Reading reviews calmly

Getting reviews feels personal. Someone has criticised months of your work, sometimes bluntly. That reaction is normal. What you do next is what matters.

A routine that works

1. Read the decision and reviews once. Feel whatever you feel.
2. Close them for a day or two. Don't reply while upset.
3. Reread slowly, assuming the reviewer is trying to help, even if the tone is harsh.
4. Split every review into individual points, numbered, in a document.
5. Sort each point: easy fix, needs work, needs new analysis, or disagree.

Read between the lines

• A reviewer who misunderstood something is telling you the paper wasn't clear. Fix the paper, not just the reviewer.
• A request you think is unnecessary may point to a real doubt. What is the reviewer actually worried about?
• When two reviewers raise the same point, it's almost certainly important.

Understand the decision

• Minor revision: almost there.
• Major revision: real work needed, but the editor wants to see it again. This is a good outcome.
• Reject and resubmit: substantial changes needed; a new submission.
• Reject: move on to another venue, using the reviews to improve the paper.

RememberFeel it, wait a day, then split the reviews into points and look for what each reviewer is really worried about.