Q: What to do if the reviewer comments on a method I have not used in my paper?
I have got reviewer comments for my manuscript, with two reviewers asking for revision. However, the second reviewer mentioned in his summary that I have used a method which was never used in my paper, which was even never mentioned in my paper. The weird thing is that his comments are related to my paper though. However, the method that the reviewer has mentioned in the summary could be related to some of other paper on a similar topic. As of now, I have made a response letter to the reviewers and re-submitted it to the journal and it is in process. In such a case, how should I respond?
This is an unusual situation. Perhaps the reviewer has not clearly understood the method you have used in your paper and has interpreted it incorrectly. Another possibility is that the reviewer had been reviewing another paper on a similar topic around the same time and by mistake included this point in your review.
You could have mentioned this in your responses to the reviewer comments, saying that this was not the method you had used. However, now that you have already submitted the responses, there’s nothing you can do about it. However, if this issue is raised in future communication with the journal, you can clarify it.
This content belongs to the Journal submission & peer review Stage