Writing for Publication: Navigating Peer Review

Writing: Writing for Publication C2

Lesson: Navigating Peer Review

Listen to key concepts and examples.

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to write a professional, persuasive, and systematic "Response to Reviewers" letter that respectfully addresses criticism, clearly explains your revisions, and maximizes your manuscript's chance of acceptance.

C2 Core Concepts 🧠

Key Vocabulary (Click 🔊)

This is the professional language used in academic and scientific publishing.

Peer Review

| ការត្រួតពិនិត្យដោយមិត្តភ័ក្តិ

A process where experts in a field anonymously review a new academic paper (manuscript).

Manuscript

| សាត្រាស្លឹករឹត

The draft of a book, article, or paper before it is published.

Rebuttal

| ការបដិសេធ

An argument or statement that proves another argument is wrong (a refutation).

Concede

| ទទួលស្គាល់

To admit that something is true or valid, especially after first denying it.

The Mindset: Criticism vs. Collaboration

Receiving peer review can feel personal and emotional. A C2 writer understands that peer review is not an attack—it is a (sometimes difficult) part of the academic discourse. Your response should be collegial (respectful and cooperative), not defensive.

The 3-Step Framework: Respect, Address, Respond

Your "Response to Reviewers" letter must be perfectly organized. Every single comment from every reviewer must be addressed. Use this framework.

1. RESPECT

Always begin by thanking the editor and the reviewers for their time and insightful feedback, even if it is negative.

2. ADDRESS

Copy-paste every single comment from the reviewers into your letter. Number them (e.g., Reviewer 1, Comment 1).

3. RESPOND

Write your response *directly below* each comment, stating clearly whether you agree (and revised) or disagree (and why).

Your C2 Response Toolkit 🛠️ (Click 🔊)

Use this precise, polite language to structure your responses to each point.

Agreeing & Revising (The Easy Part)

When the reviewer is right.

• This is an excellent point. We have revised...
• We thank the reviewer for this suggestion...
• We agree and have added a new paragraph...

Clarifying a Misunderstanding

When the reviewer misunderstood you.

• We apologize if this was unclear...
• We have rephrased this section to clarify that...
• This is a valid point, and we have now explicitly stated...

Politely Disagreeing (The Rebuttal)

When the reviewer is factually wrong.

• We respectfully disagree on this point...
• While we appreciate the reviewer's perspective...
• We believe our approach is appropriate because...

Practice Your Response 🎯

Quiz: Choose the Best C2 Response

A reviewer makes a comment. Choose the most professional, C2-level response. Click "Check Answers" when done.

1. Reviewer's Comment:

"The sample size (n=30) is far too small to draw these conclusions. The paper should be rejected."

Which is the best response?

• A) "You are wrong. 30 is a good number for this type of work."
• B) "We have added 50 more samples to the study and re-run all the statistics, which now show the same conclusion."
• C) "We thank the reviewer for this important point. We concede that the sample size is a limitation for generalizability. As this was an exploratory study, our aim was depth, not breadth. We have now added a new paragraph to the 'Limitations' section (p. 12) to explicitly discuss this."

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2. Reviewer's Comment:

"The authors failed to cite the foundational work of Smith (2023)."

Which is the best response?

• A) "We apologize for this significant omission. We have now integrated Smith (2023)'s work into our literature review and discussion (pp. 4, 15)."
• B) "We did not cite Smith (2023) because we do not like that paper very much."
• C) "We respectfully disagree. Smith (2023) is not relevant to this specific topic."

Key Vocabulary Reference (Click 🔊)

• Collegial (Adjective) | មិត្តរួមការងារ
  Characterized by respect, cooperation, and friendliness among colleagues (equals).
• Substantive (Adjective) | សារវន្ត
  Having a firm basis in reality and therefore important, serious, or considerable (e.g., "a substantive change").
• Methodological (Adjective) | វិធីសាស្រ្ត
  Relating to the "method" or system of methods used in a particular area of study.
• Omission | ការលុបចោល
  Something that has been left out or excluded.
• Rephrase / Reframe | និយាយឡើងវិញ / ប្តូរក្របខ័ណ្ឌ
  To express an idea in a different, clearer, or more persuasive way.

Your Writing Mission ⭐

Write a Professional Rebuttal

Imagine you receive this (common) comment from Reviewer 2:

"The authors claim their new method is innovative, but this seems very similar to the work of Jones (2022). The novelty of this paper is not clear."

Write a 2-3 sentence response in your notebook. Your goal is to politely disagree and clarify (a rebuttal).

Use the C2 Framework:

1. Respect: "We thank the reviewer for raising this important point..."
2. Respond (Refute/Clarify): "While Jones (2022) focused on [X], our work is distinct because we... We have now added a sentence to the introduction (p. 2) to clarify this distinction..."