Failure Chronicle
rejections, failed experiments, and unfunded grants.
paper publication can be very random, just try the best and keep records.
Paper rejections
details see below
| Years | Paper (first authored/corresponding authored) | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–2022 | Actively did science but zero 1st-authored paper | Cannot say the reasons |
| 2023 | A low-dimensional manifold of human exploratory behavior reveals opposing roles for apathy and anxiety | Desk rejected by Current Biology; PNAS |
| 2024 | Distinct Computational Mechanisms of Uncertainty Processing in Anxiety and Apathy | Rewrote and re-analyzed / re-framed the paper to this. Desk rejected by Nature Communications; Nature Human Behaviour; Nature Mental Health; PNAS; eLife; PLoS Biology. Major revision at BPCNNI |
| 2024 | Too smart for one’s own good? Evolution favors individuals with a low-level theory of mind in a complex network | Under review at PNAS, then rejected |
| 2024 | Cognitive flexibility and gut | Under review at PNAS, then rejected |
| 2024–2025 | Distance and angle matter: unveiling the optimal seating positions for perceiving teacher’s social cues in virtual reality learning environments | Under review at Computers and Education: 2024.6–2024.10 — major revisions ROUND1 2025.1–2 — two reviewers were convinced but new reviewer #4 said NO Under review at BJET, rejected by AI reviewer #1 |
| 2025 | Nonlinear modulation of human exploration by distinct sources of uncertainty | Under review at PNAS, then rejected |
| 2025–2026 | Dynamic prefrontal coupling coordinates adaptive decision-making | Desk rejected by Neuron; Nature Neuroscience. Under review at Nature Communications: 2025.5–2025.9 — major revisions ROUND1 2025.11–2025.12 — major revisions ROUND2 2026.2 — rejected 2026.5 — appealed and major revision ROUND3 2026.6 — rejected |
A few that stung in particular:
- The three-round major revision at Nature Communications on the dmPFC/dlPFC restless bandit paper, ultimately rejected. The response to reviewers ran to 190 pages.
Grant applications
To be filled in as the trail lengthens.
Job applications
2022 postdoc cycle — 1 offer / 10 applications.
2024.6–2024.12 — YC China / MiraclePlus (venture capital). Last round failed, after the CEO interview and background investigation.
Failed experiments
3 published / 9 succeeded / 5 failed.