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Nicola Ciccoli
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I think you should also ask yourself what are your motivations in editing and revising.

If you keep revising because you think that it is very important that published papers meet certain standards than it is an ethical choice, in a way. You will have to face consequences (publishing less) which may have an impact on you carreer. But there is nothing wrong in deciding that you contribution to math will come with few nicely written papers rather than with a huge pile of drafty ones.

There is also a possibility that you keep revising because you feel unsure about what others may think of you if you submit a less than perfect paper. Which is what often leads to obsessive revising, which doesn't sound as positive, does it? In this case you should confront yourself on this point. There is a chance that after a number of published papers you'll gain some self-confidence and be more relaxed on this point; but there is also the case that at each submission your level of anxiety will increase and this will in time effect your capability of writing good math.

In any case, personally I've found that after 3-4 rounds of revision it is extremely unlikely that my paper will improve. When it happens that I change the wording of a sentence to a new wording and then I realize it's the one I started with I take it as a sign I have to stop revising.

Lastly: writing with collaborators is certainly more difficult if your writing standards are so high. But learning from others is often one of the most efficient way of learning. Give it a try!

Nicola Ciccoli
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  • 19
  • 24