How to Respond to Peer Reviewer Comments

Respond to peer review by thanking the editor and reviewers, answering every comment point by point, showing exactly what changed in the manuscript and explaining politely and with evidence where you disagree. A clear response letter often makes the difference between acceptance and rejection after revision.

Process

1. Read all comments, wait a day, and then read again. Separate editor requests from reviewer comments.
2. Make a table with one row per comment: the comment, your response, the change made and its location.
3. Group related comments and decide how to handle each: agree and revise, partially agree, or respectfully disagree with reasons.
4. Revise the manuscript with tracked changes or highlighted text, as the journal requires.
5. Write the response letter with the comment quoted, followed by your response and the location of the change.
6. Check consistency: a change in one place may need updates elsewhere (abstract, tables).
7. Submit by the deadline; ask for an extension if you need one.

Tone

Be courteous, even if a comment seems unfair. Avoid defensiveness. If a comment arises from a misunderstanding, assume your writing was unclear and revise.

Illustrative example

Invented for teaching. Reviewer 1, Comment 3: "The sample size is not justified." Response: Thank you. We have added the calculation to the Methods (page 6, lines 12 to 18): with 80% power and a two-sided alpha of 0.05, 63 participants per group were needed to detect a 5 mm Hg difference. (Invented example.)

If you disagree

State your reasoning with evidence or references, and explain what you did instead. Do not ignore the comment.

Common pitfalls

• Missing a comment.
• Making changes in the manuscript that you do not mention.
• Arguing without evidence.

Key takeaways

• Answer every point, show the change and keep a courteous tone.
• Use MRN's free response to reviewers template.

This page is general educational information about research methods. It is not medical, legal or regulatory advice; follow your institution's ethics board and your target journal's instructions.