Lesson 28 of 30 · Surviving peer review
Write the response that gets it accepted
The response-to-reviewers letter is where revise-and-resubmits are won or lost, and it follows a small set of rules. Write to the editor, not the reviewers: the editor makes the decision, and your letter should make their job easy.
Answer every point, in order, with the reviewer comment quoted verbatim and your response beneath it, so nothing looks dodged. Concede fast when the reviewer is right ("We agree, and have made the change on p.X"), because fighting a correct point wastes goodwill you will need elsewhere.
When a reviewer is wrong, disagree with evidence, not assertion, and still make a change (add a clarifying sentence) so the confusion never recurs. For a request you genuinely cannot meet, say so honestly and reframe it as a stated limitation rather than pretending.
The tone throughout is grateful and specific: cite the exact page and line for every change, so a reviewer can verify without hunting. A response written this way turns a skeptical reviewer into an advocate.
Your move
Draft your response to one hard reviewer comment (real or anticipated) using the structure: quote the comment, then respond. Concede if they are right; if they are wrong, give the evidence and still make a small clarifying change; cite where. Paste the comment and your response.
Why: A major revision is an invitation to publish, and this letter is how you accept it. The authors who get through review are not the ones with perfect papers, they are the ones who answer reviewers well.
Worked example
The response that works answers every point, quotes the change, and stays gracious even to a reviewer who is wrong. "We thank the reviewer; we have clarified this on p.6" beats arguing, even when you are right.
The pattern that loses papers here
A response that argues with reviewers instead of accommodating them, or answers the easy points and hopes the hard one is forgotten. Editors read the response before the revision.
Check it against your draft
- Every point gets a numbered, direct reply
- Each reply names the change and where it is
- Tone stays gracious, even to a reviewer who is wrong
Quick check
2 questions, to catch the misconceptions this lesson exists to fix.
1.When a reviewer is right, you should:
2.When a reviewer is wrong, reply with evidence but make no change to the paper.
Write your answer and keep it
Reading is free and always will be. An account is what lets you write your own answer to this move, get it read back to you, and keep everything you build as you go.
Sign in to save progress