Peer Review English: Writing and Responding to Reviews

Writing a Peer Review in English

A good peer review is specific, evidence-based, and constructive — not merely critical.

• Overall impression: 'This manuscript presents an interesting investigation of X, though several concerns must be addressed before publication.'
• Major concern: 'The sample size (n = 18) appears insufficient to support the broad conclusions drawn in the Discussion.'
• Minor concern: 'The literature review would benefit from including more recent publications (post-2020).'
• Positive feedback: 'The methodology is clearly described and the statistical approach is well-justified.'

Responding to Reviewers: Structure

Your response letter should address every reviewer comment, organised by reviewer number and comment number.

Example: Dear Editors and Reviewers, Thank you for your thorough and constructive feedback on our manuscript. We have revised the paper in response to all reviewer comments. Below, we provide a detailed point-by-point response. REVIEWER 1, COMMENT 1: [Reviewer comment quoted here] Response: We thank the reviewer for this observation. We have revised the sample size justification in Section 3.1 (p. 8) to provide a formal power analysis. [Specific change described].

Disagreeing with a Reviewer Diplomatically

• 'We appreciate this suggestion; however, we respectfully disagree because [evidence].'
• 'While we understand the reviewer's concern, the cited literature suggests that [counter-evidence].'
• 'We have considered this recommendation carefully but believe that [reason], which is consistent with [author, year].'