Not every author is lucky to get their research published without revision requests. So, if you have received this request, don’t panic and approach it calmly. Getting minor and major revision requests is part and parcel of getting into the online research publication industry. In fact, take it as a positive sign and celebrate that the journal is interested in your research.
These requests are a friendly reminder that your research should appear impeccable and credible to your peers. With this quality, it will surely earn you the reward of recognition that you want from it. This blog post will cover the intention behind these requests and the appropriate method to approach them.
Purpose of Letter of Inquiry
The submission of your research paper will be followed up by an acknowledgment with a reference number the journal has given to your submission. After that, the editor will study your paper and if he considers it valuable, he will send it to relevant reviewers. These reviews on your paper may raise some questions which the editor will send you back as part of a letter of inquiry.
A letter of inquiry is a piece of conversation in the publication process which is sent by the journal editor. This letter informs the author that the online research publication is interested in the paper but needs some changes to it. The requested changes can arise because of a need for more depth or clarification of the research, the necessity of more data supporting the hypothesis, or emphasis on better writing quality.
As an author, you must understand that such letters bring good news for you. Don’t get baffled by the need for more work, it’s part of writing a research paper to get published. You may feel threatened or disappointed by the comments that may appear harsh. However, take it calmly and with a firm belief that the commenter and you share the goal of publishing a quality article.
How to Build a Response Letter?
A response letter is a reply that authors send to the journal editors in response to their letter of inquiry. This response letter is accompanied by a revised manuscript that integrates the feedback received in the previous letter. Here is how you can build a response letter.
Understand the Comments
The first step to building a response letter is revising your manuscript in the light of comments. You must understand the comments to do so. Bring all your co-authors for the research paper and discuss the feedback. You may want to discuss some comments with the editor if they seem vague or contradictory to each other.
Plan the Revision
You may want to divide the revision work among your co-authors. Bringing them on the same page for discussion of the feedback is a great first step to do so. Once all doubts about the feedback are cleared, build a collaboration plan complete with deadlines. Write this plan down for easier collaboration.
At this time, you will want to assess the areas that need significant attention and those that are presentation issues and can be developed without scientific methods. You will also want to identify those comments that you cannot cater to. For example, if you cannot gather new sets of data, you should identify this issue now.
Note that if you fear that you cannot attend to certain requests in the review, you might want to communicate these concerns as promptly as you can. Usually, the comments included in the letter of inquiry hold significant value, and failing to address them can render your research paper unfit for publication in the said journal. So, communicate your concerns before starting to work on them so as not to waste your efforts.
Execute Revision
In the light of your reviewer’s comments, revise the work. Unsurprisingly, you will first attend to the need for details or more data. Once you have answered all the scientific or statistical concerns, move to language or presentation issues if they are highlighted. Don’t forget the edit the paper after incorporating all the changes as the revision will affect the presentation.
While making changes to the manuscript, you will want to track changes in the typing software to let the editor know of the changes. A better method is to use different colors to highlight the work and mention the changes in the response letter.
Write the Response Letter
The next step is writing the actual letter. This letter will be supported by your manuscript especially the changes you have made according to the observations. Keep it in front of you for quick referencing. Address each point separately and in the order in which it was raised.
You may like to use a table to organize your changes and your rationale for them. This table should include a reference to the original comment, your response to it, and a reference to the page it is addressed in the research paper after revision. Make this letter as easy to read as possible to save the time and effort of the editor and reviewers.
You will want to keep your letter neutral and void of human emotions. If you think that a comment was harsh or unwarranted, don’t address it in the response letter. Instead, you can raise that issue separately in front of the journal editor.
You may want to get help from the article editing services that have previously edited your paper to edit the revised paper as well as the response letter for you before sending them. This way, you will enjoy peace of mind that you have sent a grammatically correct and easy-to-understand paper to the editors.
Wrapping Up
Receiving a letter of inquiry is a bitter-sweet moment for any researcher. This letter indicates that your ideal journal is interested in your work. At the same time, it brings news for more work and struggles. However, you need to maintain a positive attitude towards requested revisions and complete them promptly. Use this blog post to build your response appropriately.
