thedixitjain R&R Rebuttal (jop-rebuttal)
A JOP R&R is a strong signal — the editor sees a path to publication. The response letter must move every reviewer toward yes while keeping the editor confident the revision is convergent, and it must do so without blowing the page budget, breaking double-blind anonymity, or breaking replicability that the analyst will later check.
When to trigger
- An R&R decision arrived and you are planning the revision + response letter
- Reviewers disagree with each other and you must reconcile their demands
- A reviewer requests analyses that would change the paper's claims or its length
- Writing the cover note to the editor summarizing the revision
Strategy
- Read the editor's letter as the rubric. The editor signals which points are decisive. Solve those first; the editor adjudicates disagreements among reviewers.
- One point-by-point response, every comment addressed. Quote each comment, then respond. Never skip one — silence reads as non-compliance.
- Concede or rebut explicitly, with evidence. For each: did what was asked (say where, with the new text/table number), or push back respectfully with a reason (theory, design, or evidence).
- Reconcile conflicting reviewers openly. When R2 wants the opposite of R3, say so, choose a principled path, and explain the tradeoff to the editor.
- Protect the contribution and the page budget. Added analyses often go to the Online Appendix (≤ 25 pp) so the main text stays within 35 / 10 pages; new material must not push you over.
- Keep anonymity and replicability intact. The revised manuscript stays double-blind, and any
new tables/figures must remain reproducible by the deposited code so the JOP replication analyst's
eventual re-run passes (see
jop-replication-and-data-policy).
Response-letter format
For each reviewer comment:
> [Quoted reviewer comment]
Response: [What we did / why we respectfully disagree].
Change: [Section/page/table-figure number; note if it moved to the Online Appendix].
Open with a short summary of the main changes to the editor; group by reviewer; end each entry with the location of every change so the editor can verify quickly.
Anti-patterns
- Ignoring or merging away a comment without a visible response
- Capitulating to a request that breaks the paper's logic just to please a reviewer
- Adding so much new material that the revision blows the page budget
- New analyses that the deposited code cannot regenerate (will fail the analyst check)
- Defensive tone, or self-identifying phrasing that breaks double-blind in the revised file
Triage table for reviewer demands
Not every demand deserves the same response. Sort each comment by cost and by whether it threatens the contribution, and let the editor's letter set priority. The page budget caps new main-text material, so most additions land in the Online Appendix.
| Demand type | Default response | Where the change lands |
|---|---|---|
| Decisive point the editor flagged | Do it; lead the letter with it | Main text, with the new exhibit number |
| Reasonable robustness request | Run it and report | Online Appendix, cited in one main-text line |
| Demand that breaks the argument | Push back respectfully with a reason | Letter only; explain the tradeoff |
| Two reviewers want opposite things | Choose a principled path, name the conflict | Letter, addressed to the editor |
Worked micro-example (illustrative)
A hypothetical R&R on the AVR-turnout study draws three demands. R1 wants the staggered-DID estimator made heterogeneity-robust — decisive, so the author re-estimates and the new event-study figure becomes Figure 2. R2 wants 30 added specifications; the author runs a focused subset in the appendix and explains the full grid would blow the page budget. R3 wants a structural model the data cannot support; the author declines respectfully and flags it as future work. Each new number is regenerated by deposited code.
Referee pushback patterns and the JOP fix
- "You ignored my comment." Quote every comment verbatim and answer it; silence reads as non-compliance.
- "The revision grew too long." Route added analyses to the appendix so the main text stays within 35/10 pages, and say where each addition lives.
Output format
【Editor's decisive points】addressed first? [list]
【Coverage】every reviewer comment answered? [Y/N]
【Concede vs rebut】each tagged with evidence + change location
【Reviewer conflicts】reconciled and explained to editor? [Y/N]
【Page budget】revision still within 35 / 10 pp (overflow → appendix)? [Y/N]
【Anonymity + replicability】preserved in revised manuscript + package? [Y/N]
【Next】resubmit via Editorial Manager
Supplementary resources
../../resources/official-source-map.md— JOP review/decision process, page limits, replicability-contingent acceptance
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → Journal-of-Politics-Skills/skills/jop-rebuttal/SKILL.md