# Structured Rebuttals in LaTeX

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The rebuttal LaTeX package provides means for writing structured journal and
conference paper rebuttals.

## Features

* Creation of a master list of referee comments and the corresponding replies
* Support for cross-referencing the changes (i.e., additions, deletions, and
  changes) within the original manuscript and the rebuttal letter

## Getting Started

To use the package, simply load `rebuttal` in the document preamble as follows:

```latex
\usepackage{rebuttal}
```

Also make sure the `xcolor` package has been loaded using the following options:

* `dvipsnames`
* `svgnames`
* `x11names`

Please refer to the
[letter](https://github.com/sergiud/rebuttal/blob/2e8839440c55e23de8dd05a7c0a0cef6f15ce23e/examples/letter.tex#L1)
example for necessary preamble setup.

Afterwards, you can structure the rebuttal using (multiple) `rebuttal`
environment(s).

## Usage

A well-structured rebuttal typically consists of the following parts:

1. a master list of referee comments and author's replies, and
2. clearly highlighted changes to the manuscript that stem from reviewers'
   comments.

The following sections provide an overview of the package's functionality that
supports authors in producing the above content in a consistent manner.

### Structuring the Rebuttal

The `rebuttal` environment can contain several blocks that refer to editor's or
specific reviewers' comments and your replies to referees' comments.
Specifically, the environment is expected to contain a `comment` and an `answer`
environment. The general layout looks as follows:

```latex
\begin{rebuttal}[Editor's Comments]
  \begin{comment}
    % Reviewer's comment
  \end{comment}
  \begin{answer}
    % The reply
  \end{answer}
\end{rebuttal}
```

### Annotating Changes to the Manuscript

Within the manuscript, three main commands can be used to denote additions,
deletions, or changes. The corresponding commands are `\addition`, `\deletion`,
and `\change`.

All three commands require specifying their labels for referencing the
modifications using the `label` option. Additionally, the `ref` option back
references the original reviewer comment. While `\addition` and `\deletion`
require a single argument. `\change` expects two arguments, where the first one
denotes the changed text, and the second one the new text.

### Annotating Multiple Paragraphs

Additionally to the provided markup commands, the package also defines
equivalent environments for annotating multiple paragraphs:

```latex
\begin{additionenv}[label=a:par,ref=c:missing-motivations]
  \section{New Experiment}
  % new text
\end{additionenv}

\begin{changeenv}[label=ch:par,ref=c:missing-motivations]{old text}
  \section{Improved Experiment}
  % new text
\end{changeenv}

\begin{deletionenv}[label=d:par,ref=c:missing-motivations]
  \section{Useless Discussion}
  % old text
\end{deletionenv}
```

### Referencing Multiple Changes

The `ref` option provided by markup commands may specify multiple labels:

```latex
\addition[label=a:new,ref={c:c1,c:c2}]{new text}.
```

## Limitations

* Rebuttal markup cannot be used within floating environments such as `figure`
  and `table`, and the `\caption` command.