3

I submitted a paper to a journal in linguistics. It was accepted pending some minor revisions w.r.t. typesetting and a few sentences that had to be reformulated. The reviewers gave eight comments on the introductory section, comprising roughly 1/3 of the paper, and only one on the rest. On the one hand, this may be expected, because I am less proficient with the broader context of the introduction and had most difficulties writing that section. On the other hand, I'm slightly worried that the reviewers lost track of the train of thought halfway through the paper.

I would like to know if the reviewers got lost in the paper, and what I might do to improve it if necessary. However, I have not found a good way to ask the editor. I don't want to suggest that the paper should not be published or that the reviewers may have been lazy or stupid. How can I ask for more feedback? Or should I just assume that no comments means well written?

I do not know how many people reviewed the paper; the editor aggregated the comments before sending them to me.

|improve this question
  • 2
    Given the ending of your title, repeated at the end of your first paragraph perhaps they have a point... – Solar Mike May 5 '18 at 6:12
  • « whether they lost track halfway the paper » is not phrased correctly : you could have said « whether they lost track halfway through the paper » or other variations, so my point was, and is, perhaps the reviewers have a point. – Solar Mike May 5 '18 at 11:50
  • @SolarMike thanks, English is not my native language - fixed. (I'm still not sure what the point the reviewers would have would be, though.) – user25112 May 5 '18 at 11:51
8

This sounds like you wrote a good paper with some minor problems in the background/introduction that need fixing/polishing.

If reviewers get lost they should (and most likely will) mention that, and make you work a lot more. If, however, the editor and all reviewers have nothing to complain, your paper should be alright.

|improve this answer
7

I don't think you should ask this of the editors or reviewers at all. It's their job to evaluate the paper for publication, but it's not their job to help you improve it. At this point, they've given you all the comments they felt were necessary.

If you want more feedback on the paper, or suggestions on how it can be improved, then ask someone else - colleagues, collaborators, other researchers in the field. But not the reviewers.

|improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy