Dealing with Peer Reviews: How to Stay Calm, Respond Strategically, and Move Forward
Peer review can be brutal.
But it doesn’t have to crush your confidence or derail your project.
In this recorded workshop, you'll learn how to approach peer review feedback calmly, strategically, and productively—so you can revise and resubmit with less stress and more clarity.
Whether you're dealing with journal article reviews or book manuscript critiques, this workshop will give you the tools to navigate feedback without losing momentum—or your mind.
🌟 What's included in the workshop:
✅ How to emotionally depersonalize peer reviews—without becoming defensive or discouraged
✅ A simple, structured system for assessing, sorting, and responding to reviewers' comments
✅ How to create a “response document” that keeps you organized and makes revisions easier
✅ The key differences between article and book review processes—and how to work with editors in each case
✅ How to move past harsh or unfair comments and stay focused on your bigger goals
✅ 30 minutes of workshop, deliberately held short and sweet. Invest 30 minutes now and change your approach to peer-reviews for good.
✅ Get access to all supplementary materials mentioned in the workshop, plus worksheets to structure your responses to reviewers!
🎯 Who This Workshop Is For:
- PhD students and postdocs preparing journal articles or book proposals
- Early-career researchers facing their first rounds of peer review
- Anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, paralyzed, or discouraged by reviewer feedback
💬 What Participants Are Saying:
"This completely changed the way I think about peer reviews. I feel much more confident about revising my article now!"
- EMERGE Co-Writing Community Member
Example Curriculum
Meet your Coach
My name is Dr. Melanie Sindelar, and I will help you to get back on track.
I’m a career coach and an Assistant Professor of Anthropology—but before that, I was a PhD student and a postdoc, navigating the same challenges you’re facing now. Since my PhD, I’ve been coaching academics through every stage of their careers, from PhD students to postdocs and even professors.
And here’s the thing: I actually get it.
There are so many coaches out there who claim they can help you with academic writing, funding, and career planning—without ever having defended a PhD thesis, or know how to continue to write despite the uncertainty and precariousness that shapes the lives of so many academics.
I’ve been through it all. I’ve written and secured grants, published my research, transitioned between positions, and built a sustainable academic career. I pushed through it all, but I wish I hadn't had to do it alone. I wish this community had existed when I did my PhD.
My mission is to help you consistently write and publish, offering a supportive community and continuous support.
Interested in other Products?
Join us in the EMERGE Co-Writing Community, move forward with some coaching, or treat yourself to another course!
