Response Letters to Reviewers

Revise-and-resubmit is good news that rarely feels like it. You have a list of objections, some fair and some based on a misreading, and a letter to write that has to answer all of them without sounding defensive.

The letter matters as much as the revision. Editors decide partly on whether you engaged seriously with the review.

What we help with

• A point-by-point structure the editor can follow without hunting
• Clear signposting of what changed in the manuscript and where
• Wording for disagreement that stays respectful and evidence-based
• A tone that reads as collaborative rather than wounded
• Consistency between what the letter promises and what the revision does

Disagreeing with a reviewer

You are allowed to disagree. Done well it strengthens your position; done badly it costs you the paper. Where a reviewer has misread something, we help you say so in a way that makes the misreading understandable rather than the reviewer careless.

The revised manuscript too

Response letters are often edited alongside the revision, so that the changes you describe and the changes you made are recognisably the same.

Not sure what you need?

Send us the manuscript, the target journal and the deadline. We will tell you honestly what would help — sometimes that is less than you expected. A lot of what we offer began as a question from a researcher who could not find it on the page.