Appeal process for Physical Review Letters

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the appeal process for a manuscript rejected by Physical Review Letters (PRL). Participants share their experiences and seek clarification on how to formally initiate an appeal against the rejection based on reviewer comments.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes their experience with a manuscript rejection, noting that one reviewer suggested revisions while another recommended rejection based on vague comments.
  • Another participant suggests that appealing to the editor of the journal is the appropriate course of action.
  • Some participants express concern that if a reviewer misunderstood the paper, it indicates a need for improvement to avoid similar misunderstandings by a broader audience.
  • There is mention of the possibility of transferring the manuscript to other journals, such as PR Applied or PR Research, if the appeal does not succeed.
  • One participant seeks specific details about the email address to use for the appeal process and inquires about the success of others in initiating the appeal.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the need to appeal to the editor, but there is disagreement regarding the necessity and potential effectiveness of the appeal process. Some express skepticism about the appeal leading to a favorable outcome.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the lack of clarity in the appeal initiation procedure and the vagueness of reviewer comments as limitations in their current understanding of the process.

sbhopala
I am a co-author of a manuscript recently submitted to PRL. We received comments from 2 reviewers: 1 of them suggested revisions, while the other recommended the paper be rejected. The comments from the second reviewer were vague, as he completely misunderstood the paper. The editor rejected our paper based on the reviewers' comments. Now, we would like to appeal against this rejection. Can someone please detail the procedure for the same? Although I am able to find some information here (https://journals.aps.org/authors/editorial-appeal-procedures), it does not describe the procedure to initiate the appeal process.
 
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sbhopala said:
I am a co-author of a manuscript recently submitted to PRL. We received comments from 2 reviewers: 1 of them suggested revisions, while the other recommended the paper be rejected. The comments from the second reviewer were vague, as he completely misunderstood the paper. The editor rejected our paper based on the reviewers' comments. Now, we would like to appeal against this rejection. Can someone please detail the procedure for the same? Although I am able to find some information here (https://journals.aps.org/authors/editorial-appeal-procedures), it does not describe the procedure to initiate the appeal process.
It seems one would appeal to the editor of the journal.
 
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Honestly, I think you're setting yourself up for unnecessary grief.

1. If a referee totally misunderstood the paper, it needs to be improved so the same doesn't happen with the general readership. If 50% of the readers misunderstood, that's a problem.

2. There are plenty of other journals. The paper could be in print somewhere else by the time you and the APS get done arguing.
 
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Astronuc said:
It seems one would appeal to the editor of the journal.
yes, I am aware of that. What i was not sure was if we had to email the editor/use the manuscript's submission system. Anyway, the customer support of APS journals just gave me an email id now - I need to use that for my appeal.
 
Vanadium 50 said:
Honestly, I think you're setting yourself up for unnecessary grief.

1. If a referee totally misunderstood the paper, it needs to be improved so the same doesn't happen with the general readership. If 50% of the readers misunderstood, that's a problem.

2. There are plenty of other journals. The paper could be in print somewhere else by the time you and the APS get done arguing.
1. I understand. however, it's more than that. the referee did not even read the manuscript thoroughly and carefully. Some of his comments were already addressed in the text.
2. PRL has already given us the option of transferring to PR Applied/PR Research, although I do not know if the manuscript will undergo another round of revision. if our appeal to the PRL editor doesn't work out, we will transfer our manuscript to one of these journals.
 
Could you tell me the email id for appeal? Have you successfully initiated the appeal process? Thanks a lot!
 

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