PONE-D-24-40808What influences the innovation efficiency of digitalization and low carbonization integration in the construction industry? -Configuration analysis based on fsQCAPLOS ONE

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PLOS ONE

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This work was supported in part by the Basic Scientific Research Project of EducationDepartment of Liaoning Province under grant LJKMR20220709 and in part by the Social Science Fund of Liaoning Province under grant 23-A045.  The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Partly

Reviewer #2: No

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

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

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3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

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5. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1:  （1）The introduction does a good job of framing the study within the dual contexts of digitalization and the “double carbon” goal. However, the discussion on how the construction industry’s carbon emissions align with these global and national goals could be expanded. Adding specific challenges faced by the industry in integrating digitalization and low carbonization would strengthen the relevance of your research.

（2）The statement of the problem should explicitly highlight what existing literature lacks concerning the integration of digital and low-carbon innovations. Clearly stating the three key questions in bullet points would also improve readability.

（3）The current review mixes several themes, such as digitalization, low carbonization, and BIM technology. I recommend separating these into distinct subsections (e.g., digitalization in construction, low carbonization initiatives, and synergies between them). This would make the literature review easier to follow and emphasize the progression of research

（4）While many studies are mentioned, the review lacks critical engagement with these sources. You should critically assess how past research either supports or contradicts your findings.

（5）It would be helpful to provide a more detailed explanation of why fsQCA is better suited to this study than other quantitative methods. How does it handle the complexity of multiple interacting factors better than regression-based models?

（6）it would be helpful to deepen the theoretical implications of your findings. You could also discuss how your findings challenge or extend existing theories in digital and low-carbon innovation.

（7）A thorough proofreading for grammar and consistency will improve the overall quality of the manuscript.

Reviewer #2:  This paper examines the factors influencing the innovation efficiency of digitalization and low carbonization integration in the construction industry across 30 Chinese provinces in 2021, using a configuration analysis based on fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The paper contains several analytical flaws that need to be addressed. I recommend a major revision of the manuscript.

Comments and Suggestions

1. This study uses cross-sectional data from 30 provinces, which is a relatively small sample size. How do the authors ensure the representativeness of the selected sample? The authors should discuss potential biases arising from sample selection.

2. Although the fsQCA method can identify combinations of conditions, it is difficult to establish strict causal relationships. However, judging from the paper's title, the authors clearly intend to discuss the factors influencing the innovation efficiency of digitalization and low carbonization integration in the construction industry.

3. The use of static cross-sectional data overlooks the dynamic characteristics of innovation efficiency over time. Why didn't the paper consider panel data over multiple years?

4. The paper lacks heterogeneity analysis of differences between provinces.

5. The policy recommendations based on the research results are relatively general and lack specific, actionable measures.

6. The discussion on the limitations of the fsQCA method itself is insufficient, such as the sensitivity of the variable calibration process.

7. There are grammatical issues, for example, in the paper title "What influences the innovation efficiency of digitalization and low carbonization integration in the construction industry? -Configuration analysis based on fsQCA", an article "a" should be added before "Configuration analysis".

8. Some figures and tables in the paper are not standardized. For instance, Figure 2 does not explain what the x and y axes represent.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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What factors influence innovation efficiency in integrating digitalization and low carbonization within the construction industry? - A configuration analysis based on fsQCA

PONE-D-24-40808R1

Dear Dr. Xiong,

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

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Kind regards,

Sara Eloy, Ph.D

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. If the authors have adequately addressed your comments raised in a previous round of review and you feel that this manuscript is now acceptable for publication, you may indicate that here to bypass the “Comments to the Author” section, enter your conflict of interest statement in the “Confidential to Editor” section, and submit your "Accept" recommendation.

Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

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2. Is the manuscript technically sound, and do the data support the conclusions?

The manuscript must describe a technically sound piece of scientific research with data that supports the conclusions. Experiments must have been conducted rigorously, with appropriate controls, replication, and sample sizes. The conclusions must be drawn appropriately based on the data presented.

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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4. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

The PLOS Data policy requires authors to make all data underlying the findings described in their manuscript fully available without restriction, with rare exception (please refer to the Data Availability Statement in the manuscript PDF file). The data should be provided as part of the manuscript or its supporting information, or deposited to a public repository. For example, in addition to summary statistics, the data points behind means, medians and variance measures should be available. If there are restrictions on publicly sharing data—e.g. participant privacy or use of data from a third party—those must be specified.

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: Yes

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5. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

PLOS ONE does not copyedit accepted manuscripts, so the language in submitted articles must be clear, correct, and unambiguous. Any typographical or grammatical errors should be corrected at revision, so please note any specific errors here.

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: Yes

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6. Review Comments to the Author

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. (Please upload your review as an attachment if it exceeds 20,000 characters)

Reviewer #1: (No Response)

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

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7. PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean? ). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy .

Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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