PONE-D-24-29304Anthropometric and Strength Characteristics of Adolescent Golfers with Different HandicapsPLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Lang,

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PLOS ONE

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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: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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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: No

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: Yes

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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: You carried out the research by observing the principles of ethics in research. I hope that the mentioned reforms will be carried out and reviewed so that it can be used correctly by other researchers to conduct research in the future.

Reviewer #2: ________________________________________

Review of the Article: "Anthropometric and Strength Characteristics of Adolescent Golfers with Different Handicaps"

Dear Authors,

To enhance the quality of this article, I kindly suggest the following revisions:

Title:

The title should be revised to better reflect the study's objective.

Suggested Revision:

"Anthropometric and Strength Characteristics of Adolescent Golfers with Low and High Handicaps."

Abstract:

• Please specify the sampling method used and provide a clear explanation of how the sample size was determined.

• The exact p-value should be stated.

• If gender comparisons were made, please indicate this and clarify whether correlations were assessed based on gender.

• The conclusion section should be revised to focus on the implications of the findings rather than restating the results.

• It is advisable to use keywords that are distinct from those already included in the title.

• The abstract appears to be too lengthy. Consider shortening it to a maximum of 250 words.

Introduction:

• Ensure that all statements are appropriately cited with references.

• Provide more detailed information about the role of anthropometric characteristics in golfers' performance.

• The literature review largely focuses on the role of strength and power in performance. It is essential to also review studies that explore the significance of anthropometric features in this context.

• While the role of muscular strength and anthropometric characteristics on motor performance is well established, the unique rationale for this research needs further clarification.

• Since anthropometric and physical fitness (strength) assessments serve as entry criteria for most sports and are key to talent identification, please justify the necessity of examining these factors at the adolescent level. Provide educational reasoning for their inclusion in this study.

• Offer a more detailed explanation of how adolescent strength and anthropometric characteristics impact sports performance.

• Numerous studies have explored the importance of anthropometric features and strength in adolescent athletes. Drawing upon relevant studies will strengthen the introduction and provide a more solid foundation.

Research Method:

Participants:

• Please specify the sampling method and the process for estimating the sample size.

• Considering gender differences among adolescents, how were the groups balanced by gender?

• Were there any other criteria, aside from handicap, used for grouping participants? Please clarify.

Statistical Analysis:

• Given the multi-level nature of the research variables, please report the results of multiple regression analysis, if applicable, to determine which variables have the highest predictive power.

• When discussing statistical tests, simply mention the test used and justify its selection. Avoid additional explanations.

Results:

• Modify the titles of the tables to better align with the study’s objectives (i.e., “Golfers with Low and High Handicaps”).

• In Table 3, please report the R² value and provide an analysis based on this value.

• A correlation table for the anthropometric characteristics would be beneficial. Please explain why such a table was not included.

• It would be useful to present the results of multiple regression analysis to highlight the predictive power of the strength and anthropometric variables.

• In the methods section, it is stated that the Mann-Whitney U test was used, but this is not mentioned in the results section. Please ensure consistency.

Discussion:

• Given the length of the discussion, I suggest you begin with a concise summary of the findings related to anthropometric characteristics and strength analysis. Then, compare these findings with those of previous studies in this area, and conclude with a general summary.

• Given the relationship between limb volume and strength (a key factor in improving performance), I recommend further analysis of the results in terms of their educational applications.

• It might be better to present the correlation section towards the end of the strength discussion.

• Please include practical suggestions based on the findings, particularly from an educational perspective.

References:

• The font style in references 2, 5, 12, 26, 29, 39, 42, and 46 appears to be inconsistent. Please correct this formatting issue.

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #2: No

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Attachments

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Submitted filename: Comment.docx

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Submitted filename: reviwe fail-24-29304.docx

Anthropometric and Strength Characteristics of Adolescent Golfers with Low and High Handicaps

PONE-D-24-29304R1

Dear Dr. Lang,

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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Kind regards,

Rasool Abedanzadeh, 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

**********

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

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

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: Yes

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: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

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: The above points have been taken into account correctly. I hope the author can use the mentioned points in his future works.

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: Yes: majid mohammadi

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