responding to reviewer comments irwan supriyanto bagian ilmu kedokteran jiwa fakultas kedokteran ugm...

RESPONDING TO REVIEWER COMMENTS

Irwan SupriyantoBagian Ilmu Kedokteran Jiwa

Fakultas Kedokteran UGM2014

• 4 types of response from your editor– Accepted without any changes– Accepted with minor revisions (provisional

acceptance)– Accepted with major revisions (provisional

rejection)– Flat rejection

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REJECTION

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• 8 reasons why editor rejected your manuscript– It fails the technical screening– It does not fall within the Aims and Scope– It’s incomplete– The procedure and/or analysis is seen to be defective– The conclusions cannot be justified on the basis of the

rest of the paper– It’s simply an extension of different paper– It’s incomprehensible– Its boring or unattractive

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ACCEPTED WITH REVISIONS

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• Tips responding to reviewer comments1. Get mad. Then get over it2. Consider what the editor decision letter really

says3. Wait and gather your thoughts4. Even if the reviewer is wrong, it does not mean

you are right5. Choose your battle wisely

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6. Do not pit one reviewer against another7. Be grateful for the reviewers’ and editor’s time8. Restate the reviewer’s or editor’s comment

when responding9. Be prepared to cut down your manuscript10. Do not submit the same version to another

journal

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• What the reviewers usually want1. Request for clarification of text, addition or

omission of text, or additional details2. Request to re-analyze, re-express, or re-interpret

existing data3. Request for additional experiments or further

proof of your concept4. Request simply you cannot meet

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• Changes and Modifications– Change and modify where it makes sense– No requirement to make every suggested change,

but address all comments– You must have a good reason for rejecting a

suggestion– Sometimes, it’s worth to let go..

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• Conflicting Reviewer Comments– Choose the comment that seems more valid (to

the best of your knowledge)– Note your change to the reviewer’s comment you

chose to accept– Note the conflict to the other reviewer (and hope

you made the best choice)– Never confront the two

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• Rejecting Reviewer Comments– You can reject reviewer comments if you have

strong arguments– Lay out your arguments and clarify more about

your findings– Never states that the reviewer is wrong– There a possibility that you are the cause of this

comments

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