Video: How to Reply Politely to Peer Reviewer Comments

Responding to reviewers who question the worth of your manuscript can feel overwhelming. But during the submission process, you should politely persuade them rather than argue rudely. Editage’s response letter check service can help you refine your responses and present clear arguments that align with your revised manuscript.

This video answers how best you can handle rude comments from reviewers. Here’s what our expert, Dr. Oliver Gruenvogel, says: “If you’ve been publishing for a bit, you’ve probably all sometimes had one of these legendary reviewers that basically just criticize everything while two other reviewers are amazingly positive. But you need to interact with these people. You can’t just ignore them.”

So, what truly works in scientific discussions? In one word: rationality. The comments should ideally be taken at face value. There’s something that they like to see better in the paper. They’re not saying this is bad, but there is something that you can do better. Start from this position, take in a couple of the recommendations that they make, and find rational arguments if you cannot make adjustments that these reviewers have asked of you.

What constitutes as things that cannot be revised? Certain aspects they’ve requested that are out of your research scope. You cannot do that because you don’t have the resources. However, Dr. Gruenvogel warns against overusing this as an excuse. “This should not be a way for you to escape all of the recommended changes. Let’s say, out of six comments, for instance, you should take care of at least four of them in some way and then maybe push out the extremely challenging ones and give a rational argument for doing that.”

Sometimes, the comments can appear to be a personal attack rather than a feedback for improving your manuscript. They’re not questioning the work itself but making it out to be that the manuscript is not good enough or not important enough overall. These generalized comments are not the greatest way to decipher the next steps. Instead, focus on what the other reviewers are saying.

“You don’t need to fight that. You don’t need to tell that particular reviewer that they are wrong in this regard. Be the bigger person, move across and try to take care of as many comments as you can of all of the reviewers without directly engaging with somebody trying to tear you down.”