The Perfectionist
Frontier · Polish · Evidence
One more experiment, then it’s ready. It is never ready.
You might be a Perfectionist if
- Your supplementary file is longer than your paper.
- You have run the control for the control.
- “Almost ready” has been true since last spring.
Strength and blind spot
Superpower. When it lands, it is airtight. You find the mechanism, not just the effect.
Blind spot. The mechanism rabbit hole. Months of experiments reviewers never asked for, while the finding ages.
Reviewer 2 will write: “The authors should perform additional experiments. (Not the ones you did.)”
How to work with a Perfectionist
- Feedback
- Tell me what is enough, not what is possible. I already know what is possible.
- Before a deadline
- Give me one in writing, with a date. I respect dates.
- As a co-author
- I own the data. Someone else owns the submit button.
- From my PI
- A list of what reviewers will actually ask, and permission to stop there.
Who a Perfectionist works best with
Best partner: The Closer. They get it out the door. You make sure it deserves to be out.
Two of them on one paper: The best paper nobody ever read. The paper will be beautiful, eventually. Put a submission date in the calendar today.
The fix: The Reviewer 2 Pre-Mortem
- Assume the paper was rejected.
- Write the 3 harshest comments, each tied to a specific claim or figure.
- Sort them: fix now, answer in the text, or state as a limitation.
- Fix the worst one before you submit.
Not a clinical personality test. A mirror for publishing habits, which you can change.