Q: If I use a minor statistical software in my research paper, could it be rejected?
I am preparing a manuscript for submission.
I am using paid minor software for statistics, and I was told by my mean boss that “nobody knows such software, so your paper will be rejected.”
I confirmed that this software has even been used at a paper submitted to PLOS ONE.
If minor software is employed, could a paper be rejected?
If you're using the concerned software for statistical analysis, then I don't think it should create a problem. However, to be on the safer side, you should thoroughly go through the journal's guidelines and check if they have provided any specifications about using such software. In addition, I would also suggest that you send a pre-submission inquiry to the journal editor, expressing your concerns before you are ready to submit your manuscript.
Aside from this, I also feel that it might not be advisable to rely on only one instance of this software being used in an article published in Plos One. It might be better for you to probe and find out more about why your supervisor thought that using this software might be a bad idea. You could also consult a statistician even before contacting the journal. I'm sure that he/she would be able to help you assess the quality/reliability of the software you plan to use.
This content belongs to the Manuscript Writing Stage