R&R Rebuttal (poq-rebuttal)

A POQ R&R is an opportunity — but the referees are survey scientists, and their comments often turn on Total Survey Error (coverage, nonresponse, wording, mode, weighting) and AAPOR disclosure. The response letter must move every referee toward yes on both substance and method, while keeping the associate editor confident the revision is convergent.

When to trigger

• An R&R decision arrived and you are planning the revision + response letter
• Referees disagree with each other and you must reconcile their demands
• A referee requests new weighting, robustness, or disclosure that touches the claims
• Writing the cover note to the AE summarizing the revision

Strategy

1. Read the AE's letter as the rubric. The associate editor signals which points are decisive. Solve those first; the AE adjudicates disagreements among referees.
2. One point-by-point response, every comment addressed. Quote each comment, then respond. Never skip one — silence reads as non-compliance.
3. Answer survey-error objections with evidence, not assertion. When a referee questions nonresponse bias, mode effects, wording, or weighting, respond with an added analysis, a sensitivity check, or an explicit disclosure update — point to the revised Appendix A / table / figure.
4. Concede or rebut explicitly. For each: did what was asked (say where, with the new text/table/figure number), or push back respectfully with a methodological reason. Referees respect a well-argued disagreement grounded in survey science.
5. Reconcile conflicting referees openly. When R2 wants the opposite of R3, say so, choose a principled path, and explain the tradeoff to the AE.
6. Protect the contribution. Add robustness and disclosure; resist changes that dilute the opinion or survey-validity claim that earned the R&R. Defend scope conditions rather than over-claiming.
7. Keep anonymity intact in the revised manuscript (still double-blind), and update the replication package and Appendix A so new tables/figures remain reproducible and disclosed (see poq-transparency-and-data-policy).

Response-letter format

For each referee comment:

> [Quoted referee comment]

Response: [What we did / why we respectfully disagree, on survey-science grounds].
Change: [Section/page/table-figure/Appendix-A location where the revision appears].

Open with a short summary of the main changes to the AE; group by referee; end each entry with the location of every change so the editor can verify quickly.

Synchronize the revision package

POQ revisions often fail because the manuscript, Appendix A, replication files, and response letter drift apart. Maintain a package ledger:

Before resubmission, read the response letter against the ledger. Every "we added" sentence needs a manuscript or appendix location, and every new exhibit needs a reproducible source.

Anti-patterns

• Ignoring or merging away a comment without a visible response
• Answering a nonresponse/mode/weighting objection with assertion rather than analysis or disclosure
• Capitulating to a request that breaks the design's logic just to please a referee
• Defensive or dismissive tone toward referees
• Letting the revised manuscript, Appendix A, or new exhibits drift out of sync with the deposited package
• Reporting a new robustness result in the letter but leaving Appendix A or replication files unchanged

Output format

【AE's decisive points】addressed first? [list]
【Coverage】every referee comment answered? [Y/N]
【Survey-error objections】each met with analysis/disclosure + change location
【Concede vs rebut】each tagged with evidence + location
【Referee conflicts】reconciled and explained to AE? [Y/N]
【Contribution protected】no dilution of opinion / survey-validity claim? [Y/N]
【Anonymity + package + Appendix A updated】[Y/N]
【Package ledger】manuscript / Appendix A / deposit synchronized? [Y/N]
【Next】resubmit via ScholarOne Manuscripts

Supplementary resources

• ../../resources/external_tools.md — sensitivity/robustness and disclosure tooling for the revision
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — double-blind review and AE code/data requests