Surgery Godfather
Chapter 867 - 770: New School Sci-Fi Works

Chapter 867: Chapter 770: New School Sci-Fi Works

Manstein actually didn’t like Britannia, he always felt that the weather was gloomy and humid here, and the people were insincere and mean-spirited.

Compared to this little island, the weather in Germany seemed brighter and fresher, and the people were more sincere and generous.

If it were not for those few articles, Manstein would not have been willing to come to such a terrible place.

In the past few days, Manstein had refreshed his email many times daily, "Nature" and "Cell" had been delayed in sending over his papers, perhaps the editor-in-chief had already blocked them, or perhaps had pushed them onto others.

Communicating over the phone or via email was really inconvenient for such matters, so Manstein decided to make a personal visit.

Because of the unique review system of "Nature," Manstein decided to come to London first, and then go to North America afterward.

"Nature’s" headquarters was located along the Thames River in London, Manstein had no leisure to stroll by the river. He entered the glass door of "Nature" headquarters and headed straight for Dr. Jeff’s office.

At that moment, Dr. Jeff was drinking coffee and listening to music; his door was open because he knew that Manstein was coming today.

Jeff saw Manstein from a distance as he approached, immediately went out to greet him, and took hold of Manstein’s old document bag.

"Dear Professor Mainshtan, I was just about to go downstairs to meet you, but you arrived a full half-hour early."

Germans were always very punctual, but Manstein, eager to resolve his issues more quickly, didn’t care about being on time.

"Have you seen the four papers recently submitted by this Chinese name?"

Manstein sat down without any superfluous words, picked up a pen and paper from the desk, and briskly wrote down a Chinese name.

"I’m sorry, I haven’t seen them. Whether other editors have, I’ll have to ask."

Jeff immediately picked up the phone and instructed his assistant to inquire about the matter, making it clear to every editor, including those on leave, that everyone should be asked.

After giving work instructions, Jeff brought Mainshtan a cup of hand-ground coffee: "Have a cup of hot coffee first, to ward off the dampness. Sit down and wait for the results slowly."

Mainshtan tasted the coffee, not saying a word, quietly waiting for the results of the inquiry.

Jeff was completely confused about the purpose of Professor Mainshtan’s visit. Could it really just be to inquire about a few articles? That could easily be done over the phone or through email.

Since Mainshtan didn’t speak, Jeff didn’t either, not knowing where to start, creating a very awkward atmosphere.

The efficiency of the British was still decent. As the two awkwardly drank their silent coffee, in about half an hour, the phone in Jeff’s office rang.

Jeff picked up the phone, listened to his assistant’s report, and then put down the handset:

"Professor Mainshtan, you’re right, there is such a Chinese name. Four articles have been submitted, and the submitting institution is a hospital named Sanbo."

"That’s him!" Mainshtan nodded.

"Unfortunately, our editors just said that they completely failed to understand these articles. The articles were filled with a large number of new terms and concepts, names, and concepts that had never appeared in previous academic journals or works, which made them incomprehensible, to tell whether the papers contained genuine substance or were just attracting attention with nonsensical gibberish. Moreover, the articles seemed obscure and difficult to comprehend due to the novel terms and didn’t seem particularly interesting. Therefore, the opinion of my editors is---this is an obscure and difficult to understand new genre of science fiction, and it is recommended to submit to science fiction magazines."

"So, they were blocked by you?" Mainshtan asked.

Jeff nodded: "Yes, to sum up in one sentence---the four articles have been directly blocked. Of course, the reply to the author has not yet been sent because the editor responsible ate something wrong these past few days, has had continuous diarrhea, and even needs to lean on the wall to walk."

People have always believed that "Nature," being one of the three top journals, has a strict review system, but this is merely a one-sided fantasy. In reality, "Nature" practices a very "person-driven" review system. Whether an article is published or not is entirely up to the subjective judgment of the editor-in-chief or the editor.

Other top journals have strict editorial boards with rigorous editorial discussions. At "Nature," such organizations and systems do not exist.

Other top journals have professional peer reviews, and the opinions of these reviews often carry decisive weight.

But "Nature" is different. Their peer reviews are outsourced, and expert opinions are only taken for reference. Papers strongly recommended for publication by experts are directly blocked, while papers considered unpublishable by experts are immediately published. Such incidents are a common occurrence at "Nature."

But Nature became one of the three top legendary journals, the oldest of its kind, by relying on its unique and highly individual peer review system.

In the history of Nature, there was an excellent editor, Maddox, who, based on his personal judgment, had endorsed many outstanding articles.

