PluginBench
Skill
Review
Audit score 70

rebuttal-writing

lingzhi227/agent-research-skills

Write evidence-based rebuttals to peer review comments with structured point-by-point responses.

What is rebuttal-writing?

This skill extracts concerns from peer reviewer feedback, generates evidence-based responses citing specific paper sections and results, and formats them as a structured rebuttal document. Use it after receiving peer review to prepare a professional author response that addresses every reviewer point with concrete data and reasoning.

  • Parse reviewer comments and categorize each concern (major, minor, question, suggestion)
  • Generate evidence-based responses that cite specific sections, equations, experiments, and results
  • Format rebuttals in standard academic style with reviewer-by-reviewer organization
  • Track and summarize all major changes made to the paper
  • Ensure responses describe completed work rather than future plans
  • Maintain respectful tone while thoroughly addressing every concern

How to install rebuttal-writing

npx skills add https://github.com/lingzhi227/agent-research-skills --skill rebuttal-writing
Claude Code
Cursor
Windsurf
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How to use rebuttal-writing

  1. 1.Gather all reviewer comments in a text file or paste them directly
  2. 2.Optionally have your current paper draft available for reference
  3. 3.Run the skill with the reviews file as input
  4. 4.Review the extracted concerns to ensure all points are captured
  5. 5.For each concern, provide evidence from your paper (section numbers, table references, experimental results)
  6. 6.Use the generated rebuttal template to organize responses by reviewer
  7. 7.Add a summary of changes section at the top listing new experiments, revised sections, and clarifications
  8. 8.Review for tone, specificity, and completeness before submitting

Use cases

Good for
  • Responding to peer review feedback for journal or conference submissions
  • Preparing author responses for revision rounds in academic publishing
  • Addressing specific technical concerns with experimental evidence and citations
  • Organizing multiple reviewer comments into a coherent rebuttal structure
  • Documenting paper changes and improvements made in response to feedback
Who it's for
  • Academic researchers and authors preparing peer review responses
  • PhD students and postdocs managing the revision process
  • Journal and conference paper authors
  • Research teams coordinating multi-reviewer feedback

rebuttal-writing FAQ

Should I describe changes I plan to make or changes already made?

Always describe changes already made to the paper. Use past tense: 'We have added experiments' or 'We revised Section 3' rather than 'We will conduct' or 'We plan to add.'

How specific should my responses be?

Be very specific: reference exact section numbers, table numbers, equation numbers, and page numbers. Include concrete data from experiments or results rather than general statements.

What if a reviewer's concern is invalid or based on a misunderstanding?

Respectfully acknowledge the concern, clarify the misunderstanding by pointing to the relevant paper section, and explain why the reviewer's interpretation differs from your intent.

Should I address every single reviewer comment?

Yes. Do not skip any reviewer point, even if it seems minor. Address every concern, question, and suggestion systematically.

Can I use this skill for non-academic rebuttals?

The skill is designed for academic peer review responses, but the structured approach to parsing concerns and generating evidence-based responses can apply to other formal rebuttal contexts.

Full instructions (SKILL.md)

Source of truth, from lingzhi227/agent-research-skills.


name: rebuttal-writing description: Write point-by-point rebuttals to reviewer comments. Extract concerns from reviews, generate evidence-based responses, and format as a structured rebuttal document. Use after receiving peer review feedback. argument-hint: [reviews-file]

Rebuttal Writing

Generate structured, evidence-based rebuttals to peer review comments.

Input

  • $0 — Reviewer comments (text file, or pasted directly)
  • Optional: current paper draft for reference

References

  • Rebuttal prompts and format templates: ~/.claude/skills/rebuttal-writing/references/rebuttal-prompts.md

Workflow

Step 1: Parse Review Comments

For each reviewer:

  1. Extract individual concerns/questions/weaknesses
  2. Categorize each: major concern, minor concern, question, suggestion
  3. Identify the core issue behind each concern

Step 2: Generate Responses

For each concern:

  1. Acknowledge the reviewer's point
  2. Respond with evidence — cite specific sections, equations, experiments, or results from the paper
  3. Describe what was done (not what will be done) — "We have added...", "Our experiments show..."
  4. If additional experiments are needed, describe the new results concretely

Step 3: Format Rebuttal

Use the standard rebuttal format:

# Response to Reviewers

We thank all reviewers for their constructive feedback. We address each concern below.

## Reviewer #1

**Concern #1:** [extracted concern]
**Author Response:** [detailed response with evidence]

**Concern #2:** [extracted concern]
**Author Response:** [detailed response with evidence]

## Reviewer #2
...

Step 4: Summary of Changes

Add a brief summary at the top listing all major changes made to the paper:

  • New experiments added
  • Sections revised
  • Clarifications made

Rules

  • Reply with what was done, not what will be done — "We have conducted additional experiments" not "We will conduct..."
  • Be specific — Reference exact sections, table numbers, equation numbers
  • Be respectful — Thank reviewers, acknowledge valid concerns
  • Address every concern — Do not skip any reviewer point
  • Provide evidence — Every response should include concrete data, citations, or reasoning
  • Keep responses concise — Detailed enough to address the concern, but not padded
  • Highlight changes — When referring to modified text, use blue text or clearly mark revisions

Related Skills

  • Upstream: self-review, paper-revision
  • Downstream: paper-compilation
  • See also: data-analysis