| name | reviewer-response-pack |
| description | Use when the user needs to answer reviewer comments, build a response matrix, classify revision requests, audit a response letter, verify a revised manuscript against review comments, or prepare a revise-and-resubmit package. |
Reviewer Response Pack
Use this skill after peer-review feedback arrives. It is not a generic paper review skill. Its job is to preserve each editor/reviewer concern, map it to real manuscript action or unresolved author input, and produce an auditable response package.
Required Contract
Before drafting, read:
<VELA_RUNTIME_ROOT>/skills/catalog/peer_review_workflow.json
<VELA_RUNTIME_ROOT>/skills/catalog/publication_style_rules.json
<VELA_RUNTIME_ROOT>/skills/catalog/writing_quality_rules.json
Use the revision_response_review mode in peer_review_workflow.json.
Input Readiness
Accepted inputs:
- editor decision letter
- reviewer comments
- response draft
- revised manuscript
- tracked-change summary
- author notes
- figure/table/supplement change list
- target journal or submission system constraints
If reviewer boundaries, comment segmentation, or manuscript version is unclear, flag it. Do not invent reviewer structure.
Workflow
- Identify mode:
triage-only: classify comments and blockers
draft: build response letter from supplied facts
audit: check an existing response draft
revise: revise the response package
verification-review: verify whether claimed changes actually appear in the revised manuscript
- Extract editor instructions first and assign IDs such as
E.1; then split reviewer comments as R1.1, R1.2, R2.1.
- Preserve each comment's meaning before responding.
- Classify each item:
- severity:
minor, major, blocking, unclear
- category: theory, literature, method, identification, measurement, evidence, statistics, citation, figure/table, reproducibility, ethics, writing, scope
- risk: low, medium, high, blocking
- Map each item to an action:
ACCEPT_TEXT
ACCEPT_ANALYSIS
ACCEPT_FIGURE_TABLE
CLARIFY_EXISTING
ADD_CITATION_VERIFIED
SOFTEN_CLAIM
PARTIAL
DISAGREE_WITH_EVIDENCE
OUT_OF_SCOPE
AUTHOR_INPUT_NEEDED
BLOCKING
- Build the response strategy summary before drafting prose.
- Draft point-by-point responses only for items with enough facts.
- For every claimed change, include manuscript location, figure/table/supplement location, citation evidence, or an explicit placeholder.
- For response prose and revised wording, run the local stop-slop surface scan through
writing_quality_rules.json: remove throat-clearing, performative emphasis, vague importance claims, binary-reversal formulas, negative-listing setups, mechanical rather than / since / however / therefore / not only but also transitions, hidden-actor prose, uniform short paragraph blocks, and rhythmically over-polished paragraph endings. Keep reviewer respect, factual precision, legitimate hedging, contribution posture, and unchanged manuscript claims.
- Run verification:
- every comment answered or explicitly unresolved
- every "we have..." statement tied to real evidence
- no invented line numbers, analyses, citations, figures, data, or appendices
- disagreement first acknowledges the concern
- limitations are not hidden
- the response does not over-concede, apologize for supported contributions, or rewrite a defensible claim as a limitation
- Chinese terms in revised manuscript wording follow Chinese literature and established Chinese academic usage rather than ad hoc English-to-Chinese translation
Re-Review Verification
When the user asks whether revisions addressed comments, produce a verification matrix:
| ID | Original comment | Author claim | Claimed location | Verified status | Residual issue | Required next action |
|---|
Use these statuses:
FULLY_ADDRESSED
PARTIALLY_ADDRESSED
NOT_ADDRESSED
MADE_WORSE
CANNOT_VERIFY
If author notes say only "已修改" or "addressed as suggested", mark CANNOT_VERIFY until the real location and change are supplied.
Output Contract
Default output:
# Reviewer Response Pack
## Response Strategy Summary
- Decision type:
- Overall posture:
- Major risks:
- Suggested order:
- Readiness:
## Comment-Response Tracker
| ID | Reviewer concern | Category | Severity | Action | Missing author input | Readiness | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
## Draft Point-By-Point Response
## Manuscript Change Checklist
## Revision Verification Matrix
## Missing Information And Blockers
## 中文核对
Red Lines
- Do not ignore any reviewer comment.
- Do not change the meaning of a reviewer comment.
- Do not claim a revision was made unless the user supplied it or it is visible in the revised manuscript.
- Do not invent line numbers, page numbers, figure panels, citations, statistical results, sample sizes, data availability, or supplementary materials.
- Do not cite time, money, or convenience as the main reason for not doing requested work.
- Do not draft around missing ethics, compliance, or data-integrity requirements.
- Do not let response writing bypass
citation-verifier, writing-reference-capture, or the peer-review protocol gate.
- Do not over-weaken supported claims just to sound polite. If a claim is evidence-backed, preserve it and clarify its boundary.