In the fifties and sixties, the astronomer Hoyle submitted several articles to Nature, discussing the function of prehistoric stone circles and the nature of the universe. At the time, many scholars deemed these views unreliable, mere bizarre speculation. Yet, editor Maddox found them very interesting and decided to publish them directly.

In 1977, the same astronomer submitted a paper to Nature proposing an outlandish idea - "Earth life originated from interstellar bacteria." The maverick Maddox published it without peer review, with a very personal reason - "Review experts are unable to effectively determine whether this hypothesis is reasonable!"

That implied that only he, Maddox, was qualified to judge whether this hypothesis was reasonable.

Then there was the archaeologist Leakey, who in 1971 submitted an article "Human Originated from Africa." Later, feeling the evidence insufficient, he asked to withdraw the manuscript, intending to publish when he had gathered enough proof. Editor Maddox persuaded Leakey not to retract the article and to publish it directly instead.

So-called ’without peer review’ doesn’t mean the editors don’t read the manuscript; it simply means the manuscript isn’t reviewed by experts outside of the editorial team nor does it go through rigorous discussions by the editorial board. The decision to publish the paper is made solely by editors based on their intuition, upholding Nature’s complete independence.

Even further back, in 1953, the famed paper by Watson and Crick - "The Structure of Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid," proposing the now-famous DNA double helix model, was unexpectedly published in this very manner, without peer review. From submission to publication, it only took 23 days. The editor, after reading the paper, believed that no peer expert would accept this hypothesis, so he published it directly.

Jeff explained to Manstein with a somewhat troubled expression,

"You know, our review system is quite different. We don’t do editorial boards, we don’t do peer reviews, the decision to publish a paper is solely based on our editor’s brain, and that’s a tradition we’re proud of."

Manstein exhaled a sigh of relief, "Doctor Jeff, you should thank that colleague who clung to the wall, for if he hadn’t eaten something wrong, you would have missed the chance to be the most outstanding editor in the history of Nature. Bring all those articles here, let me have a look."

Jeff opened his computer, pulled up the articles, then turned the screen toward Manstein.

"No, sorry, sir, I haven’t looked at these papers yet. I am the editor; I should have a look first. You don’t mind, do you?" Jeff then swiveled the screen back toward himself.

Manstein lifted his coffee, "Historic moments, who goes first and who goes next, it’s very important. You understand history."

"Thank you. You must have something significant in mind, coming to London through the damp fog," Jeff said with a wily smile.

The editor read slowly and carefully, word by word. Manstein was not in a hurry, calmly waiting.

"The most important concept in the paper - Microscopic Dissection, outlining human anatomy, organs, or tissues based on cells and the connections between them, seems very interesting. However, the experiments based on this theme are somewhat bizarre. On the basis of Microscopic Dissection, they aim to construct a new generation of Digital Humans using Digital Cells. Moreover, they claim to have successfully built a piece of Digital Muscle. They also mention the future development of a Biological 3D Printer based on Microscopic Dissection, using Biological 3D Printing Technology to print organs with Microscopic Dissection structures - " Jeff evaluated in English with a London accent, modulating his tone.

"Do you understand it? Or maybe give some specific opinions." Manstein said.

Jeff waved his hand dismissively, "No, not time to draw conclusions yet. Professor Mainshtan, your esteemed opinion?"

Manstein didn’t have time for this cunning man’s runarounds. "Four papers. The Microscopic Dissection discussed will usher in a brand-new era for the field. I can be the referee, hoping to publish them all at once in your journal, as swiftly as possible."

"Are you sure?" Jeff asked.

Manstein nodded, "Absolutely certain!"

Doctor Jeff straightened up, and with a serious tone, he declared loudly, "These four papers, I’ve just read them, and I find them incredibly intriguing. Considering that peer experts might not understand, I’ve decided to publish them all at once in our upcoming issue."

Manstein gave a thumbs up.

In a lowered voice, Doctor Jeff leaned in, "Sir, you have to understand, these four papers are not associated with you. First, I was the first to read the papers, and it was solely my independent decision. Secondly, you came today for coffee and didn’t give me any advice. Lastly, just now, I didn’t ask you for your opinion on the papers, and you didn’t provide any, and as for being a referee, that’s not happening. It’s all my decision, I’m the referee, and I will take responsibility for everything."

After finishing, the Brit gave a sly smile.

"Alright, I didn’t say anything. History will remember, this affair is your own doing, nothing to do with me. I’m clear on that," Manstein raised his coffee.

"To friendship, cheers!"

"To friendship, cheers!"

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