Share your paper with a colleague for comments. If they're a fan, they can serve as an advocate with a journal if necessary. Science is a social endeavor. If y

Share your paper with a colleague for comments. If they're a fan, they can serve as an advocate with a journal if necessary. Science is a social endeavor. If you don't have colleagues, go meet people! As a referee, it doesn't matter at all to me whether you have a PhD. Your institution may matter a little bit as context, but not a lot. It is the science that matters. As with any paper, I'll read the abstract, read the introduction, look at the figures and the captions, glance at any short equation, and read the conclusion. By the end of that process, I will know whether or not the paper is worth further attention. The refereeing process is generally an investment of several days of my time, so I do it with care. Do the work, talk with people, get feedback, and repeat.