How are we supposed to why article was rejected?

[JCTorpey]

Hello all,
I have submitted articles for review and they keep getting rejected. I have never actually had an article accepted yet, and the ones that got rejected, there was only a vague indication as to why. No way to tell what was wrong. For example, one said there were errors in the Short Summary. What kind of errors? Grammar? Spelling? To long? To short? How am I supposed to know if they don't make it more detailed? And then it gets automatically deleted so there is no way to look at the possible problem. Is there any way to make the rejection a bit more detailed?

JC

[4rumid]

Hi JC,

As Ed will tell you, writers are responsible for finding their own errors. If you're wondering if there might be grammar or spelling errors, you probably should wait to submit an article 'til you're sure there aren't any. That said, I'd be happy to take a look at your summary to see where the problem might be. I think there's a way to send a file directly to other authors through their profile pages (my author name is RBE Content).

(As for the files being deleted, do you have a copy of your uploaded article on your computer?)

Don't give up yet!
4rumid

[Lysis]

JC,

The summary rejections are the most frustrating, because it's purged from the system so you don't know what you did wrong. You probably had a typo in there somewhere. My suggestion is to save the short summary of your work in a document and delete it when the article is accepted. My experience with grammar errors is that, although the message is vague, if you go back in a few days and reread the article aloud, you have some grammar error somewhere in the article. Lots of times it's buried in there somewhere, and when you find it you just say "DOH!" LOL

[eek]

JC,

I second copying that short summary! I try to make this a habit every time, not just on the off-chance the article will be rejected, but every now and then a glitch will occur and I'll have to start over - minus the short summary. Also, it's tempting to jot down a few quick words in the short summary, but it deserves a lot more attention, being the first thing the customer will see. It's your "hook".
Emma

[Debbi]

I third copying the short summary. Actually I write the short summary in Word and spell and grammar check it just like my article. I listen to it with my text-to-speech program to catch any errors (missing words like in the title of your post for example ) Emma is right, the short summary may be the most important part of the whole process. It's like the trailer of a movie, the thing that gets the customer to look at the whole article. So it must be written, checked, and groomed to perfection.

As for grammar errors in the aritcle itself,there are several forum threads devoted to the topic. One of the best ways to catch errors is to listen to your article, not just scan through it. You will be amazed at the errors you can pick up on. I am always finding some little thing (like typing important when I meant importance) that I gloss over when reading but catch when hearing it.

[Celeste Stewart]

Someone mentioned somewhere that she copies her short summary into the document's properties which is a really good idea. In Word 2007, click the Office Button > Prepare > Properties and then copy and paste the summary in the Comments section. Now, you'll always have a copy of the text saved with the document! I thought that idea was brilliant and plan on doing it as well. I wish I could remember where I read it. I don't think it was on the forum but on a random "what I think about CC" Web site or blog.

[Debbi]

Celeste,

That's a great idea! I didn't even know you could do that. I'm going to do that from now on.

[Celeste Stewart]

I know! When I read it a lightbulb went off. Why didn't I think of that? I wish I could remember whose idea it was so she could get proper credit for her brilliance!

[Lysis]

oooh that's another awesome tip! Thanks!