How to Respond to Reviewers Effectively: Good vs. Bad Rebuttal Responses

More related tips on rebuttal.

In the rebuttal stage of a paper review, effectively addressing reviewers' comments is crucial. Below is a comparison of typical reviewer comments along with high and low emotional intelligence (EI) responses.

Reviewer Comment	Low EI Response	High EI Response
"The theoretical implication does not answer the so-what question." 【Your theoretical contribution is unclear in terms of practical significance】	"Our contributions are …" 【Repeats original content without enhancement】	"We have revised this section to clearly highlight our contributions. Specifically, we extend the literature by…" 【Modification made, emphasizing specific contributions】
"The practical implication section is too general and vague." 【Lacks concrete suggestions】	"We believe practitioners will find our suggestions helpful." 【Defensive response without addressing the issue】	"We have revised the section to provide more actionable suggestions for practitioners. Specifically…" 【Clarifies improvements and provides practical insights】
"Some of your practical implications are not based on the results of your study." 【Your suggestions are not directly linked to study findings】	"The suggestions are indirectly related to the results." 【Fails to acknowledge the problem directly】	"You raised a valid point. We have added suggestions directly based on our findings." 【Acknowledges the issue and modifies accordingly】