In 1974, the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis published a most unusual manuscript. The journal received the manuscript on 25 October 1973, and published it without revision. The manuscript contained not a single word of text, except for the title, name of the author, his affiliation, the subtitle "References", and a brief acknowledgement.
There were no equations, no figures, and no references. Essentially, the manuscript was a blank page, authored by Dennis Upper of Veteran's Administration Hospital of Brockton, Massachusetts.
When the manuscript was published, the journal also published a reviewer's comments. Here is what the reviewer had to say:
"I have studied this manuscript very carefully with lemon juice and X-rays and have not detected a single flaw in either design or writing style. I suggest it be published without revision. Clearly it is the most concise manuscript I have ever seen --- yet is contains sufficient detail to allow other investigators to replicate Dr. Upper's failure. In comparison with the other manuscripts I get from you containing all that complicated detail, this one was a pleasure to examine. Surely we can find a place for this paper in the Journal --- perhaps on the edge of a blank page."
The paper was titled: "The unsuccessful self-treatment of a case of writer's block". Since publication, it has been cited 29 times.
D Upper (1974) The unsuccessful self-treatment of a case of writer's block. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 7(3):497.
