Free tool, writing and publishing
Reviewer response builder
Reviewer comments turned into a response table to fill in.
Paste the reviewer comments from your decision email, and this builder splits them into a numbered response table that you can fill and download as Word.
A “major revision” mail is hard to read calmly. Mostly there are three reviewers, and one numbers his points, another uses bullets, and somebody writes one long paragraph. First you have to cut that email into separate comments, number them, and keep space for your reply and the change made. That is only clerical work, and the builder does it in a second. What to reply is still your thinking.
Not sure the answer fits your study? WhatsApp us or call, and we’ll look at it with you.
How the tool works
The builder goes through the pasted text one line at a time. When a line starts with “Reviewer 2”, “Referee 1” or “Reviewer #3”, a new reviewer starts there, with or without “comments” written after it. Some reviewers write the first comment on the same line as the heading, and the builder keep that comment also. Text before any heading goes under Reviewer 1.
Inside one reviewer’s block, it checks the start of every line for these comment markers.
- numbers written like 1. or 2) or (3)
- labels like “Comment 4:” or “Q5.”, as Editorial Manager many times sends them
- a bullet, which can be a hyphen, an asterisk or a • dot
Each marker starts a new comment, and the lines below it join that comment. If a reviewer used no marker at all, every paragraph becomes one comment. Every comment gets a label like Reviewer 2, comment 3, with one box for your reply and another for the change made, with page and line.
Suppose you missed one reviewer, paste his part also and press the button one more time. Replies you already typed stay with their comments, matched by reviewer and comment number. At a time it shows up to 60 comments only. If the email has more, the builder tells you, and you can make a second table for the remaining reviewers.
In the Word file the table sits on pages turned sideways, with four columns. The comment number like R2.3 comes in the left column, and next to it the reviewer’s comment, after that your response, and the change made at the end. One line thanking the reviewers comes above the table. If the Word library does not load in your browser, you get a plain text file with the same table. Copy as text gives the same table as plain lines for an email.
If one comment is not clear, our reviewer comment explainer looks at a single comment at a time. For tone, disagreeing politely and what editors check first, see the guide to replying to reviewers.
Questions scholars ask
Where do the editor’s own comments go?
When the editor’s comments are at the top without any heading, the builder puts them under Reviewer 1. Type a heading like “Reviewer 0” above them before pasting, or rename that row later in Word. The editor takes the decision, so keep your reply to the editor’s points in the beginning of the document.
Should I answer every comment, even the small ones?
Yes. Give a reply for each comment, small ones also, even if it is just “Corrected, page 6, line 14”. An unanswered comment is the quickest way to get a second round of review.
A reviewer has got it wrong. Can I push back?
Yes, but politely and with evidence. Thank the reviewer, explain why you kept your approach, and show a paper or a figure for it. Then mention what you changed so the point reads clearer. A refusal with proper reason is many times accepted. But if you ignore the comment and say nothing, editors rarely accept that.
The journal gave me its own response form. Can I still use this?
Yes. Make the table here to sort the comments and draft replies, then copy each reply into the journal’s form. Some journals want the response in the submission system’s text box, and Copy as text helps there.
Do you see the comments I paste?
We don’t see them. The splitting is done inside your own browser, and the Word file also gets made on your computer. Our server just notes that the builder was used.
Stuck on a chapter? Talk it through with us.
Call or WhatsApp, say where you are in your thesis, and we’ll tell you plainly what kind of help makes sense, if any.