graciously. Those of us who pay the bills realize that we have invested heavily in setting the specifications that can
provide quality reproduction. We need your quality control, however, to ensure that our money is not wasted.

The good journals are printed by good printers, hired by good publishers. The published paper will have your name on
it, but the reputations of both the publisher and the printer are also at stake. They expect you to work with them in
producing a superior product.

Because managing editors of such journals must protect the integrity of the product, those I have known would never
hire a printer exclusively on the basis of low bids. John Ruskin was no doubt right when he said, "There is hardly
anything in the world that somebody cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider
price only are this person's lawful prey."

A sign in a job printing shop made the same point:

Price

Quality

Service

(pick any two of the above)

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