Satisfying Doubters and Critics: Dealing with the Peer Review.

Although peer review process intends to improve the quality of published scientific literature, many authors find the process intimidating and overbearing. Responding to reviewers' comments in a hasty and inappropriate manner is self-defeating. Authors need to answer the reviewers in an objective manner providing additional description, rational arguments and relevant evidence. Peer review is an important element of the research process. It aims to maintain the quality of scientific publications by rejecting manuscripts that are trivial, weak, irrelevant or misleading and by improving the transparency, accuracy and utility of manuscripts accepted for publication.1,2 But, the process can be intimidating for some new authors. They cannot understand, let alone digest the criticism of their submitted manuscript and hence respond in a hurry and in an inappropriate manner, further jeopardizing the chances of acceptability. This article informs new authors about the way a submitted manuscript is handled in the journal office and provides suggestions on how to respond to the reviewers' and editors' comments. More importantly, it intends to provide clues on how to minimize the chances of receiving harsh criticism.