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I have recently submitted my first (math) manuscript to a Springer's journal, and received an answer that major revisions are needed, together with two reviewer reports. I revised my manuscript accordingly, and wish to submit it, but the technical details of how to do it are unclear to me. According to Springer's website:

You will usually receive a letter from the editor who handled your manuscript outlining the changes they would like you to make and links to the reviewer reports. This letter usually contains information on how to return your revised manuscript including instructions on how to highlight the changes made and when you need to return the revised version.

However I did not receive such a letter. So, my main questions are:

  1. Should I submit a single letter, containing my comments to both reviewers (one after another), or one letter for each reviewer? My main concern about the former is that it means reviewers will be able to see the comments of one another.
  2. How and where should I place my response to each comment? Is it customary to copy the whole reports, which are PDFs, into a LaTeX file, and then add my answers?
  3. For each reviewer, the revised manuscript contains changes he/she didn't request (since these are changes the other one requested). Should I begin my letter (or letters) with a list of all changes?
  4. Since my manuscript is written in LaTeX, tracking changes might be harder than in other file formats. Should I highlight all changes in my manuscript if I am not specifically asked to do so?
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  • Double-check all emails you have from the journal to look for instructions, double-check the journal's instructions to authors which may have resubmission instructions, and then you'll have to ask them what their preferred format is for marking changes made. Generally, though, reviewers are privy to each other's comments once they've submitted theirs, so I wouldn't try to keep anything separate.
    – Bryan Krause
    Jul 25, 2022 at 15:50
  • Please clarify your specific problem or provide additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it's hard to tell exactly what you're asking.
    – Community Bot
    Jul 25, 2022 at 16:27
  • The communication suggesting major revisions should have information about how to do that. If there is none, look at the publisher's submission portal for the status of your ms. There may (should) be a way to submit the requested revisions. Jul 25, 2022 at 16:27
  • I don't think you have any options but to ask Springer, probably through the editor. Perhaps you missed something. Perhaps they are unclear. But it is their rules that apply. If you guess, then, at best, you may get another round of revisions.
    – Buffy
    Jul 25, 2022 at 18:26

1 Answer 1

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The communication suggesting major revisions should have information about how to submit the new draft. If there is none, look at the publisher's submission portal for the status of your ms.

There should be a way to submit a single new ms and a cover letter responding to the reviewer comments. You tell the editor what changes you made and which you rejected (and why). I don't think that any track changes in either LaTeX or pdf is necessary.

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  • I hate to be picky and don't deal with Springer anymore, but some of this seems speculative. Are you writing with authority or experience? Some of your phrasing seems to suggest common sense guesses, not actual knowledge of the procedures required.
    – Buffy
    Jul 25, 2022 at 17:00
  • @Buffy Admittedly speculative, but possibly helpful. I wouldn't deal with Springer either. Jul 25, 2022 at 17:32
  • Perhaps you should revise it then. If my common sense matches your common sense but not Springer's actual procedures, the OP would be ill advised to listen to us.
    – Buffy
    Jul 25, 2022 at 18:07
  • @Buffy I think all I'm saying is "see what Springer has to say". The OP can follow my advice and find out that Springer doesn't do what you and I think they should be doing. O could delete the answer and post as a long comment instead. Jul 25, 2022 at 18:10

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