Dealing with reviewers’ comments in the publication process

Abstract

This article focuses on the challenges for authors of dealing with an editor’s and reviewers’ comments within the manuscript publication process. The paper commences with an overview of the peer review process. The nature and style of comments from editors and reviewers is outlined and the inherent meaning demystified. Using a wide range of anonymised examples, sample comments are categorised according to their ease of being addressed and whether or not the author agrees with them and the need to respond highlighted. Advice is offered regarding the construction of a response document, outlining how editor and reviewer comments have been addressed in the revised manuscript and an example comprising both editor and reviewer comments and author responses provided. The importance of this document in providing a clear audit trail of associated amendments to the manuscript and their justifications in response to the editor’s and reviewers’ comments is emphasised.

Keywords:

• peer review
• reviewer comments
• editor comments
• manuscript
• article
• publishing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Céline Rojon is a Lecturer in Human Resource Management at the University of Edinburgh Business School. Her research interests pertain to workplace performance (e.g., in terms of how this is defined, conceptualised and evaluated), personnel assessment and selection (including psychometric testing), professional development with a current focus on coaching, cross-cultural studies and organisational research methods (e.g., repertory grid technique). Findings from Céline’s research have been published in a range of journals, such as Human Performance, Journal of Personnel Psychology and International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring.

Mark N.K. Saunders is Professor in Business Research Methods in the Surrey Business School at the University of Surrey. His research interests focus on two themes. The first, research methods, includes online research methods, participant selection, methods for researching trust and the development of tools to learn about, understand and improve organisational relationships within a process consultation framework. The second, human resource aspects of the management of change, is concerned particularly with trust and justice. His research findings have been published in a range of journals including Field Methods, Human Relations, Journal of Personnel Psychology, Journal of Small Business Management, Management Learning and Social Science and Medicine. Recent books include: Research Methods for Business Students (2015, FT Prentice Hall), currently in its seventh edition, co-authored with Phil Lewis and Adrian Thornhill; and the Handbook of Research Methods on Human Resource Development (2015, Edward Elgar), co-authored with Paul Tosey.