When to submit to a journal?

[Sun_Worshiper]

Once you have a fairly polished manuscript, what do you do before submitting? Do you read it obsessively for days or weeks? Do you present it at a conference or workshop? Do you send it to friends/colleagues to read? Or do you, at least sometimes, just send it out to a journal?

I attend conferences and I'll sometimes send it to a friend before submitting, but the truth is that I rarely get high quality, in-depth comments from anyone except anonymous reviewers and so sometimes I just send the thing out once I'm satisfied with it.

What is your process?

[Wahoo Redux]

I generally work until the piece is mostly done and then it becomes an obsession.  Then I do a power-write until I simply cannot stand it anymore.  By this point I am completely blind to the article's merits and problems.  At this point I know it is time to send it off since the beast is exhausted and cannot take another step.  Rarely do I impose my writing on friends, or even my wife, since the best commentary really requires a focused read by a sub-specialist. 

And I have found with creative, academic, and even journalistic writing that the readers' / editors' responses are completely unpredictable, so you just have to go fishing.

I'd finish the text and put it in the email. 

Good luck.

[dinomom]

I do a power-write until I simply cannot stand it anymore.  By this point I am completely blind to the article's merits and problems.  At this point I know it is time to send it off since the beast is exhausted and cannot take another step. 

Same. And then you never know, but at least you get some useful feedback.

[Parasaurolophus]

I used to present it. To my mind, the purpose of a conference presentation isn't getting the feedback (which is junk), it's to force you to reformulate your argument in a condensed fashion (also, hyping up the paper pre-pub). And I've found that really useful for my editorial process.

Since the pandemic, I've become very confident in my judgement, so I just send it in when I think it's ready. I don't usually have someone else read it. (FWIW, I also turn in my referee reports very quickly, and I referee a fair bit.)

[ergative]

I usually submit when I find that any edits I make are actually reformulations of the very next sentence I've already written. But I agree with Parasaurolophus: the more reviews I write (and especially the more PhD drafts from my students I read) has really helped me become more confident in seeing how an article/paragraph/explanation needs to be structured.

[Myword]

I agree with WahooRedux. My motto is when I think I am finally done--I am not done yet. Even if I am only changing or deleting a word...a preposition or formatting. When I began writing I was eager to send it out and have someone read it with praise, but this is a wrong approach. Occasionally I  will send it to a distant colleague through the internet who I don't know, except through their writing. A professor asked to read my paper I mentioned to her-- but don't expect a lengthy answer. Once a graduate student sent me his paper through ResearchGate and I commented on it.  Keep the old drafts around.
   

[Vkw10]

I do a decent draft, then hand off to a colleague to read. She passes it back with a handful of questions in margins. The questions tend to identify places where an idea in my head didn't get fully explained on paper, generally needing 2-3 sentences to clarify. After that, it's off to journal.