Confessions of a researchaholic

May 20, 2014

The seven year itch

Filed under: Real — liyiwei @ 1:53 am
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Around year 2007 I collaborated with some guys on a project. After a while due to lack of progress, the project was shelved.

Earlier this year, the same group of guys contacted me about joining the project again. They found a way to rejuvenate the project just days before. It was less than 48 hours until the submission deadline, so I did not think I will be able to make enough contributions to be a co-author.

Today I am thrilled to find out that the paper has been accepted (by a top venue). This is the longest wait period among all projects I have been involved with.

Patience pays off. Good ideas often need time to mature, and might look like craps in the beginning. Store them in your mental jewel box, and they might shine in the future with the right circumstances. Avoid the temptation to publish the idea too early just because it might get scooped. An ill prepared idea, like an ill dressed person, will not get the deserved recognition and impact. And ideas easily discovered probably are not all that novel anyway.

Never give up until it is absolutely dead. Whatever considered impossible by ordinary people may be overcome by those who want to be extraordinary.

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