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name: smr-rebuttal description: Use when responding to a Sociological Methods & Research (SMR) decision letter — drafting the point-by-point response and revision plan for properties, simulations, the empirical illustration, software, and exposition under SMR's verbatim-comment response format. Plans the response; does not run new analyses itself.

SMR Rebuttal

Use this after a decision letter. SMR revisions are won by treating each reviewer point as a concrete, auditable deliverable — at a methods journal, "we have clarified this" without a new derivation, simulation cell, or exhibit rarely persuades.

SMR's response format

SMR expects authors to copy each reviewer comment verbatim and respond beneath it (检索于 2026-06； 以官网为准). Build the response document accordingly:

• One block per comment: the verbatim comment, your response, and the exact change (section, table, equation, or line) that implements it.
• Group nothing silently — every comment gets its own visible block, even if the answer is "see our response to Reviewer 2, point 3."
• Keep a changelog at the top summarizing the major revisions so the editor sees the arc quickly.

Classify each comment, then assign a deliverable

Comment type	Deliverable that satisfies an SMR reviewer
"Property is asserted, not proved"	a derivation or a clearly labeled argument (smr-derivation-and-properties)
"Simulation is too narrow / strawman"	new DGP cells or competitors (smr-simulation-studies)
"Does the method matter in practice?"	strengthen or add the empirical illustration (smr-empirical-illustration)
"Can I run this?"	release/clean the package + reproducibility (smr-software-and-reproducibility)
"Unclear contribution / overclaim"	tighten the contribution sentence (smr-method-contribution, smr-writing-style)
"Already exists elsewhere"	a precedent response (smr-literature-positioning) — concede or differentiate

Map every comment to one of these before writing; an answer with no concrete deliverable is the response most likely to draw a second-round rejection.

Handling the hard cases

• Disagreement: you may push back, but do it with evidence — a derivation, a simulation cell, or a citation — not assertion. Concede the framing even when you keep the conclusion.
• A demanded analysis you think is wrong: run it anyway and show why it does not change the conclusion; a refusal reads as evasion.
• Precedent claims: if the reviewer is right that the method exists, say so and re-scope the contribution honestly; if they are wrong, give the precise difference from the cited work.
• Scope pushback ("this is an application"): re-foreground the methodological takeaway and the travel beyond the example — the smr-topic-selection argument.

Track the revision clock

• Note the deadline and whether it is a major or minor revision; request an extension early if a new simulation or derivation needs real time.
• Keep the revised manuscript fully anonymized for re-review and update the availability statement and AI disclosure if materials changed.

Checklist

• Each reviewer comment appears verbatim with a response and the exact change beneath it.
• A top-of-document changelog summarizes the major revisions.
• Every comment is mapped to a concrete deliverable (derivation/sim cell/illustration/code/prose).
• Demanded analyses were run, even those expected to be null.
• Disagreements are backed by evidence, with framing conceded where fair.
• Precedent claims are conceded or differentiated precisely.
• The revised files remain anonymized; availability statement and AI disclosure updated.

Anti-patterns

• "We have clarified this" with no new derivation, exhibit, or text pointer.
• Silent grouping of comments instead of the verbatim-block format.
• Assertion over evidence in disagreements.
• Refusing a requested analysis instead of running it and explaining the null.
• Defending an overclaim the reviewers correctly flagged, rather than re-scoping.
• Deanonymized revision files sent for re-review.

Output format

[Decision] reject / major / minor / conditional accept
[Response format] verbatim-block per comment? yes/no
[Comment ledger] <comment -> deliverable -> where implemented>
[Hardest point] <the comment most likely to sink the revision> + plan
[Anonymization/disclosure] revision anonymized; availability + AI updated? yes/no
[Next SMR skill] smr-submission (for the revised resubmission)