PONE-D-24-54464Exploring the Relationship between Motor Visual Proficiency and Performance Metrics in Elite Skeet Shooters: An In-depth AnalysisPLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Wu,

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Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

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Dongxu Gao and Tinggangyuan

China Institute of Sport Science Basic Scientific Research Business Funding Project,(Basic 23-39)”

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Additional Editor Comments:

My apologies for the delay in looking for reviewers for this paper.

Prior to sending for review, I am requesting that the authors please fix the formatting of the references. The formatting of the references is highly variable, and there is at least one duplicate.

As soon as this is corrected, I will begin the process of finding reviewers.

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PONE-D-24-54464R1Exploring the Relationship between Motor Visual Proficiency and Performance Metrics in Elite Skeet Shooters: An In-depth AnalysisPLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Wu,

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 Mar 31 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.

Please include the following items when submitting your revised manuscript:

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If you would like to make changes to your financial disclosure, please include your updated statement in your cover letter. Guidelines for resubmitting your figure files are available below the reviewer comments at the end of this letter.

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We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Nick Fogt

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments:

The references still are not uniform. Please follow the instructions to authors in uniformly formatting all of the references. I won't be able to look for reviewers until this matter is resolved.

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[NOTE: If reviewer comments were submitted as an attachment file, they will be attached to this email and accessible via the submission site. Please log into your account, locate the manuscript record, and check for the action link "View Attachments". If this link does not appear, there are no attachment files.]

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com/ . PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Registration is free. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email PLOS at figures@plos.org . Please note that Supporting Information files do not need this step.

PONE-D-24-54464R2Exploring the Relationship between Motor Visual Proficiency and Performance Metrics in Elite Skeet Shooters: An In-depth AnalysisPLOS ONE

Dear Dr. Wu,

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 Jun 11 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.

Please include the following items when submitting your revised manuscript:

• 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'.

If you would like to make changes to your financial disclosure, please include your updated statement in your cover letter. Guidelines for resubmitting your figure files are available below the reviewer comments at the end of this letter.

If applicable, we recommend that you deposit your laboratory protocols in protocols.io to enhance the reproducibility of your results. Protocols.io assigns your protocol its own identifier (DOI) so that it can be cited independently in the future. For instructions see: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/submission-guidelines#loc-laboratory-protocols . Additionally, PLOS ONE offers an option for publishing peer-reviewed Lab Protocol articles, which describe protocols hosted on protocols.io. Read more information on sharing protocols at https://plos.org/protocols?utm_medium=editorial-email&utm_source=authorletters&utm_campaign=protocols .

We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Nick Fogt

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Journal Requirements:

Please review your reference list to ensure that it is complete and correct. If you have cited papers that have been retracted, please include the rationale for doing so in the manuscript text, or remove these references and replace them with relevant current references. Any changes to the reference list should be mentioned in the rebuttal letter that accompanies your revised manuscript. If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article’s retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice.

Additional Editor Comments:

Both reviewers have positive things to say about the paper.

Please comment on reviewer #1's comments regarding the statistical analysis. While the overall r squared value is quite good, the correlation coefficients between various tests are somewhat low. Please comment on the implications of these lower correlations. Reviewer #1 also asks for some details around the aSee glasses. Presumably these glasses are independent from the Senaptec system. If the aSee glasses are not related to the Senaptec system please indicate that this is the case. Please provide the manufacturer of the aSee system, the resolution (which looks like 0.50deg from the company website (https://www.7invensun.com/elite)) and if known, the accuracy of this eye tracking system.

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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: N/A

Reviewer #2: Yes

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

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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

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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: I think that the paper is good but I don´t understand statistical about r because is relatively low. I like senaptec system but I don't see the relation with Asee glasses, Can you explain a little more?

Reviewer #2: The text presents a detailed analysis of the importance of visual capabilities in shooting performance. It is clear that faster occurrence times and better cooperative insight are crucial for superior performance. The negative correlation between occurrence times and performance highlights that slower occurrence times are relevant to athletes, emphasizing the need to focus on developing these skills. Furthermore, the regression model that explains 76.7% of the variance in expert performance suggests that visual predictors are substantial for success in sport. The conclusion reaffirms the importance of perceived breadth and specialized skills, ensuring that training in these aspects can bring significant improvements in competitors' performance.

So congratulations to the authors.

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Reviewer #1: Yes:  Ricardo Bernárdez-Vilaboa

Reviewer #2: No

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Exploring the Relationship between Motor Visual Proficiency and Performance Metrics in Elite Skeet Shooters: An In-depth Analysis

PONE-D-24-54464R3

Dear Dr. Wu,

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,

Nick Fogt

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Thank you for your responses to the reviewer comments.

Reviewers' comments: