《白蚁》的沧桑

文/关燕清

 

《白蚁》文章终于要出来了。今天特意打开邮箱，回顾一年来漫长的投稿经历。总觉着水路交错，硝烟弥漫，恍惚中天亦有情，廿桥明月却亦依然。一时间感慨万端。

 

这篇文章说的是一交叉研究的工作，是应从加拿大回国的昆虫学家冯教授（1999-2005年，加拿大资源部大湖林业研究中心任研究员和昆虫分子生物学实验室主任）的要求去构思的，结果表明做得还很不错。虽然最终发在2点多的Pest Management Science上，仍然是我喜欢的一篇文章。这篇文章试图用材料学的方法去解决白蚁治理的难题。我们这个想法很好，几乎找不出破绽，也很快拿到了专利。随后，便考虑写成文章。但文章写好后，却让人发愁了，因为不知道该往哪里投。也由此开始了漫长的投稿历程。

 

最早一次投稿在今年的二月初春，投的是Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine (15 Feb 2010 19:53:32)。很快被编辑不留情面地婉拒了。编辑回复如下：

 

With regret, I must inform you that, based on the advice received, the Editor-in-Chief has decided that your manuscript cannot be accepted for publication in Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine. Attached, please find the reviewer comments for your perusal.  I would like to thank you very much for forwarding your manuscript to us for consideration and wish you every success in finding an alternative place of publication.

 

Comments for the Author:

While the paper has clearly been prepared very carefully and may contain publishable data, the main subject matter is not of sufficient interest to the readership of the Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine to merit publication. We wish the authors every success in publishing their work elsewhere.

 

无奈，只好收拾心情，继续在材料刊物中寻找目标。接着投稿Acta Biomaterialia（February 22, 2010 8:11 AM）。这刊物说是说海纳百川，欢迎各种生物材料来投。但实际上似乎架子很大，回复很简单，简直没有把《白蚁》当成一回事，可能知道我的承受力常常不可理喻。

 

The Editor has now assessed the above paper, and I am sorry to say that we are unable to accept it for publication in Acta Biomaterialia.

 

那么，郁闷中我们只好改变策略，更在情急中改选了Applied and Environmental Microbiology，因为刊物有环境保护的方向，并且说是和微生物并重。这该与白蚁治理有关联的吧？！不料那位编辑很认真，也很微生物，回信道：

 

The main objective of your study is to evaluate different strategies for killing termites.  Although controlling the activities of termites is of importance, the manuscript does not contain any microbiological information.  The entire focus of the study is on the termite. I am thus unable to accept your manuscript for publication. Perhaps you might consider submitting the manuscript to a journal that is specialized in invertebrate biology.

 

编辑建议投稿“无脊椎动物学”相关的刊物，这真让我犯晕，我一个学材料化学的，怎么还要去调研无脊椎动物学？这太舍近求远了吧！于是，我还是继续亲睐材料学的刊物，想在另一些刊物中找到合适的买家。这样就选了Journal of Biomaterials Science Polymer Edition(March 02, 2010 5:57 PM)。回复也快，好像在意料之中。内容是这样的：

 

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition. Although your dealing topic seems to be interesting, it is evaluated to be out of the scope of our Journal. I suggest you to submit this article to another journal. We would of course be happy to consider other contributions you might wish to make in the future.

 

编辑是日本人，这一类有趣的小文章，该是他们喜欢的，但是最后的裁决还是another journal。连连受挫之下，郁闷、彷徨自不待言，于是乎，我把那文章丢进了“酱缸”。

 

一两周后，熬不过那死寂，决定耐着性子只管走去。。。于是打算听听冯教授的建议，果然还是人家比较专业，选了一影响因子还不错的昆虫刊物。于是我们放弃了材料学改投Pest Management Science（April 27, 2010 1:34 AM）。英国的编辑好像喜欢《白蚁》，只说文章的英文不够好。很惭愧。

 

Thank you for submitting the above paper to Pest Management Science. This paper is relevant to the goals of our journal, and the results would be of interest to our readership. Unfortunately, on inspection, it was found that the English in the paper is not clear enough for it to be sent for review. We would, however, be very pleased to review the paper once the English has been brought up to a reasonable standard.

 

这时节，一位远方的兄长（更是一位很好的科学家）帮助润色了文章。再次投稿很快就有了修改的回音。之后的情形就不再赘述。只是这样漫长的投稿历程，让人不禁心生感叹。

 

首先感叹自己胡乱投稿，不得要领。无脊椎动物不通一点，材料又丢了，真乃傻瓜。想起《圣经》上说：在耶和华的山上，上帝自有安排。或许，是时候回归材料了。

 

除了自我审视之外，也依稀意识到，目前追踪热点已经成为生物材料这个领域的“乐不思蜀”抑或是“无奈”了。生物材料界关注的问题也因此越来越局限，几乎所有的文章篇幅都是关于那已撩起漫天沙瀑的组织工程和近年来犀利得莫法的纳米药物。

 

缘何？莫非其他与材料相关的生物科学问题都不是生物材料研究关注的科学问题？即使做得完整，漂亮，idea很佳，都不重要？

 

一直觉得科学研究很艰苦，途中弯弯曲曲起起伏伏，与很多人的人生历程相似，真正的驱动力来自内心的热情，当怀疑它的意义时就无法持续。那么看起来，这些不算主流的生物材料的研究一定是越来越不受礼遇。也因此，生物材料在其他生物重要领域的应用（包括农业、环境生态、海洋。。。）也将越加稀少。生物材料造福于人类的机会将趋向于一隅，这不得不说是一种深憾！

相关专题：投稿与审稿
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