Discussion on a Paper

To originate a discussion, you may submit a comment to any paper that has been published in a current SPE peer-reviewed journal. (This does not apply to papers published in conference proceedings.) 

The comment should

  • Be no more than 2 printed pages, single column, including figures, tables, equations, and references
  • Address a significant point in the original work without becoming a new paper 
  • Be factual, fair, concise, and respectfully worded in language appropriate for a scholarly journal

Please note: 

  • Comments should be based on fact, not opinion.
  • Comments are not peer reviewed.
  • Authors are only allowed to submit a single discussion on a paper. 
  • Authors may not submit a comment to their own paper. Such submissions will be regarded as addendums or errata. 
  • Submitted comments to papers that have been published online for more than 1 year may not be accepted.

The executive editor will review the comment and determine if it should be recognized as a topic for discussion and published. If so, the author of the original published paper will have the option to submit a formal reply. 

The reply should

  • Be no more than 2 printed pages, single column, including figures, tables, equations, and references
  • Respond directly to the criticism in the comment without being evasive or defensive
  • Be worded in a manner that is respectful to both the content and author of the comment in language appropriate for a scholarly journal
  • Be factual, fair, and concise 

SPE may allow one revision of the comment and one revision of the author's reply, if needed. At this time, the executive editor will make the final decision to publish or decline. Only after the executive editor approves comments and replies for publication does the exchange constitute a discussion. The approved discussion will undergo the same editing process as all other papers, and will be uploaded as a supplementary file to the original paper in OnePetro. Notification of the discussion will be added to the contents of the next consecutive issue of the online journal.

Submit a discussion

Comments can be submitted to peer@spe.org. 

NOTE: Please indicate the paper your comment refers to, and provide your contact information with the submission. The executive editors retain the right to drop potential discussions that exceed specified timelines. They also reserve the right to refuse discussions that appear to be motivated for reasons other than to enhance knowledge, understanding, and clarity of the subject at hand.