Enable Author Responses
Let authors respond to reviews (rebuttal) and run a discussion between authors, reviewers, and chairs
Author responses add a rebuttal step to your review workflow: once you publish results, authors can reply to their reviews in a discussion thread on their submission, and reviewers, associate/senior editors, and chairs can respond. Reviewers can then update their reviews before you finalize decisions.
How the Response Window Works
The window is controlled by two things — there is no separate "open" switch:
| Control | Where | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Author Responses toggle | Phase settings | Turns the feature on or off for that phase |
| Response Deadline (optional) | Phase settings | When authors' ability to post closes automatically |
Authors can post from the moment the phase's reviews are visible to them (see Publish Results) until the deadline passes. If you don't set a deadline, the discussion stays open until you turn the toggle off. Reviewers and chairs are never bound by the window — they can comment anytime.
Extending or reopening
To extend the response period, just move the deadline later — this works even after it has passed. To close early, set the deadline to now or turn the toggle off. Nothing is deleted when the window closes; the thread becomes read-only for authors.
Enable It on a Phase
- Navigate to your track and click Settings → Phases
- Click the edit (pencil) icon on the phase card
- Toggle on "Author Responses"
- Optionally set a Response Deadline and timezone (defaults to Anywhere on Earth)
- Click "Update Phase"
The phase card shows the setting at a glance: "Author Responses Until: [date]" when a deadline is set, or "on (no deadline)" for an open-ended discussion.
The Discussion Thread
Each submission gets one discussion thread, shown on the reviews page for every participant — authors see it under their reviews, reviewers on their review page, and chairs/editors on the management view:
Committee-only notes: reviewers, editors, and chairs can check "Hide from authors (committee only)" when posting — the comment stays on the same thread but is only visible to the committee, marked with a "Hidden from authors" badge.
Who Sees What
Anonymity follows your track's review type, the same rules as the reviews themselves:
| Comment by | Authors see | Committee sees |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Their real name | Real name — or "Authors" for reviewers on double-blind tracks |
| Reviewer | "Reviewer #N" (matches the review numbering) | Real name |
| AE / SE | The track's display name (e.g. "Associate Editor") | Real name |
| Chair | Real name | Real name |
On multi-phase tracks, each round gets its own discussion window, and earlier rounds' threads stay visible as read-only history.
Typical Rebuttal Workflow
- Reviews come in → you publish results for the phase (Publish Results)
- Authors respond to the reviews before the response deadline
- Reviewers read the responses, reply, and update their reviews (score changes are tracked as review revisions)
- You finalize decisions with the discussion in view
See also: Configure Track Phases · Make Decisions