From major revision to accept: strategies for crafting effective reviewer responses in contemporary business research

Purpose The importance of crafting an effective reviewer response document to a “Revise and Resubmit” decision on a manuscript is well known to scholars across business research. The empathy and clarity with which responses are explained can play a vital role in whether the revised manuscript is accepted or rejected. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, discuss techniques like “reviewer empathy” and emotional intelligence to better “choose your battles” and second, offer strategic writing tips when responding to a manuscript peer review. Design/methodology/approach In this conceptual paper, the authors first lay out the scholarly publication process followed by some practical tips and strategies on how authors might craft their response document. Findings Through this study, the authors hope that business researchers would walk away with a greater understanding of how best to craft a response document to satisfy editor and reviewer expectations as well as be able to manage with the emotional rigors of the revise and resubmit process. Originality/value There is limited information or guidance available to researchers on how to write clear response documents while keeping in mind the reviewers’ perspective.