Dear Dr. Ernst,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

Please submit your revised manuscript by Jul 05 2025 11:59PM. If you will need more time than this to complete your revisions, please reply to this message or contact the journal office at plosone@plos.org . When you're ready to submit your revision, log on to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pone/ and select the 'Submissions Needing Revision' folder to locate your manuscript file.

• A rebuttal letter that responds to each point raised by the academic editor and reviewer(s). You should upload this letter as a separate file labeled 'Response to Reviewers'.
• A marked-up copy of your manuscript that highlights changes made to the original version. You should upload this as a separate file labeled 'Revised Manuscript with Track Changes'.
• An unmarked version of your revised paper without tracked changes. You should upload this as a separate file labeled 'Manuscript'.

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We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Maria Stefania Latrofa

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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When submitting your revision, we need you to address these additional requirements.

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Does the manuscript provide a valid rationale for the proposed study, with clearly identified and justified research questions?

Reviewer #1: Yes

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2. Is the protocol technically sound and planned in a manner that will lead to a meaningful outcome and allow testing the stated hypotheses??>

Reviewer #1: Yes

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3. Is the methodology feasible and described in sufficient detail to allow the work to be replicable??>

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

4. Have the authors described where all data underlying the findings will be made available when the study is complete??>

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #1: Yes

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

Reviewer #1: Yes

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Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above and, if applicable, provide comments about issues authors must address before this protocol can be accepted for publication. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about research or publication ethics.

You may also provide optional suggestions and comments to authors that they might find helpful in planning their study.

Reviewer #1: The manuscript PONE-D-25-17579, “Developing and validating modular surveys for vector-borne diseases: a study protocol”, presents a well-structured and timely protocol for the development and validation of standardized Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) surveys targeting vector-borne diseases (VBDs) in the United States. Given the increasing burden of VBDs and the current lack of harmonized tools for assessing public knowledge and behavior, this protocol addresses a significant methodological gap. The use of theoretical frameworks (HBM and RANAS), a phased development process, and diverse target populations adds to its scientific rigor. The manuscript is suitable for publication in PLOS ONE pending minor revisions related to writing clarity and a few enhancements to methodological transparency. Overall, it offers a valuable contribution to public health research and surveillance strategies.

- There’s no mention of how missing data from cognitive interviews or surveys will be addressed.

- It’s unclear how many initial items per domain are expected to be tested, and how item reduction will be handled. Please add information, such as: "Initial item pools will intentionally include overlapping items within each domain to allow for assessment of internal consistency and clarity. Item reduction will be based.... and items that do not meet these criteria will be considered for removal or rewording.”

- There’s a well-described sampling plan, but no mention of how nonresponse bias will be handled. Add information on how you’ll assess or mitigate nonresponse bias, such as: “To assess potential nonresponse bias, we will compare basic demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, education level, residential area) between survey respondents and the broader invited sample, where such data are available. This will help identify systematic differences that may affect generalizability.”

- The discussion mentions that survey results can inform interventions but doesn’t explain how results will be used by agencies. Suggestion - Add a paragraph in the discussion proposing potential use cases, such as: tailoring educational campaigns, targeting high-risk communities, evaluating longitudinal behavior change following. interventions.

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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.

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Reviewer #1: No

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Developing and validating modular surveys for vector-borne diseases: a study protocol

PONE-D-25-17579R1

Dear Dr. Ernst,

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.

Within one week, you’ll receive an e-mail detailing the required amendments. When these have been addressed, you’ll receive a formal acceptance letter and your manuscript will be scheduled for publication.

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If your institution or institutions have a press office, please notify them about your upcoming paper to help maximize its impact. If they’ll be preparing press materials, please inform our press team as soon as possible -- no later than 48 hours after receiving the formal acceptance. 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.

Kind regards,

Maria Stefania Latrofa

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

1. Does the manuscript provide a valid rationale for the proposed study, with clearly identified and justified research questions?

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

2. Is the protocol technically sound and planned in a manner that will lead to a meaningful outcome and allow testing the stated hypotheses??>

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

3. Is the methodology feasible and described in sufficient detail to allow the work to be replicable??>

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

4. Have the authors described where all data underlying the findings will be made available when the study is complete??>

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

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

Reviewer #1: Yes

**********

Please use the space provided to explain your answers to the questions above and, if applicable, provide comments about issues authors must address before this protocol can be accepted for publication. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about research or publication ethics.

You may also provide optional suggestions and comments to authors that they might find helpful in planning their study.

Reviewer #1: All suggestions have been addressed, and the manuscript has significantly improved. I recommend the publication of the manuscript in its current form.

**********

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

**********