Peer Review History

Original SubmissionJuly 6, 2019
Decision Letter - Baogui Xin, Editor

PONE-D-19-18427

Gender-based market constraints to informal fish retailing; Evidence from analysis of variance and linear regression

PLOS ONE

Dear Dr Murphy,

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Kind regards,

Baogui Xin, Ph.D.

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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2. Please note that some authors are affiliated with WorldFish, "an international, nonprofit research organization that harnesses the potential of fisheries and aquaculture to reduce hunger and poverty" (https://www.worldfishcenter.org/). As a non-profit research organization whose mission relates to the topic of the study, this should be discussed in the competing interests statement to ensure transparency.

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Additional Editor Comments (if provided):

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Reviewers' comments:

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Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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Reviewer #1: There is a need to bring out/separate the constraint result. The enterprise and household characteristics seem to be the constraints or the title could be rephrased as household and enterprise constraints of men and women retailers...... The regression is satisfactory, however, I suggest the author takes a second look at the ANOVA/t-test. The measurement of variables is faulty on some variable hence, I doubt some result of on test of difference.

Reviewer #2: In this paper of “ Gender-based market constraints to informal fish retailing. I have several reservations about this paper and which are summarized as follows:

1. The paper has no driving research question. It is not clear to explain the contribution of this paper. In other words, the purpose of this research should be more clearly communicated in the introduction section. In introduction, please review the previous studies. What is the novelty for this article compared with existing studies?

2. I would like to see more discussion of the literature so that I can clearly identify the article relates to competing ideas.

3. authors had better to polish the manuscript.

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Reviewer #1: Yes: Olaosebikan Olamide Deborah

Reviewer #2: No

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Attachments
Attachment
Submitted filename: PONE-D-19-18427_reviewer_DOlaosebikan.pdf
Attachment
Submitted filename: General comment.docx
Revision 1

Dear Reviewer I,

Thank you very much for reviewing our manuscript (PONE-D-19-18247) entitled “Gender-based market constraints to informal fish retailing; Evidence from analysis of variance and linear regression” for consideration in Plos ONE. Your comments were excellent and have helped us to strengthen the manuscript. All comments were considered and changes were made accordingly, which we hope met your interpretations and recommendations. Please find below our revisions in response to your comments below.

Kind Regards,

Authors

Comments of & responses to reviewer I:

One general comment is that there is need to further explain the ‘constraint result’ and that this explanation needs to detail explicitly what is meant between household- and enterprise-based constraints. In particular, the reviewer suggests that such gender based constraints could separated from such results.

- The authors appreciated these comments. On p. 3 and 4, l. 56-99, we considered your suggestion by adding information to the introduction and conceptual framework regarding the paper’s focus on and definition of ‘gender-based market constraints’ to accessing and utilizing markets and household resources. We add that, by adopting a ‘social relations approach’, the paper investigates the ‘economic significance’ of gendered power relations both ‘on the trading floor and within the household where financial resources, household labour and market exchange relations are negotiated…’. In response to the reviewer’s further comment regarding a potential separation between gender-based constraints and economic results, we feel that the purpose of the paper is bring attention to the intersections that exist between such enterprise outcomes and gender relations and norms, which are negotiated at both household and market levels. On p. 4, l. 92, in order to emphasize this point, we refer more explicitly to where and how such intersections were investigated, while citing additional literature to help inform the reader of these approaches and debates.

Another comment is that further methodological discussion is needed of the study’s ANOVA and t-test analyses, which explains the parameters and measurements of variables assessed.

- The authors appreciated these comments. On p. 7, l. 159-162, we addressed these concerns by adding details regarding how such variables were defined. We also explained more clearly which variables were analyzed using ANOVA methods and which variables were analyzed using t-tests.

Dear Reviewer II,

Thank you very much for reviewing our manuscript (PONE-D-19-18247) entitled “Gender-based market constraints to informal fish retailing; Evidence from analysis of variance and linear regression” for consideration in Plos ONE. Your comments were excellent and have helped us to strengthen the manuscript. All comments were considered and changes were made accordingly, which we hope met your interpretations and recommendations. Please find below our revisions in response to your comments below.

Kind Regards,

Authors

Comments of & responses to reviewer II:

Two general comments from reviewer II suggest that the paper requires a clearer explanation in the introduction of the paper’s contribution to current literature and of the novelty that the paper offers to such literature.

- The authors appreciated this comment. On p. 3, l. 79, the authors introduce wider debates regarding the need for integrating gender research in economic development debates. In these discussions, on p. 3-4, l 86-98, the authors highlight how the current paper builds on these perspectives to contribute ‘novel gender perspectives in the new global development agenda’. In particular, the authors outline the study’s aim to provide results using the ‘relational approach’ to value chain research. In addition, the authors highlight how previous gender research in aquaculture retail sectors and value chains within region more generally have been limited, thereby highlighting the of the current study (l. 88).

A specific comment by the reviewer suggests that the manuscript should be polished.

- The authors appreciated this comment and have made substantial reviews and edits throughout the paper, restructuring per advice to position methodological discussions into the methods sections and correcting any content where minor mistakes were identified.

Decision Letter - Baogui Xin, Editor

Gender-based market constraints to informal fish retailing: Evidence from analysis of variance and linear regression

PONE-D-19-18427R1

Dear Dr. Murphy,

We are pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been judged scientifically suitable for publication and will be formally accepted for publication once it complies with all outstanding technical requirements.

Within one week, you will receive an e-mail containing information on the amendments required prior to publication. When all required modifications have been addressed, you will receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will proceed to our production department and be scheduled for publication.

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With kind regards,

Baogui Xin, Ph.D.

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments:

Formally Accepted
Acceptance Letter - Baogui Xin, Editor

PONE-D-19-18427R1

Gender-based market constraints to informal fish retailing: Evidence from analysis of variance and linear regression

Dear Dr. Murphy:

I am pleased to inform you that your manuscript has been deemed suitable for publication in PLOS ONE. Congratulations! Your manuscript is now with our production department.

If your institution or institutions have a press office, please notify them about your upcoming paper at this point, to enable them to help maximize its impact. If they will be preparing press materials for this manuscript, please inform our press team within the next 48 hours. Your manuscript will remain under strict press embargo until 2 pm Eastern Time on the date of publication. For more information please contact onepress@plos.org.

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Thank you for submitting your work to PLOS ONE.

With kind regards,

PLOS ONE Editorial Office Staff

on behalf of

Prof. Baogui Xin

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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