R&R Rebuttal (crim-rebuttal)
A Criminology R&R is a strong signal — top criminology journals reserve revisions for papers with
real promise. But getting to acceptance usually means satisfying several expert reviewers drawn
from different disciplines (a developmental psychologist, a quantitative criminologist, a theorist),
under the editor's judgment. The response letter must move every reviewer toward yes while
keeping the editor confident the revision converges and the contribution survives.
When to trigger
- An R&R (major/minor) arrived and you are planning the revision + response letter
- Reviewers disagree with each other and you must reconcile their demands
- A reviewer requests analyses (e.g., a different trajectory solution or robustness) that could change claims
- Writing the cover note to the editor summarizing the revision
Strategy
-
Read the editor's letter as the rubric. The editor signals which points are decisive — often the
theoretical contribution and identification. Solve those first; the editor adjudicates reviewer
disagreements.
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One point-by-point response, every comment addressed. Quote each comment, then respond. Never
skip one — silence reads as non-compliance.
-
Concede or rebut explicitly, with evidence. For each: did what was asked (say where, with the new
text/table/figure number), or push back respectfully with a reason (theory, measurement, design,
or evidence). A well-argued disagreement beats a capitulation that weakens the paper.
-
Reconcile conflicting reviewers openly. When one wants more trajectory groups and another wants
fewer, or one wants official counts and another self-report, say so, choose a principled path, and
explain the tradeoff to the editor.
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Protect the theoretical contribution. Add robustness and clarifications; resist changes that
dilute the mechanism or over-claim beyond the scope conditions. Defend within- vs. between-person
distinctions and crime-measurement choices rather than papering over them.
-
Keep anonymity intact in the revised main document and update the reproducibility package so
new tables/figures remain reproducible (see
crim-data-and-transparency).
Response-letter format
For each reviewer comment:
> [Quoted reviewer comment]
Response: [What we did / why we respectfully disagree].
Change: [Section/page/table-figure number where the revision appears].
Open with a short summary of the main changes to the editor; group by reviewer; end each entry with
the location of every change so the editor and reviewers can verify quickly.
Anti-patterns
- Ignoring or merging away a comment without a visible response
- Capitulating to a request that breaks the theory or the identification just to please a reviewer
- Defensive or dismissive tone toward reviewers
- "We thank the reviewer" with no actual change or argued reason
- Adding analyses that quietly contradict the original criminological claim without acknowledging it
- Letting the revised manuscript or new exhibits drift out of sync with the deposited package
Reconciling interdisciplinary reviewers (Criminology triage table)
Because the ASC flagship draws reviewers across sociology, psychology, and quantitative criminology,
R&R comments often conflict. Sort each by whether it touches the contribution.
| Comment type |
Example |
Concede or defend? |
| Touches identification |
"selection into treatment unaddressed" |
concede — add within-person/sensitivity analysis |
| Touches measurement |
"official records, not offending" |
partly concede — add self-report robustness |
| Touches theory |
"this isn't really testing GST" |
defend if your prediction separates GST from a rival |
| Conflicting asks |
one wants 4 trajectory groups, one wants 3 |
choose by BIC/AvePP, explain to the editor |
Worked vignette: an R&R response move (illustrative)
Reviewer 1 (a psychologist) wants a fifth trajectory group; Reviewer 2 (a quantitative criminologist)
calls the existing four over-fit. The response reports BIC favoring four and AvePP of 0.84
(illustrative), adds the five-group fit to an appendix showing the extra group is < 3% of the sample
and unstable, and tells the editor four is retained on classification grounds. Both reviewers see their
point engaged; the contribution holds.
R&R referee pushback (with the Criminology fix)
-
"You only added confirming analyses." Fix: include a check that could have broken the claim; report it honestly.
-
"The revision drifts from the theory." Fix: protect the mechanism and scope conditions; resist dilution.
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"New tables don't match the package." Fix: re-run the master script so every new exhibit reproduces from the deposit.
Output format
【Editor's decisive points】addressed first? [list]
【Coverage】every reviewer comment answered? [Y/N]
【Concede vs rebut】each tagged with evidence + change location
【Reviewer conflicts】reconciled and explained to editor? [Y/N]
【Contribution protected】theory + scope conditions intact? [Y/N]
【Anonymity + package updated】[Y/N]
【Next】resubmit via the official ASC/Wiley online submission link
Supplementary resources
