Article Rejection for Lack of Supporting References

[RJS]

Hi.

This is my first post to the forum, so please forgive any faux pas.

I've just recently had an article rejected for the following reason...
"Please make sure your arguments are well-supported, either in the text, or by using references."

The rejection email goes on to state " Make sure you follow our writer guidelines or your content could be rejected often."

I've read and re-read the writer guidelines, and nowhere in those guidelines have I found any reference to the use of supporting references. Although I understand the need for supporting arguments in an academic piece, I did not list this article under the "term paper" section, so I didn't think that references were a requirement.

I guess that I'm just concerned that this rejection will count under the three-strikes rule I've been reading about, and I don't want to get das boot for not following guidelines that I didn't know about. I also had another article rejected at the same time because I didn't "use semicolons correctly". There was one semicolon in the piece :-/

Sometimes, no matter how many times we proof, it's not until someone else's eyes peer at the piece that such errors are uncovered. Of course, by then, after our errors have been pointed out and stand as glaring accusations to our ineptitude, we feel like complete amateurs.

Please advise.

Thanks
-Becky

[Ed]

That line appears at the end of every rejection notification. It's just a reminder - some writers don't even know the guidelines exist until they receive a rejection!

Don't worry about it. It takes time to get used to our system, which we understand.

You may find it helpful and encouraging to peruse the forums. Our community has an impressive collective experience and the members aren't stingy about sharing their insights, advice, or suggestions.

Thanks,
Ed

[Ed]

And I caught the semicolon because it appeared in a line that you were asked to revise - it stood out to me, especially since you had used semicolons correctly in other pieces.