The Lateral Thoughts article in the November Physics World (http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/indepth/40829) is a description by Rick Trebino, a professor of physics at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, of the difficulties he experienced getting a comment on a paper with errors in it published. There is a longer version at http://www.scribd.com/doc/18773744/How-to-Publish-a-Scientific-Comment-in-1-2-3-Easy-Steps. And people wonder why women leave science to engage in more meaningful occupations!
My own theory on how to improve the reviewing process is that journals should employ people whose job is to go through reviewer’s comments removing the ad hominem remarks, unfounded speculation and unsupported opinions before they are transmitted to the author.
