Dear Dr. Hou,

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 Aug 22 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'.
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We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

Kind regards,

Assoc. Prof. Phakkharawat Sittiprapaporn, Ph.D.

Academic Editor

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?

Reviewer #1: Partly

Reviewer #2: Partly

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

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Yes

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

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

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

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: No

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Reviewer #1: I have taken note of the manuscript submitted to me for review, entitled “A Comparative Study on Folk Sports Inheritance in China and South Korea: Influencing Factors and Mediating Roles”.

To improve the quality of the article published in this prestigious journal, I make some observations below that are detailed and can be corrected by the authors.

- Although relevant literature exists, the review could delve more deeply into the theoretical framework of intangible cultural heritage from anthropology or cultural studies. In this way, the research topic could be better understood.

- In the research design, it is more pertinent to put the sample or participants first to situate the reader the sample under study.

- p" in the level of significance is in italics, both at the foot of the tables and in the text.

- Statistical values should be without 0 before the comma, e.g., ** p < .01 Same in tables and text.

- Broader structural or historical factors that might explain the observed differences are not sufficiently discussed. For example, the text between lines 419 and 427, between 462 and 482 or between 485 and 509, do not have any citations to support the findings obtained, but are expressions to justify and argue the data. Therefore, they must rely on existing literature to contrast the empirical evidence obtained with previous studies.

- It is implicitly assumed that the proposed model is universal, without discussing its cultural limitations or its transferability to other contexts.

- The recommendations made are mostly one-sided (towards China) and no innovative ideas are offered for South Korea.

- I invite the authors to use other citations to support the statements made in the text, since their bibliographic references, in their entirety, are centered on authors from the Asian continent. In this way, it is possible to enrich the perspective and the variables under study of other citizens at the international level.

Reviewer #2: Thank you for the opportunity to review your manuscript, “A Comparative Study on Folk Sports Inheritance in China and South Korea.” Your work addresses an important and under-explored area by offering a comparative analysis of folk sports heritage systems in two distinct cultural contexts.

However, several revisions are required before the manuscript can be considered suitable for publication:

Theoretical Clarity: The conceptual framework requires stronger grounding in relevant literature. Please clarify how the five dimensions relate to existing theories of cultural transmission, sports sociology, or heritage studies.

Statistical Reporting: While the use of SEM is appropriate, key statistical details—such as model fit indices and assumption testing—are missing. Please report these clearly and transparently.

Data Availability: In line with journal policy, the dataset underlying your analysis must be made fully accessible, either through a public repository or supplementary files.

Language and Presentation: The manuscript contains numerous grammatical, structural, and stylistic issues. We strongly recommend professional English language editing to ensure clarity and consistency.

Policy Implications: The practical contribution of your findings could be strengthened. Consider elaborating on how your model informs institutional practice or bilateral collaboration in cultural preservation.

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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.

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: Yes:  Miguel Ángel Durán-Vinagre

Reviewer #2: No

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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.

Dear Dr. Hou,

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 Oct 03 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'.

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,

Asoc. Prof. Phakkharawat Sittiprapaporn, Ph.D.

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Journal Requirements:

If the reviewer comments include a recommendation to cite specific previously published works, please review and evaluate these publications to determine whether they are relevant and should be cited. There is no requirement to cite these works unless the editor has indicated otherwise. 

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

Reviewer #1: All comments have been addressed

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

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

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

**********

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

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

**********

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

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

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

Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

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Reviewer #1: The authors have addressed the comments and suggestions for improvements made in the previous reviews by the various reviewers. This improves the quality of the manuscript and complies with the guidelines and ethics of the prestigious PlosOne journal.

Reviewer #2: This manuscript is a re-submission following earlier reviewer feedback. The revisions have addressed several prior concerns, including improved figure captions and expanded engagement with recent literature. The topic remains relevant and timely, and the empirical approach is appropriate for the aims of the study. However, despite these improvements, there are still important areas that require further work to bring the paper to PLOS ONE’s publication standard. Specifically, the framing of the research gap, methodological transparency, and depth of discussion continue to limit the manuscript’s scholarly impact.

Here are my specific concerns:

1. While the introduction has been refined since the initial submission, it still lacks a sharply defined research gap and explicit statement of novelty relative to prior studies.

2. The link between the literature review and the specific aims of this paper is not as strong as it could be, especially in justifying why this study is needed now.

3. Although some methodological clarifications were made since the last submission, key details are still missing, including sampling procedures, justification for variable inclusion/exclusion, and handling of missing data.

4. While results tables and figures are now clearer, effect sizes are still inconsistently reported alongside p-values.

5. The narrative continues to repeat table content rather than interpret it.

6. Although expanded, the discussion still tends to summarise rather than critically engage with the literature. Also, over-generalisation remains a concern; conclusions should be more closely tied to the scope of the sample and study design.

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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.

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: Yes:  Miguel Ángel Durán-Vinagre

Reviewer #2: Yes:  Richard Peter Bailey

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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.

A Comparative Study on Folk Sports Inheritance in China and South Korea: Influencing Factors and Mediating Roles

PONE-D-25-25970R2

Dear Dr. Hou,

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.

An invoice will be generated when your article is formally accepted. Please note, if your institution has a publishing partnership with PLOS and your article meets the relevant criteria, all or part of your publication costs will be covered. Please make sure your user information is up-to-date by logging into Editorial Manager at Editorial Manager®  and clicking the ‘Update My Information' link at the top of the page. For questions related to billing, please contact billing support .

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,

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phakkharawat Sittiprapaporn, Ph.D.

Academic Editor

PLOS ONE

Additional Editor Comments (optional):

Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

Reviewer #2: All comments have been addressed

**********

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

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

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

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

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

The PLOS Data policy

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

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

Reviewer #2: Yes

**********

Reviewer #2: The revised manuscript, A Comparative Study on Folk Sports Inheritance in China and South Korea: Influencing Factors and Mediating Roles, reflects a thorough and effective response to all reviewer feedback. The research gap and contribution are now clearly articulated, with improved methodological transparency through detailed sampling procedures and justification of variables. Statistical reporting has been strengthened by the inclusion of standardised effect sizes and confidence intervals. The discussion section has been substantially reworked to offer critical interpretation and meaningful engagement with relevant literature, moving beyond descriptive summary. Ethical approval, data availability, and adherence to journal standards are clearly documented. Overall, the revision demonstrates significant improvement in coherence, analytical rigour, and scholarly merit. The manuscript is suitable for publication, subject to minor editorial refinements in language and style.

**********

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 #2: Yes:  Richard Peter Bailey

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