Emma Jonson How do you respond to a negative peer review?
One approach is to present the comments and your responses sequentially at the end of the manuscript, providing references to relevant page numbers – and, if possible, line numbers – so that changes can be quickly cross-checked. It’s also helpful to use highlights to show where changes have been made in the manuscript.
What makes a bad peer review?
The bad peer-review It is a peer-review that (1) fails to identify major flaws, to communicate criticism to authors to improve their manuscript and to inform fraud to the editor, and (2) does not review all manuscript sections including references and illustrations.
What is an example of a bad peer review feedback?
We encountered comments such as: “I have read this paper several times, and was prepared to like it…but I ultimately did not like it very much at all”; “the interpretation of findings is a bit irritating”; “this paper was ultimately a disappointment”; or, on a more positive note: “I liked this paper”.
What should a peer review not do?
The Don’ts of Peer Review Don’t make any personal reference to the authors and avoid exclamation points or an emotional style. Peer review is not an emotional process. Don’t say things like, “I don’t believe it” and “I find this unconvincing. I find these results underwhelming or trivial or not important.”
How do you handle peer review comments?
How to Receive and Respond to Peer Review Feedback
- Start a list of essential vs. unessential requests to prioritize your work.
- Decide whether you’ll need time to conduct additional experiments.
- Make sure you have a system for responding to each comment, and demonstrating your changes.
- Don’t ignore any comments.
How do you handle reviewer comments?
Your responses should be polite and objective, balancing the line between being concise and complete. There is no space for ego in your response. Start by thanking the reviewers for identifying the weaknesses in your paper and providing you the opportunity to strengthen your research prior to publication.
What a good peer review looks like?
Your review should be clear, constructive and consistent. Clarity is important because authors will not be able to respond to your concerns if they don’t fully understand what they are. Reviews are most helpful if they don’t just criticise, but also make constructive suggestions for how concerns may be resolved.
What should I comment on peer review?
Do
- Justify your recommendation with concrete evidence and specific examples.
- Be specific so the authors know what they need to do to improve.
- Be thorough. This might be the only time you read the manuscript.
- Be professional and respectful.
- Remember to say what you liked about the manuscript!
What does a good peer review look like?
Do reviewers see each others comments?
In EM, journals can optionally share reviewer identities, reviewer comments, and decision letters with other reviewers. This means that EM supports the most common “open” peer review workflows where reviewers are allowed to see each other’s comments.
What makes a peer review a bad review?
Good ingredients for a truly terrible peer review are unclear, unfair and biased statements. Your comments and recommendations should be clear and unambiguous. Statements like “the methodology is not solid” or “the conclusions are unjustified” have no value per se apart from being in line with tip no. 5.
What happens when a manuscript is rejected by a peer reviewer?
In cases where manuscripts get rejected after peer review or when the reviewers’ comments seem too tough to answer, authors often decide against addressing the comments and instead choose to submit their manuscripts to another journal.
What are the ingredients for a terrible peer review?
Author guidelines often call figures “artwork” but often they are work rather than art (at least where the reader is concerned!). Good ingredients for a truly terrible peer review are unclear, unfair and biased statements. Your comments and recommendations should be clear and unambiguous.
How often should you respond to peer reviewer comments?
If you feel this way, it is important to give yourself some time, rather than address the comments in that state of mind. Re-read the comments several times over the next few days.