Reviewer Rebuttal (sci-rebuttal)

When to trigger

• A decision letter arrives (reject / reject-but-resubmit / major or minor revision).
• You have reviewer comments and need a strategy before writing.
• A revision is drafted and you need the point-by-point response letter.

Step 0: read the editor's letter first

The editor's framing outranks individual reviewers. Identify:

• The decision type and whether a new review round is implied.
• Which concerns the editor emphasizes (these are load-bearing — address fully).
• Any deal-breaker the editor names (e.g., "the central claim needs independent validation").

A "reject but would consider a new submission" is an invitation gated on the deal-breaker. Don't treat it as a flat reject, but don't under-deliver either.

Triage every comment into 4 buckets