The last paper updates

Well things are moving fast. So fast I haven’t had a break. Since I have a free moment, and I really do mean moment, we might as well go for the low hanging fruit and update on the “last” paper. This paper has been in the works for years (literally years) now and we’re finally coming to a close in the chapter. At least that’s how it appears. There’s still some rough sailing ahead, but I think we’ve finally made it…. maybe.

For those who aren’t familiar with last paper, it’s based on work I did a few years ago and last year I won an award for the research (here). It’s been a difficult road, but sometimes the only way through is forward. Forward progress was slow due to COVID, my own lack of experience, and just general issues between the collaborators.

Maybe it’s bad form to air that sort of stuff, but it’s important to realize going into collaborative work that the relationships may not always be great by the time the work is finished. In this case school-PI and hospital-PI, both of whom are senior authors on the paper, have had a falling out. This further slowed the paper and while I don’t want to go into details, let’s just say this is the first and sadly final collaboration between the two.

Recently (here) there was some forward movement after about six months or so of nothing happening. School-PI is pushing to finish this paper and get it published and I’m right there with him. This paper is a requirement for my degree, one school-PI has just made up, but whatever paper is done and we can get on with everything else.

At least that was the plan, school-PI gave the paper a green light, hospital-PI put the breaks on it. Now hospital-PI is finally on the same page after understanding some of the analysis that was performed (because this was outside his area of expertise). As I write this he’s adding the (hopefully) final suggestions to the paper. There will probably be one more round of me revising the paper, then once he approves we can send it off to school-PI for review and then submission.

Hospital-PI has assured me that he will have the paper back to me today, meaning with some luck, I can send him a revised version tomorrow evening for final approval and we may be submitting the paper by the end of the week. School-PI in particular wants that outcome because there is a deadline that is coming up for a review and it would be good to have this submitted.

I’m already aware that hospital-PI has some pretty significant edits/suggestions coming my way. So I will have my work cut out for me. I’m so tired of this paper, but it’s almost done. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

Now as I mentioned, a lot of work is happening right now meaning I have stuff to do.